Volu m e II - Purdue University Calumet

certainly be shifted to become more equal. Additionally, in some cases, the experience did not imbue a
deeper understanding of the local culture.
Voluntourism has had some major benefits for local economies and in creating inspiring and
awareness raising experiences for volunteers. However, these experiences still fall short of improving
Western perspectives on the developing world. As this becomes more evident, voluntourism providers
should strive to provide opportunities for volunteers to think deeper and examine their experiences during
their time at the location. Through self and group analysis, volunteers can adjust their attitudes to give the
host communities a higher position of power. Through probing their thoughts and feelings on the
community, culture, and events volunteers see when partaking in voluntourism, the volunteer can glean a
more accurate perception of the culture and the issues being faced by those living in the developing world.
Creating power relationships with more equality and deeper understanding of foreign cultures must
be an objective of the voluntourism industry. If voluntourism can ensure that participants truly engage in
their volunteer projects, then it can achieve much more than “voluntary service experiences that include
travel to a destination in order to realize one's service intentions.” Voluntourism could be a means to
positively develop the under-lying power relations between developed and developing countries, first at the
micro-level, and one day at the macro-level.
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