Voluntourism: A better way to travel. A better way to help

With the world cup, thousands of tourists will be visiting Brazil for one of the largest sporting events in the world. A recent trend towards Voluntourism, suggests that many will use the opportunity to help the local communities by participating in the available initiatives in their areas. However, while most people are aware of the benefits of voluntourism, it is important to consider the negative consequences that might arise. In his study, Guttentag describes five possible negative impacts that are caused by voluntourism: neglect of local´s desires, hindering of work progress and the completion of unsatisfactory work, decreased labour demand and a promotion of dependency, conceptualizations of the “other” and poverty rationalizations, and finally cultural change: the demonstration effect and short-term mission trips (2009)¹. I will elaborate on each of these issues and focus on how they might relate to Brazil during the 2014 World Cup. By understanding these problems and being critical of volunteer and development organizations, tourists who wish to help local communities can better inform themselves and have a greater positive impact.

• Neglect of local´s desires: Because many of these organizations rely so heavily on the volunteers, it is crucial for them to understand the needs and desires of volunteers in order to gather more interest. However, sometimes the focus on pleasing the volunteers overshadows the goal of benefiting the local communities. Sometimes projects are designed to provide a better experience for the tourists without considering the perspectives of those being helped. In Brazil for example, many of us assumed that the majority of the population would be cheering for the national soccer team and would be excited to host the World Cup. Upon our arrival, however, we realized that many of the locals we spoke with are against the government’s decision to prioritize the world cup over public services such as healthcare and education. With volunteering, it is important for tourists to avoid making assumptions and to ensure that they have the support of the local communities they are trying to help.
• Hindering of work progress and the completion of unsatisfactory work: The requirements for volunteering are often minimal and limited to spend a certain amount of time and to have a desire to help others. However, when volunteers, especially tourists who are only available for short periods of time, lack the skills and experience to perform their jobs they could be more of a liability rather than an asset. They could prevent the experts on the team from doing their work by making them spend time on training, and the actual work performed by the voluntourists might be unsatisfactory. During our site visits with LionsRaw and Cheer for Peace, most of the students had experience with soccer and working with children through camps in addition to their desire to help the local communities. Similarly, in order to deliver the most positive impact, volunteers should consider working with projects in which they have previous experience or where skills are truly not required.
• Decreased labor demand and a promotion of dependence: When volunteers perform jobs that locals could be hired to do, they make local industries non-competitive. Especially since most organizations rely on unskilled labor, their roles could easily be replaced by locals. Furthermore, dependency often arises when volunteers insist on donating goods for free. When this happens on a regular basis the locals begin to expect handouts, they become more dependent and this cycle encourages more begging in the community. It would be more beneficial to donate goods to be sold at thrift stores or to local organizations to encourage sustainability within the communities. By purchasing cheaper clothes, the locals can maintain more dignity when compared to accepting donations and by donating equipment to community centers, individuals can enjoy their benefits while becoming more physically active and getting more involved in the community.
• Conceptualizations of the “other” and poverty rationalizations: When organizations define communities by their needs, they often highlight differences and reinforce stereotypes, rather than unifying the locals and volunteers. Many of the tourist volunteers only think of the locals in terms of their poverty and other needs while the marketing departments for the hosting organizations often promote simplified imagery that generalizes small aspects of the local culture. When trying to gain a greater cultural understanding, vounteers can focus on finding things that they have in common with the locals. This is one of the major benefits of soccer for development and sports for development programs. These are activities that can be shared and enjoyed equally between the tourists and volunteers. Similar programs that promote a sense of togetherness, rather than the idea of the “other” by doing the same activities are the best way to overcome the stereotypes and cultural differences between the locals and the tourist volunteers.
• Cultural change: the demonstration effect and short-term mission trips: By interacting beyond the typical tourist-host relationships, tourism volunteer work can have a greater impact on the culture of the local communities. Whether it is an intentional religious exposure or the demonstration of higher levels of wealth, tourist volunteers can be a threat to the local cultural values. Especially when the volunteer work involves children, the volunteers may impose new values upon their hosts. They could promote a religion that the locals do not wish to follow or create unrealistic expectations when demonstrating signs of wealth. In order to avoid this negative impact, it is important to be mindful of the locals values and beliefs before promoting any new ones and when volunteering it is important to consider the economic limitations of the hosting community. Displaying expensive clothing and other items may create a desire to own similar items that the locals may not be able to acquire which could lead to tension between locals and foreigners.

The root cause to these issues lies in a lack of understanding for the people the voluntourists are trying to help. By being conscious of these impacts, potential volunteers can maximize their positive impact while reducing the negative consequences- whether they are helping during the World Cup or through other travelling occasions.

¹ Guttentag, D. A. (2009). The Possible Negative Impacts of Volunteer Tourism. International Journal of Tourism Research, 11, 537-551

Arena da Baixada: Reopened for the World Cup 2014

Since the first soccer stadiums in Brazil were constructed in 1902, there have been many different purposes for building them and various consequences after they are built. From a place where Brazilians could watch the soccer matches, to multipurpose arenas, to political tools, the motivation behind creating these stadiums has evolved throughout the years. For example, when Maracanã was built to house the national team for the 1950 World Cup, the stadium marked the beginning for the “marriage between the Brazilian national team and its fans.”¹ Through the “architectonic conception” of the stadium with an elliptical design, the spectators in Maracanã were not separated by social classes.¹ This allowed members of the audience to establish a collective identity associated with the game, the teams, and the stadium. Stadiums can also be used for political purposes; after president Getulio Vargas came into power in 1930, stadiums “became a platform for huge national civic manifestations.”¹ In his campaign to pursue national integration, the São Januário stadium was used for civic events such as the September 7^th Independence Day festivities, in addition to the professional soccer games.

