Learning/volunteer abroad programmes provide opportunities for cross-cultural understanding, partnership-building, and cooperative development, but there are also significant structural challenges and inequality of opportunity issues that result from these partnerships between host organizations in the Global South and learning/volunteer abroad for development (LVA4D) participants from the Global North. Learning and Volunteering Abroad for Development aims to unpack the complex benefits and disadvantages of learning/volunteer abroad programmes, using insights from the volunteers who travel abroad and the communities who host them. Based on empirical research within both volunteer and host communities, this book provides students and scholars with an alternative framework for a more careful and nuanced analysis of international volunteering programmes, highlighting ways to improve critical reflection, development outcomes, and intercultural competence. Supported by a website with additional learning resources, this book is an integral resource for senior undergraduate and graduate students interested in going abroad, as well as for scholars or development professionals who are leading or researching such programmes.

"This year, over ten million people will go abroad, eager to find the perfect blend of adventure and altruism. Volunteer travel can help you find your place in the world--and find out what you're made of. So why do so many international volunteer programs fail to make an impact? Why do some do more harm than good? Learning Service offers a powerful new approach that invites volunteers to learn from host communities before trying to 'help' them. It's also a thoughtful critique of the sinister side of volunteer travel; a guide for turning good intentions into effective results; and essential advice on how to make the most of your experience."--Amazon.com.

Despite decades of effort, international development has failed to meaningfully address the problems it seeks to solve. Drawing on existing literature and a Marxist-feminist theoretical framework, I argue that this failure stems from an ideological approach to social change that obscures the social relations at the root of poverty and inequality. This perspective points to a need to better understand how practitioners learn to engage with international development. Accordingly, I focus my research on volunteer abroad programs as a site of learning. Through interviews with ten former volunteers, I explore how their praxis changed through their placement experience. Although the existing literature on these programs does not offer much hope that these programs can foster critical learning, my findings show that some critical learning is possible. This learning is largely self-directed, resulting in uneven movement towards critical consciousness and a praxis that contains elements of both reproduction and transformative change.

Do you want to travel and make a positive impact on the world? This book is designed for you. How to Be an Amazing Volunteer Overseas will give you essential advice on how to decide what to do and where to go. It will help you to prepare for life in a new country. And most importantly, it will set you up to get the most out of your experience by learning from local leaders and contributing in a meaningful way. Full of practical tips and personal stories from the author's experience having worked and volunteered in 70 countries, How to Be an Amazing Volunteer has been endorsed by leaders in the international development community, and is a must-read as borders begin to open up post-pandemic, and as purpose-driven Gen-Zers around the world look to broaden their horizons while making a positive impact. Net proceeds from book sales will go to support education programs in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Kenya and a First Nations community in Canada. "People who change the world are not necessarily 'special' people. They are everyday people who do not hesitate to respond to outside signals. Volunteering is about discovering what you can do and about getting to a point to take your own first steps. This book chronicles Susan's journey to discover herself - you'll enjoy being a co-traveller with her." -- Professor Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 2006

What draws people to study abroad or volunteer in far-off communities? Often the answer is romance – the romance of landscapes, people, languages, the very sense of border-crossing – and longing for liberation, attraction to the unknown, yearning to make a difference. This volume explores the complicated and often fraught desires to study and volunteer abroad. In doing so, the book sheds light on how affect is managed by educators and mobilized by students and volunteers themselves, and how these structures of feeling relate to broader social and economic forces.

ProWorld Service Corps is a not-for-profit sustainable development organization that provides semester abroad, customized academic group programs, and individual internships. At the core of every program is a community-based project created in collaboration with host communities and the participants. All ProWorld program sites are committed to the sustainable development of local communities and to the cultural immersion and the experience for the participants. Historically, most abroad experiences have been limited to the college-age population. ProWorld aims to create a program that reaches another market segment: the retired adult population. Today0́9s retirees are living longer, are healthier and more affluent than ever before. They are looking for opportunities to volunteer and to travel. ProWorld would like to attract this particular population for three reasons: to increase participant volume, to create balance between the high and low season, and to utilize the valuable skill set that exists within the retired adult population. This rationale is the foundation for this Course-Linked Capstone, titled The Experienced Volunteer. The core of the Experienced Volunteer program is engaging volunteers in one of ProWorld0́9s many service projects. In addition, the program also includes Spanish language courses, weekend excursions, and weekly discussions on current issues that face the local population and cultural topics. The program is specially designed with the theories of life-long learning, andragogy, intercultural competences and international service-learning in consideration, thereby consisting of a unique and new program offering tailored to the needs of the retired adult population. The Experienced Volunteer program is a 2-12 week adult learning and cultural immersion program engaging in sustainable community development projects.

Many volunteer workers have questioned their efforts and wondered if their actions truly made a difference. Questions about the state of the world, making a positive impact, health, safety, and creating authentic, lasting change are at the heart of international volunteering. This book is a comprehensive guide for those who are currently volunteering or seeking to volunteer internationally. It demonstrates that with the right tools and knowledge, it is possible to make authentic, lasting change. The book offers timely knowledge for volunteering in an era when the world has never been better off, but where current developments are not reaching everyone who still lives in poverty.