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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To dislike this type of tourism?

67 replies

CatastropheKate · 05/08/2017 21:31

Have just seen this on facebook which gives me the irrational rage.

Day 2 The Dump - we went to visit a community who live next to a landfill site. We split up into groups and gave out water and fruit to them. A boy call Jose came and joined us to help he beamed with delight when he gave the things to the people he knew. He kept trying out some of the English words he has learnt and I got him to teach me the Spanish. We met a lovely lady who runs a shop and try's to help the people living there. We prayed with a guy who told us he was drinking again after managing to give up. He said that he was finding life tough and this has caused his relapse. Opening up to us cannot have been easy. The young people were really shocked by the bleak conditions in which they lived and found it hard to get their heads around how children could be brought up there.
We finished the day with games and some time thinking about what we saw today.

It's by a group of kids that made their parents friends pay for their holidays by organising coffee mornings etc. I get that the kids have new exciting experiences and can pad out their cv, but to pretend it's for charity and spend it on airfares and 'games' is a bit much. And asking your imaginary friend to help is really taking things too far.

OP posts:
LoniceraJaponica · 05/08/2017 21:36

World Challenge?

MaisyPops · 05/08/2017 21:41

Sounds like some kind of church mission trip judging by the snide comments about imaginary friends and praying for someone.

Still, each to their own.

LaurieFairyCake · 05/08/2017 21:41

I think you're harsh

Their church sent their young people to learn about how different communities live ? And they used money they raised in the community via coffee mornings to do it?

Sounds fine to me. Our college (and our daughter) went to a school in Malawi to teach - it really wasn't much different from that description you posted though it was a state school exchange.

The (Christian) RE teacher also gave a talk in the church as she was asked to and the girls from the college attended the church in Malawi as an outing - even though they're not Christian, actually 3 were Muslim. They all prayed for the community even if they were non believers.

The more people travel, the more people see and experience difference and see how people live in poverty - the less racism, xenophobia, and intolerance will perpetuate.

Original poster
CatastropheKate · 05/08/2017 21:45

It's not a church mission. It's a big company that charges just over £3500 for a 3 week trip IIRC.

OP posts:
AnneGrommit · 05/08/2017 21:46

Yanbu. If they'd given even half the money they raised to community projects instead of spending it on flights and hotels, they might have been in with a shout of making a difference, as opposed to just being poverty tourists. Similar to the gap yah crowd who think they can train teachers just because they're white.

Iwanttobe8stoneagain · 05/08/2017 21:47

"Imaginary friend" ??? If you're going to insult the vast majority of the worlds population please at least be original!!!! (Suspect we will have comparisons to Santa/the Easter bunny/tooth fairy by post 30!)

ScarletSienna · 05/08/2017 21:49

YANBU
YABU (potentially depending on what you mean exactly) for the 'imaginary friend comment'

AnneGrommit · 05/08/2017 21:50

www.instagram.com/barbiesavior/?hl=en

LoniceraJaponica · 05/08/2017 21:51

Is it World Challenge then?

BTW I find your nasty, superior, patronising and snide comments about imaginary friends distasteful and disrespectful.

TrollTheRespawnJeremy · 05/08/2017 21:56

I don't agree with most Voluntourism. But you're being snide with your imaginary nonsense. Grow up.

Original poster
CatastropheKate · 05/08/2017 22:01

The imaginary friend reference is to the 'prayed with a guy' activity. I have no idea which religion any of the kids or 'the guy' are, or whether he wanted a pray with them all or just whatever they were handing out. I wasn't aware of needing to find an original method of describing it and I don't think it's particularly insulting. Unless I see anybody's god walking down the High Street they will all be described as imaginary friends as that is in fact what they are.

OP posts:
Original poster
CatastropheKate · 05/08/2017 22:04

I haven't heard of voluntourism - will be going for a google - am assuming it's the same sort of concept of the trip I've seen? Pay a massive amount of money to go out and spend a few hours building when you have no building experience and documenting it all with selfies?

OP posts:
AyeAyeFishyPie · 05/08/2017 22:05

Yeah I think referring to a god as 'imaginary friend' is pretty rude. And your posts are coming across as confrontational and, again, pretty rude. not really sure you need to describe anybody's God as anything, do you?

Dumdedumdum · 05/08/2017 22:07

I wonder what impact this trip will have on those children in later life. I would like to think it would have a positive effect and at least give them some idea of their own privilege. I don't think you know young people very well if you think it's just an exciting experience and a CV-filler for them.

Scaredycat3000 · 05/08/2017 22:09

Rice christians has never been a positive phrase and they are not something many xtians or non xtians think is a good thing. History doesn't like this type of tourism as well. YANBU.
I've taken the heat off your imaginary friend comment, xtians hate the use of xtian despite it being of xtian origins over 1500 years ago!

yellowbirdie · 05/08/2017 22:10

You sound like you need to book yourself on a trip... you might come across less judgmental and intolerant of others and their beliefs.

BuffetOnABudget · 05/08/2017 22:12

Aside from the imaginary friend bit, I agree with you OP. While I'd like to believe that the kids in the group went out with the best of intentions, I can't help but feel it's a bit misguided at best and exploitation at worst (good filler for the UCAS personal statement?)

My work organises an annual group to go out with a recognised charity (paid for by colleagues, friends etc via endless coffee mornings and sponsorship) to build houses in a developing country. I do wonder if it would be better in the long term for, you know, actual tradespeople to go (not city types on a sort of "working" holiday) to train local people to build the houses, leaving a legacy of houses and skilled workers and boosting the local economy.

I read a really good Guardian article on this subject a while back which articulated my feelings perfectly. Will see if I can find it and send a link.

Scaredycat3000 · 05/08/2017 22:13

Wow, this isn't how these threads usually go on MN, it's usually heavily YANBU. Just don't point out that one particular god isn't real, the other 5000 gods, hell go for it!

katronfon · 05/08/2017 22:14

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

x2boys · 05/08/2017 22:14

The imaginary friend is what is offensive wether you believe in a God or higher being or whatever is irrelevant many people do and people should respect their beliefs

AfunaMbatata · 05/08/2017 22:18

I've never know a Christian who hated it spelled 'Xtian', infact it's often on our candles.

Scaredycat3000 · 05/08/2017 22:21

Oh yes that's it, why the hell does anybody think this is helpful .Sending random tennagers with no building skills on very expensive half way across the world to spend a few days on learning a new skill that they will use for a very short amount of time. Imagine if that money was sent directly to the community, it could be used to train, employ, buy materials and build those villages many times over.
Some of these schemes also visit orphanages. This is such a lucrative trade many are set up purely for the visiting students who are charged a fat fee to help.
The whole thing is a bigger more egocentric version of those awful operation christmas child shoeboxes. Just look at multimillionaire Franklin Grahams FB page to see where your money is going.

AccrualIntentions · 05/08/2017 22:23

YANBU for disliking this kind of tourism.

YABU for being so cunty about people's religious beliefs.

TestTubeTeen · 05/08/2017 22:25

Spending £3,500 on airfares and offering fruit, water..... and prayer.

Prayer.

How exactly was this man helped in a way that will change anything and couldn't have been achieved from afar, or with the money spent on air fares etc?

How does it help these people to have a procession of people traipse past, staying so briefly before the next lot roll in?

Self indulgent, self important and superficial.

I disputed that this sort of voyeuristic hit and run visit has a genuine impact on xenophobia etc. It seems in severe danger of promoting a paternalistic, patronising view of the world's poor from other cultures and races.

Stay for a year and really help, or send the money to professional agencies who empower from the ground up.