Volunteering abroad is often considered a meaningful and life-changing experience for many people who have direct contact with the community in which they work. Volunteering in India with Leave UR Mark can certainly be something that helps you focus your skills on those that need it most. However, it is important to keep a few things in mind so that volunteering does not end up hurting the local community, despite your good intentions. Here are some of our tips to make volunteering abroad with Leave UR Mark a fruitful exchange between everyone.
5)Go slow your first week: Your first week is meant to be an observational period for you to absorb the way of doing things. Volunteers often make the mistake of trying to implement a lot of change in the first couple of days. This is always met with resistance and not appreciated by local staff. Even asking too many questions can seem like a nuisance to some co-workers. Relax and take in the good and bad of what you observe. After the first couple of days, think about what changes could feasibly be implemented and voice them at a later point.
4)Do what’s necessary: Say you sign up for a Psychology volunteer project. On your second day, the office computer breaks and you are expected to try and fix it. Do so happily. Although it may not be the exact task you signed up for, the “can-do” attitude will set the tone for the rest of your time to your director who will give you more responsibility related to your expertise. Many international volunteers feel that they should dictate every single assignment given to them because they have paid fees in order to participate. However, random issues always come up in a workplace setting and a volunteer or intern should be able to handle everything. Of course, if you feel you aren’t getting any relevant work, then it’s time to speak to a Leave UR Mark coordinator.
3)Complete your time commitment: India is a beautiful place that has many interesting places to travel to. If you are doing a volunteer project, your first priority is the volunteer project. Travel comes secondary. Volunteers should never miss time on their project in order to travel to an off-site location for several days or weeks. Sometimes 1 or 2 days is okay depending upon the project. If the urge to travel around India is strong, volunteers can schedule an extra week or two after their projects.
2)Be careful with your money: Not every staff member at your project will be honest and respectful towards your money. Many local people may feel that since you are not Indian and live abroad, that you have a lot of extra cash to spare. They may ask you to donate here and there or buy supplies for children or pay three times more for sharing transportation with you. It’s important to not let people take your money in the name of helping out the project you are working with. Leave UR Mark already works with the directors of the projects to make sure they understand you are there to volunteer your time, not your money.
1)Get along with your fellow volunteers: This can sometimes be a deterrent in the impact of your work on the project and the overall atmosphere in the accommodation as well as various social activities. You are many times volunteering and living with people of all different backgrounds from around the world. It’s important to try and include everyone, respect one another’s space and belongings, keep an overall positive attitude (don’t be a debbie downer), communicate respectfully and honestly about your issues, and work together for the greater good of the goals that you all have in mind.
Do you have any tips? Email us at info@leaveurmark.com so we can add them to the list!
