Short-term volunteering can have long-term, positive effects on communities
by Daniel Sieradski | December 10, 2010 | 11 comments
"The Worth of What They Do," Repair the World's first major study of the Jewish service-learning field.
Repair the World Announces Results of a Study Examining the Effects of Alternative Breaks and Other Short-Term Volunteer Projects on Communities in Need in the U.S. and Abroad
Repair the World is pleased to announce the results of its commissioned study “The Worth of What They Do,” by Ellen Irie, Principal at BTW informing change, to examine the effects of short-term service projects on the communities they serve. Much research has been done on positive impacts for volunteers, such as a sense of accomplishment and first-hand experience of global problems such as poverty and food insecurity. However, relatively little research has been done on the long-term effects of such projects on the communities they serve beyond concrete, short-term gains—for example, a new irrigation ditch or a freshly painted community center.
Listen to a podcast of the December 13 conference call discussing the report’s findings below:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Downloads
- Presentation (PDF, 868k)
- Executive Summary (PDF, 842k)
- Full Report (PDF, 3.3mb)
[...] BTW Consultants (2010). The Worth of What They Do; The Impact of Short-term Immersive Jewish Service-Learning on Host Communities: An Exploratory Study, Repair the World. Downloaded from http://werepair.org/blog/short-term-volunteering-can-have-long-term-positive-effects-on-communities/… [...]