Thoughts About Voluntourism
Here’s a guest post by Kriztina Filep from Hungary
Ok. So another Conference about active citizenship and volunterism. Lot of people, MPs, 50-year-old grey hairy serious looking men, younger lobbist women, a little bit bored university students, active and inspirated university students, important labelled job owner adults. Trying to say something about volunterism.
What is the motivation of a volunteer???? —blah blah blah blah blah…..clapping….blah-blah-blah….sleeping…..blah, blah, blah. Statistics, Power POint….1,2,3,4,…..Stand up and go away.
I can tell you: A volunteer has heard a voice in his/ her head that just says:
COME ON! DO SOMETHING FOR YOURSELF AND FOR THE OTHERS! GOOOOO! IT IS TIME NOT TO SIT!
Some of them feel, that they do not want to work more for a Multinational Company, some of them realized that it was enough time to sit in the benches of a University/office/at home withouth using the brain for a good reason.
THERE IS A CAUSE. A GOOD CAUSE that deserves to do action for. Life will not be changed by talking, writing more and more essays and statistics. They can lie. You can alter them as you want. What if volunteer rate is 30% in England, 23% in Italy? What??????? What if 40% of volunteers go volunteering because they do not want to fulfill the requirements of their parents, 26% want to explore their bounderies, 56% want to experience how life is going on in an other culture? Nothing. Good! And then what?
The sad is that we try to repair our broken society by creating volunteers. Each person who works, does everything by heart and consciously, by 100% is a volunteer. A FREE PERSON.
So, if you know why you are doing what you are doing, if you feel from inside, that the reason is for a good cause, and you do not have debates in your mind about it, then I think you are on your way.
One more thing. What do people need to be happy? Food, water, some kind of accomodation, friends, family, joy, action. That is what volunteers recognized. There is no need for money. It can be deleted. Dig wholes, plant vegetables, share what you know, be with your loved ones and do something that you like.
That is all about volunterism.
Less talk, more Action! Please
Kriztina Filep
Hungary
