to refuse to sponsor this young person

[EmmaGrundyForPM]

An acquaintance has sent out a mass message asking people she knows to sponsor her son to do a 10k run in the New Year.
Son is 17, Y13, and next summer is going to Uganda to build a playground in a primary school. He's raising funding for this with a target of £2500.

AIBU to think that, if the tables were turned, we wouldn't accept this? If I was told that a group of young people, with no experience, were coming to install playground equipment in my child's primary school, I would be outraged. As would other parents. And yet children in less wealthy countries are expected to be grateful for inexperienced people pitching up at their school.

When DS was in 6th form, there was an "opportunity" to go to Malawi for two weeks and volunteer in a school. I told DS I wouldn't support this, and he didn't go.

Why do schools and colleges run these trips, supposedly to "help" less fortunate children, when in fact it tends to be middle class children who go, because it looks good on their CV.

AIBU?

www.theguardian.com/news/2018/sep/13/the-business-of-voluntourism-do-western-do-gooders-actually-do-harm

Yes! Totally agree.

These types of things have always made me uncomfortable.

OP - YANBU

This OP, honestly, it's not like he's going to have a spanner and hammer chucked at him when he arrives with the instructions 'build it then, young student', is he? He will be an unpaid grunt. Which is great as he is free labour which means smaller costs, which might be the difference between the project happening, or not happening. Your son would get a great addition to his CV out of it and it'd broaden his experience of the world. Why not?

I hate those awful white saviour projects where people go out to Africa and teach them a bit of rugby or whatever then say it's changed their lives, but being an unpaid builder for a few weeks actually building something very useful is a good Idea IMO.

its right up there with teenagers going to go to “teach English” when they have only just done their own GCSEs! Ridiculous. White saviour complex abound!

Have a look at www.givedirectly.org. It’s nonprofit that lets you send money directly to people living in poverty so they themselves choose how best to improve their lives.

Pay for your own kids holidays
yup!

So actual labourers from the country - who almost certainly need the work - are being undercut by wealthier people who don’t need the work (and aren’t skilled in it), but are still asking people for money - to find their flights and accommodation to the country?

That sits comfortably with you?

I understand the points people are making but without these sorts of projects, would any playgrounds be built? That’s a genuine question - I can’t say I’m an expert!

No, they are not! It is a giant money making scheme and utter nonsense There are a number of undercover reports that show that scores of wealthy young people pay fairly large amounts to do some crappy manual work that is either gets taken down for the next lot or skilled workers fix stuff out of hours How about doing something useful for deprived areas closer to home? No? Yeah, don't think so, as they want some jolly on a trip abroad, dressed up as charity!

You're 100% correct OP. I work in local government and we would never leave it to unqualified teenage volunteers to build a playground. There are too many ways it could go dangerously wrong. But even if these kids are only acting as site labourers under the supervision of people who actually know what they're doing, the money they are scrounging to fund their trip would be much better spent employing local workers who will actually spend it in their local economy. If they fancy a holiday to gawk at the developing world that's one thing but they've got no right to ask for money as though it's real charity.

A friend has organised various events so she can send her son abroad next year. Given the amount of holidays they go, they can surely afford this.

Exactly this. This type of thing was advertised at our school before covid. I said no, at the time because I knew DS would not knuckle down and do the fund raising and the cost was huge. Now I would say no for this reason. It’s a jolly for children from mainly wealthy families, out of reach for most. There is no way I’m giving family money to someone else’s DC - there are better ways to donate .

YANBU. Aside from points previously mentioned, taking long haul flights to participate in these projects is bad for the environment.

Yes, I completely see your point.

Of course it has to come back to that 🙄

It depends - my school ran a trip to Africa and built a school there but it was all their own thing and wasn't through an external company etc. they've been doing it now for about 25 years and have supported thousands of young people (mostly girls) through school and then onto university etc.
I obviously don't agree with the companies who tear roads and buildings down! But of the young people I know doing these sort of trips, they're all very much sustainable charities they're working with. (And just to add, they're not "middle class" private school kids!)

Reminded me of this...

Worth a watch

@Madeafewcakes Maybe, maybe not. Better if people want to actually help to give communities money and perhaps the volunteered time of an actual qualified construction project manager and let them decide what they need built. They aren't stupid or feckless or lazy, they just don't have any money.

I'd be tempted to reply with an article explaining why this type of trip is so awful.

At best they are idiots at worst they know full well and don't care.

I went to a very middle class type of university and I'd say about 80% of students had done something like this in their gap year. It's not going to make their CV stand out, it's not that interesting and most importantly it's not likely to be helpful to the locals who I'm sure would prefer that money to go on actual supplies and locals' salaries. It's a pretty self centred thing to do IMO

It reminded me more of this

Yanbu, voluntourism is so damaging.

A Faceache friend of mine is currently cadging money for her daughter to go to Borneo to do voluntourism. I'm buggered if I'm going to subsidise a holiday spent patronising the locals.

Exactly this. I would not want to support this and I would not want any of my children doing this

Exactly this. Wouldn’t really happen the other way round now would it?