Voluntourism with Creative Corners

As the popularity of “gap year”, career breaks, and “voluntourism” style travel continue to grow around the world and with so many programs to choose from, where does a potential volunteer start? Should you work in a school? Teach sports? Help build a house? Save turtles? Work in a zoo or help in an orphanage? All worthy options, but for the more creative among you, there is a now a new sector of the volunteer market to consider…

Creative Corners: The Global Arts Project (CIC) is a unique not for profit agency for cultural sector volunteering that specializes in creative projects for creative people where you could devise a play in a Bolivian orphanage, teach photography to street kids in Honduras, sing to teen mums in Nicaragua, share some moves in a Brazilian social circus, redecorate a children’s home in Guatemala or design a garden in Peruvian orphanage.

Creative Corners was established by 33-year-old London based Australian arts worker Monique Julian who was inspired to start this unique organization after her own experiences volunteering in La Paz, Bolivia. We interviewed her about Creative Corners and volunteer traveling.

When and how did you hear about “voluntourism”?

For me, travel was always on the cards; with parents who were travelers and with an inquisitive mind and open theatrical disposition, voyaging around the world was a natural step. I first traveled overseas in my third year of university on a six month scholarship, working as an intern in an advertising agency in Malaysia. I continued traveling around Asia for a few months and by the time I returned to Australia I was hooked. Within two years I was off again. Before I knew it nearly 4 years had passed and I was still traveling using London as a base. Although I had had amazing experiences in over 40 countries I then decided it was time to do something more ‘purposeful’. I had heard about this ‘newish phase’ of volunteering so decided a travel and volunteer trip was just what I needed. This was 2002 when I was introduced to this type of travel and I haven’t looked back.

Why did you decide to participate in such a project?

I decided I wanted to do something more than just travel – to do something more ‘meaningful’ – I wanted a travel experience with a difference so I decided to volunteer. After much searching I found an expensive UK organization and ended up heading off alone to Bolivia for 7 months not knowing that this experience was then going to change and shape the rest of my life.

How would you describe your experience?

I fell in love with the country, its people and the children I had worked teaching creative workshops in the street and rural villages, running art classes at a home for deaf children and intellectually disabled adults and writing and performing a Christmas musical and circus performance with 80 children of an orphanage.

And La Paz was an incredible city, nestled in an incredibly striking canyon at 3,600m and surrounded by the stunning snow capped peaks of illimani. The place has so much character, and the views are just stunning. I loved to see the Chola ladies in their traditional dress, the women carrying their babies, animals, food and all sorts in brightly coloured South American style pieces of material on their backs.

What were the major advantages of your involvement?

The results of the performance with the children in the orphanage were incredible – these were kids who had never performed before – ever and they learned songs, made costumes and learned a dance. It was such rewarding and satisfying work.

I believe the major advantages of my contribution and work there was that the children had access to music and a creative experience they otherwise wouldn’t have had. When people think about helping poorer countries they often only think about the obvious needs – food, beds, blankets etc and things such as creative education are overlooked. An experience of arts and culture has the potential to create change in many ways.

When and why did you decided to launch Creative Corners?

After my return to the UK I ‘fell’ into a temping job as an Office Manager for an IT company – I couldn’t have been further away from the smiling happy children with their llamas in the rural villages of Bolivia. So the job went on, although I was only meant to be there for one week but it then turned into 2, which turned into 6 months but I wasn’t happy – after my work with the children I found the job soul destroying being stuck in front of a computer all day – but I spent some of that time day-dreaming up my ‘ideal career’ and with my inspiration from abroad along with my love of the arts and travel I dreamed up Creative Corners.

I firmly believe that there is no greater success in life than following your passions and living the way you want to live & I have always lived my personal philosophy by following my 3 major joys in life – travel, the arts and making a difference through community projects.

What is your definition of voluntourism?

I believe voluntourism is any travel where you plan to volunteer at your destination. Your travel experience is more about being immersed in a culture and a community while sharing skills and giving your time where needed.

Do you think it’s relevant to know if the organization is for profit or not?

I do. There are many organizations out there that although their intentions may seem good they are making a lot of money from people wanting to do good. One leading volunteer organization turns over more than £6million pounds a year. Many organizations “use” projects in developing countries to send volunteers and make money and don’t have a personal relationship or really understand what the projects really need or could benefit from.

By choosing to travel with a not for profit organization you know that only the projects will benefit from your experience and your money isn’t just going towards salaries, marketing costs and bonuses.

What is the “plus” of your organization?

Creative Corners is a not for profit volunteer organization providing flexible, rewarding and effective international volunteer opportunities specializing in the creative arts abroad.

We encourage artists, teachers and travelers to share their creative skills with communities where they will make a difference –and we give people the opportunity to do this with and an affordable, creative and charitable organization so they can creatively change lives while creatively changing their own.