More recently, the stadium in Curitiba, Arena da Baixada, was the first stadium with a multi-use European sports arena concept built in Brazil and encouraged the construction of other multiuse arenas throughout the country. This concept sees soccer as a commodity, and the stadium would reflect this style by offering other commodities in addition to the games themselves. Unlike the other stadiums, Arena da Baixada had the public closer to the turf, offered “exclusive luxurious boxes,” and had a mega store to sell products for the team’s kit sponsor.¹ However, it is debatable whether it is truly necessary to adapt the European models to the Brazilian stadiums since the majority of Brazilian soccer clubs lack the adequate resources and know how to achieve that goal.

With the stadium renovations and constructions required for the 2014 World Cup, people have begun to question whether working on so many stadiums, and of such magnitude can be justified when considering some of the smaller cities that were chosen for the Cup and the small demand for the stadiums after the World Cup ends. As the date of the World Cup approached, the concerns were shifter to whether the stadiums would even be completed on time. Mass protests against the World Cup, combined with construction problems ensured that the stadiums were not completed by the Dec. 31 deadline originally set by FIFA.² Although they extended the deadline to January, in the renovated Arena da Baixada stadium in Curitiba, “construction work was still going on on Monday morning before the match.”³ Fortunately, here in Curitiba the inaugural game for the stadium of Iran vs. Nigeria still took place, despite the unfinished portions of the facility. Whatever the motivation for renovating the stadium for the World Cup, the event ran very smoothly and safely. With over 92% attendance in the audience, I believe this stadium can be considered a success.

¹ Holzmeister, Antonio. A Brief History of Soccer Stadiums in Brazil. Soccer and Society 2014. Vol. 15, No. 1, 65–80, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14660970.2013.854566

² Brazil World Cup 2014: Six stadiums under constructions 'not ready for deadline'. Voice of Russia, International Business Time, BBC.  December 5, 2013.

http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2013_12_05/Brazil-World-Cup-2014-Six-stadiums-under-constructions-not-ready-for-deadline-9157/

 

³ WATCH: Arena de Baixada remains unfinished as World Cup actions kicks off inside the stadium. Global News. June 16, 2014.

http://globalnews.ca/news/1397161/watch-iran-nigeria-kick-off-match-in-unfinished-stadium/

Somos Iguais: Discrimination in Brazilian Soccer

For many years, soccer in Brazil has reflected the struggle with racial discrimination faced in their society. When British sailors introduced soccer to Brazil, it was considered to be a sport for the elite. The descendants of Europeans and other aristocrats eventually created soccer clubs in major Brazilian cities such as São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro where they could have official competitive teams. These clubs became places where the elite members of society could not only play soccer, but also socialize with each other. Members of the working class were not permitted in the clubs and much less on their soccer teams.

As the clubs became more popular, the business and factory owners from the clubs began to implement soccer programs for their workers. Inexpensive substitutes for the game also became popular among the lower classes. It was from these working-class suburbs that Vasco da Gamma, one of the oldest clubs in Brazil, was the first to recruit players “whether they were white, black, or mulatto.”¹ They originally faced resistance from society and the other clubs, but eventually with the professionalization of soccer in the 1930s it became possible for members of the working class to become players for the major soccer clubs. Since then, famous players such as Didi, Pelé and Garrincha have “helped turn physical disadvantages and stigma like skin color into embodiments of excellence in football.”¹ Social anthropologist Leite Lopez argues that “Brazil’s working classes have succeeded in making a silent contribution to their relative social assent.” However there is still a long way to go in order for them to achieve social equality. Recent events in soccer games highlight faults with the “image of tolerance that the [Brazilian] government is trying to portray.”²

Arouca, a midfielder from Santos, was called a monkey by fans this March. A month earlier, Tinga, a midfielder from Belo Cruzeiro was racially abused while playing a game in Peru. Even referees are subject to racism; Chagas from Rio Grande do Sul was pushed to quit officiating because of it. The media has recently focused on this issue when Brazilian Daniel Alvez ate a banana thrown at him by a fan when he was playing for Barcelona in the Spanish League. With the upcoming World Cup, “the eyes of the world will be on Brazil” as Chagas describes², and racism during the games would capture even more international media attention and highlight the issues of discrimination in Brazilian society.

In response, the government of Brazil is promoting messages of antiracism through various advertising campaigns. For example, the somos iguais (or “we are equal”) campaign was launched after the incidents of racism in soccer earlier this year. While some may argue that the government is simply trying to mask the issues of racism while Brazil is under the international spotlight, the World Cup could also be an opportunity to encourage change in the country as a whole. As fans from all over Brazil follow the World Cup, it can be used to promote a society without discrimination and continue the progress of Brazil’s working class. 

Below is an example of the somos iguais campaign:

         

¹ Leite Lopes, José Sergio. "Class, Ethnicity, and Color in the Making of Brazilian Football." Dædalus: Journal of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 129.2 (2000): 239-70.

² Panja, Tariq and Edgerton, Anna. “World Cup Racism Undercuts Brazil ‘We Are Equal’ Campaign.” Bloomberg news (May 2014). Retrieved from:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-30/world-cup-racism-undercuts-brazil-we-are-equal-campaign.html