Academics told how to spot ‘voluntourists’

UNIVERSITIES have been told how to spot “voluntourists” amid fears that some students are only going abroad on charity projects to fill their Instagram feeds with exotic photographs.

David Coles, the volunteer centre manager at the London School of Economics (LSE), warned staff from universities across the country about the so-called “voluntourists” – students who do not take up placements for the right reasons – during a conference in Liverpool.

He said while the majority of students are choosing to help charities abroad for the right reasons, there is still a problem with a small proportion who are “focused more on their Instagram and ‘scratch maps’ than on making a difference”.

There are also concerns about some of the agencies that set up overseas placements taking advantage of the good nature of volunteers, he added.

Speaking alongside Sarah Dutton from Kingston University’s Student Union at the NUS membership services conference, Mr Coles identified a series of red flags used to “spot a voluntourist”. They include when a student skips training sessions or refuses to conduct research before their trip.

Mr Coles told The Sunday Telegraph that there is nothing wrong with people travelling, but said he wanted to ensure students did not just see it as something to “tick off their bucket list”.