Creative Corners also aims to give individual attention and consultancy advice so volunteers can achieve their personal goals through the arts encouraging volunteers to strive for an element of public performance, exhibition, installation, recording or publication of work produced during the project. We believe ‘Process’ is important, but striving towards a final goal or ‘product’, whether that be a play, photo exhibition, CD recording, documentary, crafts stall or a published calendar, provides a tangible goal and WIN/WIN situation for everyone involved.

We also give any profits back to the projects unlike many other profit making volunteer companies and I hope to build music and arts centers at the projects with profits and any funds raised.

Creative Corners also has a personal relationship with all the projects having personally visited them all and so understanding how creative people can best work with the children.

We also have a personal relationship with all the host families who are amazing people – returned volunteers all comment on the families and say how special they are and how welcome they made them feel.

What do you have to say in regards to the accusation that these kind of trips aren’t worthy because they don’t really bring any positive change?

I believe that if you go with the wrong organization and you are not paired with a project where your skills are going to be of a direct benefit then yes I agree volunteers could be more of a drain on a project then an asset and therefore won’t change lives. But an international volunteer experience does have the potential to change lives including your own and the way you view the world no matter what your background if you choose the right organization and project for you. After you experience you will find yourself with renewed energy, commitment, greater perspective, skills and knowledge from life experience gained and you will most likely also have greater motivation to achieve personal goals. Teaching, learning and exploring in a challenging environment is a powerful means of providing the catalyst for inspiration for volunteers and also offers unique personal and professional development opportunities.

One returned volunteer Nicola Brebner remembers “….the beauty, food, people, culture, music, chaos, smells, noise, hustle and bustle, the magic of the Andes, the buzz of Brazil – it all got me… traveling in those amazing places I was forced to get out of my comfort zone and this is where I learned and was forced to take risks and chances that enriched the whole experience.”

And after my own experiences teaching art, drama, music and theater in Bolivia I believe that creative education work in needy and underserved communities in developing countries provides unique benefits. Participation in the arts, or in any form of creative expression allows children to express their own feelings and experiences through a creative means and encourages inspiration and growth. Many underdeveloped countries don’t have access to creative education resources and many children go through school without having music or art teachers so volunteers that can provide this to children do have the potential to change and inspire lives.

What are the main things a potential volunteer should consider?

If you are thinking of volunteering there are many things to consider – How long should I go for? What type of project can I really help? Should I pay to volunteer? What do fees cover and can I afford to go?

Many organizations offer fund raising ideas and support and there are possible grants and travel groups such as Travelocity who in August 2006 launched the Travel for Good Initiative, which includes a program called Change Ambassadors which hopes to bring the idea of “voluntourism” to a broader, more mainstream audience.

Jeffrey Glueck, chief marketing officer of Travelocity, says, “We think voluntourism is one of the best ways to experience a place. Our Change Ambassadors Grants relieve interested individuals of any financial constraints of taking a volunteer vacation. This way Travelocity ensures that more people every year will be free to help around the world.”

And when is a good time to go?

The answer to this is anytime! Why not take the plunge and just go! And volunteering can be for anyone including families & single parents, groups of friends, school leavers, career-breakers or retirees – there are projects to suit all sorts!

One returned volunteer Jhinuk Sarkar sums up her volunteer experience: “Since coming home and reflecting on my time in South America, I have realized how many skills I have gained from just two months of my two projects in Peru and Bolivia.

As well as seeing some astounding sights like Machu Picchu and the Bolivian Salt Flats, I have also gained some amazing memories of the warm, welcoming families I stayed with and the children and staff I worked with.

In Peru, I had an amazing time immersing myself in the language and culture. The kids loved making the masks with me, coming up with dances with Caroline and putting them altogether to perform a play- which they even performed separately for some of the children’s parents/guardians, they were very proud of their work. The children were also definitely enthusiastic when I set a self-portrait drawing competition-especially when they knew some prizes were involved! My multi-tasking skills were put to the test here! I had the best time with the children and teaching staff whilst there – we even took the kids on a picnic outing into the countryside towards the end of my time there-now there’s a memory of Peru that I couldn’t have got by just being a tourist!”

Creative Corners has many projects in need of volunteers and aim to match your interests and skills to a project that will benefit you and the project. All projects are ongoing so they work around planning your trip in the time you have available whether that’s 2 weeks or 6 months. How it works is volunteers either make a proposal of how they would like to use their skills to work on a project or else if you are not sure what you would like to do or where they then look at your skills and brainstorm with you ways in which you can apply your skills to run a meaningful project with a result and outcome.

You can read all about their projects and destinations at creative-corners.com. If you are interested in applying you just need to send an application form which can be downloaded from the website along with your CV and 2 referees.

As for the experience, it will be one you will never forget. Living and working in Latin America for a good cause while developing your own creative, teaching and project leading skills will provide you with invaluable personal and professional development experiences and new inspiration on which to draw in the future.

Check out Creative Corners: The Global Arts Project, or to learn more about the topic, Voluntourism International’s site www.voluntourism.org is a good place to start.