Policy strategies laud volunteerism, but critics frown upon ‘voluntourism’, which is travelling to so-called developing countries for short-term voluntary work. University of Malta researcher Dominik Kalweit, who is also a director of the Maltese NGO Kopin, and researcher Dr Stefano Moncada, unpack this phenomenon.
Changing our attitudes and behaviour is not easy, especially when the results of the effort may only be seen years from now. Issues like sustainability require action at different levels within individual, community, and international spheres. Local NGO Kopin provides a hybrid approach, and suggests ways of breaking this down into bite-sized action.
