Short-term volunteering can have long-term, positive effects on communities
by Daniel Sieradski | December 10, 2010 | 5 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:
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Downloads
- Presentation (PDF, 868k)
- Executive Summary (PDF, 842k)
- Full Report (PDF, 3.3mb)
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[...] who are the recipients of these brief trips. To address this gap, Repair the World commissioned a report – released yesterday – to analyze this [...]
posted at 09:07 am on December 14, 2010 by So, What’s the Real Impact? | AVODAH: Jewish Voices Pursuing Justice[...] December 13, BTW Principal Ellen Irie participated in conference call with Jon Rosenberg, CEO of Repair the World, to announce the results of a recent study by BTW. Around sixty five attendees listened to Ellen [...]
posted at 03:27 pm on December 14, 2010 by Results of a Recent Study on Short-term Immersive Jewish Service-Learning Announced | BTW informing changeThe RTW study on the impact of short term Jewish service learning on communities supports what the AJSS has known for nearly 60 years: the presence of volunteers working throughout a community, even for only a summer, inspires local organizations and individuals to continue serving their own communities long after the formal service project comes to a close. With more than 145 projects completed in 47 states, AJSS has been a catalyst, a partner and an inspiration to the communities we have served. We look forward to continuing to serve in this capacity during our 61st six-week summer of service program.
posted at 11:41 am on December 15, 2010 by Rena ConvissorRena Convissor & Rafi Glazer, AJSS
[...] – Repair the World just put out a new study showing that short-term service learning trips are beneficial to the host community. Rebuilding [...]
posted at 09:06 am on January 5, 2011 by Katrina Tour | AVODAH: Jewish Voices Pursuing Justice[...] Principal Ellen Irie participated in conference call with Jon Rosenberg, CEO of Repair the World, to announce the results of a recent exploratory study on the impact of short-term immersive Jewish [...]
posted at 03:07 pm on February 8, 2011 by Examining the Effects of Short-Term Volunteer Projects on Communities in Need in the U.S. and Abroad | BTW informing change