Volunteer Voices is a collection of stories, mistakes, and lessons learned designed to help readers reflect and improve practice while working abroad. Creating change requires a continual process of self-improvement that each chapter speaks to in different ways.

Contents

Introduction

Part I – Working with Yourself

1 It’s not about me:

2 Pursue the art of being humbly radical

3 Know how you expect success to feel

4 Understand why you want to work abroad

5 Persevere with intention

6 Remember your own needs

7 I don’t change anything alone

8 Find the balance between giving and staying healthy

9 It should hurt a little

10 Understanding problems from within

11 Doing lifelong work

Part II – Working with Others

12 Believe that everyone can teach you something

13 Be more conscious than professional

14 Perspective matters

15 Strive for real learning

16 Don’t do it for glory

17 Offer real value

18 Don’t fight brick walls

19 Create the space for colleagues to lead and grow

20 Find the best idea, wherever it is

Part III – Working with Issues

21 Do good work

22 Make it last

23 Aim for ‘great’

24 Choose the right time

25 Choose the information to ignore

26 Big data, big mistake

27 Get to good enough

28 A story that sells

29 Understand what is already happening

30 Find the linkages

31 Learn to tell form from function

32 The funding is rarely secure

33 Know that some things can’t be known