Interview with Krystal Downs, HELP volunteer in Thailand
GO: Why did you decide to volunteer with HELP in Thailand?
Krystal: I had heard great things about HELP from various friends I knew who worked in HELP's administration. Once I understood HELP's philosophy, of sending students off around the world to implement their own development projects, I was beyond excited. It was a natural partnership. I chose Thailand because I knew I wanted to work in Asia to fight against human trafficking. Thailand was the obvious choice.
Krystal volunteering in Thailand
GO: Describe your day to day activities as a volunteer.
Krystal: My days were packed as a volunteer. Half my week was spent getting up early, and spending hours on the public bus to get up to the border town of Mae Sai where I worked with DEPDC, an anti-human trafficking organization. At DEPDC we would teach English classes in the mornings, and in the afternoon some days we taught art, dance, and other creative classes. We also spent a lot of time talking video and pictures, as our team was working on putting a video project together for a media campaign for DEPDC. We would get home most days before dinner and had the nights free. The days I did not go up to DEPDC were spent either working on other projects, researching, planning lessons, or editing video and pictures.
Krystal leading a class in Thailand teaching English
GO: How has this experience impacted your future?
Shannon: This experience has solidified by resolve to attend graduate school and pursue a Master's in International Policy. I already knew I was interested in working in the international sphere with non-profits, but had no experience actually on the ground with NGOs before going to Thailand. I learned a lot in Thailand, about NGOs, development work, and the good, and sometimes bad, effects they can have on those they are helping. I would never have gained this knowledge if I had not taken the leap of faith and going to Thailand with HELP.
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HELP as an organization places college-aged volunteers in countries around the world to work on "substantive development projects". After you choose the country you want to volunteer in, you are placed with other teammates and two country directors, who you will live with for 6 weeks-4 months.
I found the experience at HELP to be completely dependent on personal drive, dedication, and attitude. HELP does not hand anything to you--you must develop your own projects, find partner NGOs to assist, and develop each project and partnerships (for the most part) on you own. This worked perfectly for me, as I already had a plan of who I wanted to partner with and an idea of what I wanted to accomplish. Others in my team found this model very hard to deal with, mainly because they wanted other people to tell them what to do and not be expected to figure it out for themselves.
Don't expect this experience to be filled with "substantive" development work either. The model of putting people there for 4 months tops does not allow for much. The majority of people will be there for 6 weeks-2 months, which is even less time to make a difference.
Overall, I had an amazing experience, though many did not. It is what you make it. If you want to work with people more serious about lasting development, HELP is not the place for you. I learned so much, but I believe most volunteers were there for the international experience, and were not interested in development.