Children Raise the Village

I was reading an old post on the Voluntourism.org blog from May 5, 2010 (http://blog.voluntourism.org/?p=238) about a voluntourism study conducted in Hong Kong titled Motivations and perceived value of volunteer tourists from Hong Kong.  This piqued my interest, but not enough to pay the $20 read the full article. Instead, I settled for the published abstract:

This study examines the motivational factors and perceived value of Hong Kong volunteer tourists. The results of a focus group and in-depth interviews reveal five main motives for travelers to partake in volunteer trips:

1. cultural immersion and interaction with the local people;
2. desire to give back and show love and concern;
3. a shared experience with family members and an educational opportunity for children;
4. religious involvement;
5. escape from everyday life.

The perceived value of these volunteer travelers includes personal growth and development, relationship enhancement, and change in perspective on life. The factors influencing their future decision to participate in volunteer tourism include time, financial ability, safety and health issues, arrangements and scale of the tour, and reputation of the organizer.