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Category: people and places in the news

articles about people and places

we’ve just won an award for our work during the pandemic!

we’ve just won an award for our work during the pandemic!

We, at people and places highly value recognition from such prestigious  awards as the WTM World Responsible Tourism Award. This year the judges decided to commend organisations and destinations which are taking responsibility and addressing the many challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. We are particularly proud to have won The Innovation Award because people and places was conceived to innovate for better practice in the volunteer travel.  We won the award for the work we are doing to develop support and encourage e-volunteering – a…

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the cruel scams of ‘orphanage volunteering’

the cruel scams of ‘orphanage volunteering’

Kate Stefanko interviewed by BBC1’s “Fake Britain” – about 35 minutes into the programme The programme was first aired in May 2014 and repeated again this morning … sadly, so much of the content is still relevant … and not only in Cambodia. The cruel scams of ‘orphanage volunteering’ are exposed – cruel to children & scamming naive & well-meaning volunteers ! at people and places we support organisations and projects which focus on keeping children in families check out childsafe  and…

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“gap years for grown ups” – the value of older volunteers

“gap years for grown ups” – the value of older volunteers

“Highly skilled people … are looking for career break activities” writes Matthew Jenkin in today’s Guardian newspaper. At ‘people and places‘, we know that each volunteer has valuable skills to share – whatever their age. The key is to put the right people in the right places, and that’s something we work hard to achieve. As Sallie says in The Guardian article: “… older volunteers can bring huge value … they are generally more patient and better prepared for voluntary work, not only…

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should I volunteer abroad ?

should I volunteer abroad ?

just re-read an article about ‘voluntourism’ (a word I do not like!) in the World Travel Guide … actually rather proud … “Kate Stefanko, Placement Director at People and Places, … thinks volunteering abroad can be beneficial to all concerned if it is done right. We believe that a carefully placed, thoroughly screened, well-prepared, skilled volunteer can – and does – have a positive impact,” says Stefanko.   “All volunteers through People and Places have to apply for a position. Then,…

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volunteering & ‘voluntourism’ – there’s a difference!

volunteering & ‘voluntourism’ – there’s a difference!

It’s taken a while, but gradually the media is beginning to recognise and write about the POSITIVE results of volunteering, and how to achieve such results. At ‘people and places‘, we’ve always differentiated between volunteering and ‘voluntourism’ … this understanding is beginning to be expressed in the media … gradually ! ‘people and places‘ was featured in an article in The Guardian in May … with the usual sort of headline, unfortunately … but with a far more positive sub-heading:  “If…

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The Guardian – positives and negatives of ‘voluntourism’

The Guardian – positives and negatives of ‘voluntourism’

Seems to be a ‘media day’ …  this article in The Guardian today asks, yet again, whether ‘voluntourism’ does more harm than good … “If volunteers are truly to help communities overseas, charities and NGOs must take the time to match their skills with the right projects,” says Matthew Jenkin, editor of Guardian Careers Key word: “MATCH” … Our own approach here at ‘people and places‘ is – and always has been – to begin with an understanding of local need in…

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volunteering in projects abroad: how to do it well

volunteering in projects abroad: how to do it well

Really useful tips, advice and pointers in this article to guide your research when you’re beginning to think about volunteering in projects abroad … how to find the right project for you …     “short-term volunteering – how to do it well” Begin by asking lots of questions … and expect full answers ! Sallie is quoted, as is Michael, our local partner in Cambodia, where our volunteers work in this community project in Siem Reap. Michael’s question 1: “Does the…

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“meaningful volunteer experiences”

“meaningful volunteer experiences”

Great to see 3 of our volunteer programmes featured in The World Travel Guide  12 Ethical Experiences for 2015 – and pleased to say that we are in great company! “Despite the market being swamped with capitalist ventures masquerading as morally sound institutions, there are a number of ethically conscious organisations out there offering both beneficial trips and meaningful volunteer placements.”   Click here to read the full article. You can read an article Kate was interviewed for