How To Plan The Most Meaningful Mission Trip
Volunteering abroad through a mission trip or other voluntourism opportunity can be a bucket list family travel experience for so many reasons. These 7 tips will help you plan and prepare for a meaningful (and worthwhile) mission trip.
If you’ve stumbled upon my space on the vast world of the web, chances are it’s because you too believe that travel is learning. You want to create family vacations that are more than… well… a vacation. (O.k., so sometimes you do truly want a vacation but with a bit of meaning behind it.)
Chances are also that you believe planning a family learning adventure is often about learning about an area’s history, meeting the people there, and exploring nature.
Yet, sometimes it’s about even more than that.
It’s about having stick-to-your-ribs experiences that shape your family and teach lessons that are hard to learn in a classroom alone (or the room that you homeschool in, if you’re a homeschooler like us.)
I’ve always known that one of the ways I wanted to create that experience for my kids (and myself) was through volunteering abroad on a mission trip. It was something important to me not only as a traveler, but also as someone with a strong faith.
So, being the overthinker… uh…. diligent planner I am, I devoured everything I could find about mission trips and voluntourism. We’re talking like getting way past the first few pages of Google.
This time I was determined to find all there was to know.
Yet, you don’t have to venture too far from page one of Google to find some pretty hefty concerns about mission trips. Critics caution that participating in volunteer opportunities abroad without careful planning and consideration can actually harm more than it helps.
Specifically, they caution voluntourism, although usually done with the best of intentions, can:
Address short-term problems that are the priority of western cultures instead of long-term problems that are the priority of locals and that would more effectively empower them;
Encourage a “White Savior Complex” as many volunteers are not people of color while many of those in mission trip host countries are often people of color;
Create a sense of dependency on foreigners or, worse yet, a market for things like orphanages;
Ignore the values of host countries while focusing more on American values, such as materialism, quantification, and getting things done quickly;
Take work away from locals as travelers come into the country to do things like building projects that locals could be paid to do;
Be ineffective or result in unused supplies when volunteers are unskilled yet are expected to do things like building projects that require skilled labor.
Not exactly the feel-good answer I was hoping for to my questions about mission trips. And I doubt it’s yours either.
But…
Before you start scrapping the idea of a mission trip or voluntourism opportunity and start thinking of another way to spend your travel time, know this…
We went on that mission trip. We felt good about what we did there. Several years later, I still think of it as a trip that changed me. A trip that changed my daughter. A trip I’m glad I took.
These tips can help you plan a mission trip that is just as meaningful and beneficial to those you aim to help.
1. Choose an Experienced Host Organization For Your Mission Trip
One of the most important things you can do to ensure your mission trip or voluntourism opportunity is beneficial to those it aims to help is by working with a host organization that is committed to addressing the concerns raised about volunteering abroad.
Being truly helpful to those in countries and cultures other than our own often requires a deep understanding that can only be gained by a long-term relationship with those in the country.
Good mission trip host organizations have established that connection over years of work within the country they’re striving to help. Or, at the very least, they’ve partnered with other organizations that have done so.
And all good organizations work with local NGOs that strive to address the real concerns of the community as opposed to things those outside of the country identify as problems.
Don’t be afraid to ask the tough questions of the organization with whom you plan to travel for your voluntourism opportunity. Ask, specifically, how they address the concerns raised by those critical of volunteering abroad.
2. Educate Yourself About Voluntourism And Mission Trips
It’s important to have the right knowledge about mission trips and “voluntourism’, a term that didn’t even exist until fairly recently, but is now a word that refers to a type of traveling involving volunteering that took off in the 90’s and 2000’s. And it’s not enough to solely rely on your organization to avoid the pitfalls. The responsibility lies with individuals travelers as well.
Understanding the arguments behind the criticism can help make sure you don’t inadvertently cause harm when the intent is to help. And knowing how those concerns can be addressed on short-term mission trips can enable you to pick a trip that benefits everyone involved.
Check out:
Learning Service, a site dedicated to educating volunteers prior to travel while valuing the importance of volunteerism;
National’s Geographic’s 5 Myth’s of Voluntourism, an article from a 6-time international volunteer;
Tribes For GOOD, a great resource for older students looking for ways to make a positive impact in other countries through volunteering.
3. learn About the Country You’re Traveling To prior to Volunteering Abroad
Learning shouldn’t begin when you land in the country of your mission trip. Rather, educating yourself about your host country before your trip begins is an important step in preparing. Specifically, it’s important to know:
What’s considered respectful clothing?
What is common etiquette in regard to meals and food?
Are there societal norms or expectations of which you should be aware?
What are a few common phrases in the language?
Which areas are safe to travel?
What current events are shaping the country and affecting the local people?
What historical events have had a major impact on the country?
