About this blog
This blog is a platform for young volunteers to engage with the possibilities and risks of volunteering. Topics discussed and explored are connected to the industry itself and the risks associated with that, as well as the role of volunteers when it comes to practicing and communicating development as a non-professional.
Young volunteers will hopefully learn about and internalize concepts such as white gaze, power structures, digital divide, the risk of “The single story”, communication development, poverty porn, celebrity humanitarianism, ICT4D and more. This blog also serves as a way for volunteers to share their experiences, since there is also the power inequality and dependency between the volunteer and the NGOs which, more often than not, have their own agenda. Further, we will not only talk about what not to do and how volunteering can be problematic but also provide positive examples and aspects which can help youngsters to decide their embarking in such an exciting voyage, from our Western ivory tower to the penuries of two-thirds of the world population.