Sunday, February 12, 2012

Students given tips to stop gap year travel being 'a new colonialism'

6:01 PM | Posted by Free Game Zone | | Edit Post

Demos Thinktank warns

poorly planned periods of volunteering in developing countries can do more harm than good

year multi-million dollar industry gap is in danger of damaging the reputation of Britain abroad and raising fears that the West is involved in a new form of colonialism , according to a group of leading experts.

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Young planned a year off to concentrate on what they can offer their customers in order to discourage the view that volunteering is not just a new way of exercising power, according a new Demos report.

Those who carefully select the projects concerned are likely to make the most of his time, but doing more to dispel the belief that your travels are just their own interests, says report.

Nine out of 10 young people surveyed by YouGov for Demos, said it had improved their self-esteem, self confidence and sense of motivation after a stint volunteering in a developing country .

However, the gap year industry is a business of £ 6 billion for Western companies, which cost between £ 1,500 volunteers and 4,500 pounds for a unique experience of two months. One in five people who take a gap year said they believed that their presence in the place where they visited makes no difference in the lives of those around them.

Jonathan Birdwell, author of the Demos, said there was no evidence that even a bad thought sabbatical could be bad for local communities and relations with Great Britain in other countries. "There is a risk of these types of programs that perpetuate negative stereotypes of" colonialism "and" charity "of the West. A new way for the West to assert its power" Said

Birdwell said that "projects that do not make profits or to make a difference for communities overseas volunteers leave motivated and disillusioned."

  • a response to the report of the survey said. "I felt the local community could have done the work we were doing, many people were unemployed, I would have preferred to work with local unemployed people and helped in any way to benefit their community."
  • The study comes in the wake of the implementation of the Government Public Services International, in the words of Prime Minister, is designed to "give thousands of our youth, who, otherwise could not otherwise afford the opportunity of seeing the world and serve others. "
The system is tested, allowing those who come from families with a combined income of less than £ 25 000 the possibility of a sabbatical for free. The pilot project will involve 1,080 young people attending 27 different countries.

The Demos report found that 64% of the 3,000 parents surveyed want their children to participate in the ICS system. However, research has indicated that there were key factors that make demos a successful year sabbatical and the report recommends that the ICS should be incorporated.

There should be no after-care support, which allows young people to continue the work begun abroad, once back home, in his opinion.


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