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Living among other cultures is one of the greatest privileges of traveling. By getting involved with the community, you'll find more than the average tourist.
"Travelers," not Tourists
It seems these days less people are "going on vacation," and more are "traveling," taking longer periods of time off from their day-to-day lives to venture out and explore the unknown. Many travelers journey to far off places, not only for the sights, climate, and activities, but also to experience and learn from other cultures. As tourism has continued to boom in the new millennium, however, many popular destinations have developed a tourist culture that is isolated from the local community. Travelers looking for authentic experiences end up at guesthouses run by westerners, eating from continental menus, and spending most of their time with other travelers and resident expatriates.
Time Well Spent: Volunteering in the Tibetan Community of Northern India
Volunteering while on vacation is a fun and rewarding way to bridge the culture gap. One community in the mountains of Northern India offers the perfect setting for meaningful exchange between world travelers and the local culture: MacLeod Ganj, a small village north of Dharamsala, home of the exiled Dalai Lama and an ever-growing population of Tibetan refugees. Many travelers here have found their niche by volunteering in the community.
Tibetan refugees travel months across the harsh terrain of the Himalayas at a rate of 3,000 per year, fleeing their oppressed homeland in search of opportunity in Dharamsala, seeking a better life through education and cultural preservation. Several local charitable organizations including Tibet Charity, The Hope Education Center, and Lha, conduct English schools and offer daily conversation classes between Tibetan students and English-speaking volunteers. Students are able to practice their skills while tourists gain real knowledge of a unique culture from hearing the stories of the Tibetan refugees and sharing their own. The rewarding feeling of time well spent also makes the hours of relaxing in cafes and hiking to scenic waterfalls and snow-capped vistas all that more enjoyable for travelers.
Volunteer Tibet, another local charity in MacLeod Ganj, offers a wide range of other short and long-term opportunities for volunteers such as teaching, writing, and assisting with small business development. It is a level of interaction beyond conventional tourism.
Tourists trekking across countries as vast as India often take a year or more to complete the journey. Month after month of sightseeing, relaxing, and being served in restaurants and guesthouses can leave one feeling idle and unproductive. By spending a little time serving the local community, travelers can learn much more about an area and head home with great stories and life-long friendships.
The copyright of the article Volunteer Vacation in India in India Travel is owned by Laura Susan Henry. Permission to republish Volunteer Vacation in India in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
Comments
Aug 26, 2009 4:25 AM
Guest :
Hello Everyone
I am writing from volunteer Tibet,
volunteer Tibet organization lost old domain WWW.volunteertibet.org So we
are no longer use it. Volunteer Board members highly appreciate if you
can change it to our official website www.volunteertibet.org.in please
note It is now .ORG.IN
Thank you for your Time Can you please
confirm when you made the change
Also. put our New Email
volunteertibetdharmsala@gmail.com or director@volunteertibet.org.in.
Thank you , Volunteer Tibet Board of Directors
Lobsang
Acharaya
Cell, 9816564907 Offices 01892-220894
Director of
Volunteer Tibet
Volunteer Tibet Tashi Choeling ]
Monastery Jogi
Bara Road Mcleod
Ganji .H.P India 176219
Aug 28, 2009 3:56 AM
Guest :
Hello Everyone,
This letter is inform you that Volunteer Tibet
will no longer be using the website “volunteertibet.org” as we have been
experiencing security problems with the site. Additionally, Mr. Brick
Thornton is no longer a representative of our organization so please update
your contact information for us. Our new website is
www.volunteertibet.org.in. Please take a moment to check it out as we’ve
updated it recently. What ever contains in old website volunteertibet.org
is not eligible
Please disregard any emails that do not come
from me, onpoLobsang or bellow our email address. As I explained, and very
unfortunately, a gentleman name Brick Throton has been emailing volunteers
and misleading them. This is because he had a falling out with our
organization and our board had him removed. Unfortunately, he has the
password for our old website and continues to use it as his own - causing
great confusion. This is why we have had to change our website to
volunteertibet.org.in. My sincere apologies for the confusion
What is Volunteer Tibet?
Volunteer Tibet is a Tibetan-run,
non-profit registered charitable organization based in both Delhi and
Dharmasala, India. Originally founded at Varanasi Tibetan University, the
organization evolved to a community outreach with the help of many foreign
and Tibetan volunteers and officially launched on December 10, 2002; a date
commemorating the anniversary of His Holiness, the Dalai Lama’s, Nobel
Peace Prize. Our organization is 100% owned and directed by displaced
Tibetan refugees.
Since its inception we have received
interest from thousands of people and have enabled a diverse group of
volunteers from all over the world to share their skills in the Tibetan
community. From teaching English to assisting us in the office to cleaning
up the environment; our volunteers make a significant difference in the
day-to-day lives of exiled Tibetans. If you are interested in volunteering
with us please check out the volunteer page on our website for more
information
-http://www.volunteertibet.org.in/AreaVolunteer/volunteer.php
If you
have any specific questions, please feel free to email us at
volunteertibetdharmsala@gmail.com or director@volunteertibet.org.in.
Also – please check us out on Facebook under ‘Volunteer Tibet’. Add
us as your friend and we will confirm you right away!
This is
volunteer Tibet face book link , if you have find problem you can use
Emil-
volunteertibetdharmsala@gmail.com. As well. Thank you
http://www.facebook.com/people/Volunteer-Tibet/1415800269
Tashi delek (Tibetan saying meaning ‘Good Luck’),
Lobsang
Lodoe
Volunteer Tibet is a Tibetan non-profit registered
charitable organization under the society act 5473 with the section 12A of
the income tax act 1961, under the Centre Government India, based Dehili
and Dharmasala.
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