How can overseas volunteers maintain a level of social consciousness after they come home?
I believe the most important part of volunteering is what you do when you come home. The work I did in Washington, DC against the Contra war was probably more valuable to the Nicaraguan people than the septic tank I helped build. We encourage volunteers to think about ways they can get involved in addressing the root causes of the problems they witnessed overseas. That could mean participating in a human rights campaign, promoting alternative trade with a group such as Oxfam, or joining the World Bank Bond Boycott until the Bank changes its damaging policies. Other returned volunteers share their experiences with local schools, support immigrant communities, or apply their new skills to development at home. Our web site, www.volunteeroverseas.org, contains extensive resources to help volunteers stay engaged. Volunteering opens new worlds to you. The key is to see it not as an end but as one important step in becoming an active global citizen. Reprinted with permission from Transitions
