Journal article
International environmental volunteers: pursuing security and sustainability with human solidarity
Development in Practice, Vol.18(36), pp.357-370
2008
Abstract
In this paper I intend to consider how long term international volunteers contribute to human security, international development and sustainability. With so much emphasis on governance, security and counter terrorism in our now globalised world, it is easy to focus mainly on states and national defense and forget the importance of individual human beings for building trust, cultivating hope and making a difference. The paper will begin by discussing the history and evolution of international volunteer sending agencies and volunteers as a response not just to symptoms but to causes of global poverty and inequality. I will consider how international volunteers might be defined, what may make their role different to other forms of overseas development assistance via personnel, and the positives and negatives that may accompany those differences. I also want to reflect on international volunteers’ role and suitability as contributors in the transition to a globally more ecologically sustainable state using O’Riordans idea of the need for a ‘spirit of communal obligation’ that enables individuals to ‘relate to others’ needs’. I will link this reflection to some concrete international environmental volunteer experiences drawn from current PhD research on the topic.
Details
- Title
- International environmental volunteers: pursuing security and sustainability with human solidarity
- Authors/Creators
- Peter Devereux (Author/Creator)
- Publication Details
- Development in Practice, Vol.18(36), pp.357-370
- Publisher
- Routledge
- Identifiers
- 991005542644807891
- Copyright
- Oxfam GB
- Murdoch Affiliation
- Institute for Science and Technology Policy; School of Sustainability
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
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