4. Design projects based on local needs and input as well as volunteer sustainability
Again, the increasing demands on tour companies to incorporate volunteer projects in their tours can potentially lead to poorly designed projects that cater to volunteers’ interests rather than – and sometimes at the expense of – the needs of the host organization and community. This section is intended to help ensure that projects are designed on a needs basis.
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Project Planning and Design |
- Is a representative from the partner organization and/ or community involved in all steps of the volunteer project planning and implementation?
- Is the community directly contributing to the project in any way? Did beneficiaries have to earn these contributions in some way?
- Does the short-term project contribute to the long-term goals and needs of the organization and community?
- Are volunteer projects adaptable? i.e.: If project timelines or community needs change, can the volunteer project be altered to meet the new demands?
- Are projects adaptable to changing tourism trends? i.e.: Might the project discontinue if tourism declines in that area?
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- Are volunteers’ skills appropriately matched to the projects’ needs and activities?
- Are there valuable tasks accessible for non-technical or “unskilled” volunteers, especially if the trip is being solicited to unskilled volunteers?
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- Does planning allow for flexibility if/when the project needs change?
- Would the timing of the volunteer project potentially keep the progress of the project or other related project on hold?
- If the trip is designed to be repeated, is there time allowed for potential changes to the volunteer interaction based on the assessment of previous volunteer projects?
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revision note: to be added later