Will work for change

International volunteer explains the
dos and don’ts when trying to make
the world a bit better

by CHRIS BARRY

Name: Jason Connell

Age: 24

Occupation: Speaker/Global activist

Bio: This righteous downtown resident was attending university in Florida when he “got bored,” realizing he needed to “start living a more passionate, exciting life.” So off he went to see the world, but after witnessing Thai chicks being transformed into sex slaves and the “extreme poverty” of mainland China, he became depressed. “It was so alienating, I hadn’t known such suffering existed—parents mutilating their children so they could make more money begging—the world no longer made sense to me.” Determining he had a responsibility to “try to make a difference,” he started volunteering for various causes around the globe, encouraging local businesses to sponsor his efforts, thus offsetting the financial burden of his benevolence. These days, Jason operates a non-profit enterprise called Changing the World 101 (changingtheworld101.com) and, when not off someplace doing volunteer work himself, makes the professional speaking circuit rounds offering advice to others on how best to do the international volunteer thing.

How is Changing the World 101 going to change the world? “I’m exposing as many people as possible to the idea that they really can do international volunteer work and that this work really helps other people’s lives. My job is to help find the right organization for them, show them how to find out if these organizations are doing good work, and then how to offset their costs of volunteering.”

Should potential volunteers be wary of organizations who ask for considerable sums of money in exchange for allowing them to donate their efforts to some cause? It depends. “Unfortunately, some organizations do this only to make a buck—but they’re definitely the minority. I feel your airfare and maybe a $1,000 volunteer fee to cover expenses is reasonable, and that’s a very fundraise-able figure. Many businesses will sponsor volunteers in exchange for the public relations benefits that result. When volunteering, you should try to choose an organization that has local people volunteering as well, which indicates it’s a project the locals believe in. Also, you want to make sure your organization measures their results, because good intentions don’t always result in good effects for the people you’re trying to help. I know of one group who were doing AIDS prevention in Africa, teaching safer sex by using a banana to demonstrate how to put on a condom. But a year later, they came back to discover HIV/AIDS rates had actually gone up. People were still having unprotected sex, they just put a condom on a banana first.”

Is it possible said condom-wrapped bananas eventually made their way into some lucky soul’s vagina, or were they perceived more as an offering to the banana gods to help keep them healthy? “I believe these people saw it as magic. In their culture, having this banana in the room with them made perfect sense.”

Is his mission really in the best interest of Canadians? If people in the developing world suddenly become empowered, won’t the price of tea go up by a few cents? “I don’t think people lifting themselves up from poverty in the third world directly results in a lower quality of life for Canadians. In fact, it’s the exact opposite.”

Last book read: The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway.

Musical preferences: Passion Pit, Girl Talk, Phoenix.

Words of wisdom: “Dream big.”

Comments: dimwit@hdot.net