Sharing your stories with others can help you to reflect on and continue to learn from your experiences. However, be prepared for the fact that family and friends might not be endlessly interested in hearing about your overseas experiences!
For many people, it can be very difficult to put into words the various sights, sounds and experiences that they had when they were volunteering. Almost everyone returns from volunteering overseas changed to some extent, having been exposed to new ways of life, a new level of poverty or undergoing personal changes in their maturity or self confidence.
Tips on sharing your experiences:
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If you have been sponsored or supported by people back home, try to give them some brief feedback whether in email, letter or visual presentation form.
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Pictures speak a thousand words: be selective in the photos you show people, think about what you want to show them of your time overseas. For more tips and information about choosing good images see the Dóchas Code of Conduct on Images and Messages.
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When you share stories and experiences try to draw connections to the broader issues of global justice and inequality.
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Acknowledge what you don’t know. It is impossible for anyone, no matter how long they spend somewhere to fully understand the history and culture of a society.
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If you want to talk about issues of poverty and inequality, it can help to have some facts and figures to back up your subjective learning.
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Avoid preaching: try to engage people in conversation and respect different perspectives and different life experiences. While you might feel deeply passionate about your time overseas, people who haven’t shared your experience will be less so.
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Continue to educate and inform yourself. You can continue to learn and be challenged by learning about your former host country after you return home. This new information can bring a new perspective to your experiences and enhance the information you share with others.
- Keep your eyes open for lectures, seminars or conferences that focus on the region or issue most prevalent in your volunteer experience, or those which examine development, inequality and interculturalism.
Comhlámh’s monthly e-newsletter, e-link, will keep you updated about upcoming events. These events can help you expand your understanding of development or inspire you to get involved in development or volunteering in new ways. You may consider doing further study or starting a career in international development or you may wish to take direct action against global poverty and inequality by joining a solidarity or campaigning group.
Read more about how you can use your experiences on your return home. NEXT>