Learning about the culture of the place you’re visiting can go a long way whenever you travel but is especially important when you’re traveling on a mission trip or service trip.
4. If You Plan To Volunteer Abroad Working With Children, Learn the Basic Guidelines
Many of the concerns related to voluntourism are centered around the vulnerability of the children many mission trip programs seek to serve.
And rightfully so.
Children are often some of the most in need around the world yet are often unable to speak for themselves. Volunteering with them requires an even deeper level of protection.
If you plan to go on a mission trip during which volunteers interact with children, the Christian Alliance for Orphans has a list of great guidelines volunteers and organizations can follow. Their 8 principles are:
Safe-guard children from harm. Learn how volunteers should be screened and what other safety measures should be in place to make keeping kids safe the highest priority.
Support bonds between children and their primary caregiver. Understand how important attachment to primary caregivers is and the danger of making and breaking bonds with various trip participants.
Honor the role of parents and primary caregivers. Learn how to support those who will remain in the child’s life long after volunteers return home.
Support the communities surrounding vulnerable children. Know that children thrive best in strong communities and volunteers should explore what role they can play in building such communities.
Make sure the purpose is clear and expectations are understood. As a volunteer, knowing that your role is that of a supporter, and understanding what that means is crucial to the success of a mission or service trip.
Make sure every trip includes partnerships with those who are in a position to remain involved on a long-term basis. Commit to traveling with an organization that has multi-year plans to work directly with those in the country working to help vulnerable children.
Commit to training… before doing. Know that one sign of an ethical organization is their commitment to training volunteers on responsible volunteering before allowing them in the field.
Share images and stories with care. Think about how pictures and stories you post represent those in the pictures, especially children. Commit to posting responsibly and in way that protects the dignity of children and caregivers and upholds the values of the culture.
You can check out a more detailed explanation of CAFO’s list of principles and practices to benefit vulnerable children and their families HERE.
5. plan to Learn More Than You Teach, Listen More Than You Talk, and Follow More Than You Lead
In response to the critics claims that mission trips can harm more than they help, many organizations have stepped up to reframe their mission trip programs altogether and ensure they’re truly helping those in need.
For example, World Vision calls their humanitarian travel opportunities “vision trips”, explaining that the purpose of their trips is to educate travelers about the destination and the people there.
Similarly, Souls4Soles service related travel opportunities are “Global Experiences”, indicated their efforts to educate travelers while empowering locals by helping them set up micro enterprises with the shoes they provide.
And on my mission trip with One More Child, my fellow volunteers and I worked alongside paid locals to help care for children in a malnutrition center, providing extra hands that would otherwise not be available, as opposed to replacing locals with free, foreign help.
The common denominator in all these agencies is that volunteers don’t play the role of teacher but rather are there learning from those in the country. They’re not talking nearly as much as they’re listening. And they’re rarely leading, but choosing instead to follow those they aim to help. The locals are the true experts on not only their own culture, but also also what solutions would be best to alleviate the problems they’re facing.
6. Keep a Journal During Your Mission Trip
Playing the role of student (no matter your age) while volunteering abroad has so many advantages, not just to the host country but to you as a volunteer as well. It affords you the ability to be in the moment, truly taking in all the country has to offer. And it allows you to have experiences that will affect you long after your trip.
Keeping a journal, either with photos or just chronicling your day, is a great way to make sure those lessons come home with you. It gives you time to think of any questions you have about your host country. And it allows you to take an active role in learning lessons you’ll take home with you from those you meet.
7. Aim to Be Involved After Your Mission Trip
Establishing truly helpful relationships between volunteers and those they’re aiming to help requires a long-term commitment. Participating in travel through a host organization that has long-standing connections within the country is important, but volunteers can play a more personal role too in establishing their own long-term commitment.
Being involved after your trip ends is just as important as going on that trip in the first place. You can continue to have a positive impact through:
Prayer - Remember those you met while volunteering abroad through prayer.
Advocacy - Sharing posts about ways to help those in the country you traveled to on social media, speaking personally with others you know about the cause, and engaging your community through church involvement or otherwise are great ways to support the locals you met even after you leave their country.
Fundraising - Your host organization likely has ideas about ways to continue to raise funds or needed supplies after your trip.
Personal Donations - One way to budget for monetary donations you make after your trip is to factor them into the cost of your trip prior to going. Many organizations also have sponsorship programs such as the one through our host organization, One More Child. Sponsoring children through a monthly giving program has helped us feel connected to the country we loved volunteering in long after we returned home.
Become a virtual volunteer - Many organizations recruit volunteers to work virtually, allowing you to help those in need without traveling to the country where they reside. Look for volunteer jobs on Indeed, speak to the organization you volunteered with, or check out Volunteer Match.
