Experteering vs. Voluntourism
The World Needs Skilled Volunteers
The United Nations, along with other leading global development organizations have called for people to step up and give their most valuable assets to make the world a better place: their time, brains, and love.
There is a right and wrong way to volunteer abroad
While volunteering overseas can be a way to do that, done incorrectly, it can actually create a lot of harm. It can also erode dignity, create dependencies, and ruins local economies. For this - any many more reasons - it's a hotly debated topic.
How is Experteering Different?
Experteering is a movement replacing the perils of voluntourism, seeking to transfer skills and know-how to local groups already developing their own solutions.
Here are the 5 most notables ways that Experteering is different:
Start with the real need
We start by going to communities and leaders around the world that have identified local solutions. They then approach MovingWorlds with a specific support area.
Check for co-investment
Our organizations don't receive money to host you. Instead, they co-invest in your experience. This is a sign that your actual skills are needed.
Ensure equal footing and a focus on partnership
In Exerteering proejcts, both parties have much to gain. In the planning process, Experteers and hosts talk about the benefits they hope to gain and give. They work together - as partners - for mutual benefit.
Adequate preparation and training
MovingWorlds guides Experteers and hosting organizations through training, preparation resources, and a collaborative planning process to ensure expectations are clearly set.
Plan for the long-term
In Experteering projects, we define success as something that happens one year after an Experteer leaves. This means that our Experteers are working to create lasting change, not chasing a cool Facebook photo.
Experteering is a new way to pool top talent for social good
Expertise fills gaps that would otherwise be untouched
"People looking for volunteering opportunities to use their professional skills in an international capacity but who feel lost in finding a project that does good may have just found their perfect match."