| BV: How does the program work? You choose a destination or program that you want to participate in on the Global Volunteers site. Generally, the trips are two-week commitments. You fill out the application and send in your service fee. The fee covers your room and board, local transportation, and provides some funds to support Global Volunteers’ work creating and maintaining programs in the host countries. It’s really not much more expensive than a standard vacation. Once you arrive, you are met at the airport by the local host organization. |
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BV: What would surprise people most if they knew it about volunteer vacations? The time spent in one place interacting with locals on a daily basis provides a great way to learn about the world. It also makes one realize that we have more in common with others in different places than could ever have been imagined. These vacations are a welcome change to our everyday lives and allow us a chance to learn about ourselves. The overwhelming feeling of satisfaction in providing some needed services to others is also surprising.These vacations are a great chance to meet similarly minded Americans from different backgrounds. During the time together as volunteers you learn to become a team. We have developed some nice lasting friendships. One interesting result of our volunteering involved our first service program (1998) in Southern Italy. Global Volunteers was asked to provide volunteers to assist in teaching English as the local communities wanted to develop their tourist business. Italy was red-hot as a tourist destination then, but most of it was centered in and around Tuscany. No one was going to Puglia. Then, two years ago, the cover of a major travel magazine read “Puglia, The New Tuscany.” Seeing that convinced us that our efforts paid off. |
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BV: Are there things you have learned that you wish someone had told you at the beginning that you are willing to share with our readers? Neither of us are teachers. After our first service trip to southern Italy we came to realize that we had some innate ability to connect with others in a classroom setting. So much so, that we soon got ourselves certified as teachers of English as a foreign language through UCLA’s extension program.Anyone on a volunteer vacation should take a strong sense of adventure and a flexible attitude. We’ve learned that persons who arrive with rigid expectations are often disappointed. The Global Volunteer’s philosophy includes empowerment of the locals. It lets those who host the volunteers and administer the program decide what is needed and how it is to be accomplished. It does not impose any preconceived American approach, which is refreshing for some and frustrating for others. Thus, the need to be flexible. |
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BV: Will you be doing this again and do you know where you will go and what you will do? We definitely will be doing this again with Global Volunteers. We are thinking of Kunming, China or Beja, Portugal - both programs involve teaching English. The program in Kunming is working with native Chinese English teachers. |
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BV: How did you pick a group to work with and do you work with the same group each time? We picked Global Volunteers as a result of a story on volunteer-tourism in the Los Angeles Times. After looking at their web site (www.globalvolunteers.org) and deciding to do our first stint as volunteers, we were hooked. For us, it was important that the organization was secular, an NGO (non-governmental organization) and a non-EDU (not affiliated with an educational institution). Its founders were attorneys who wanted to promote peace at a very basic level. Global Volunteers is unique in its program to match volunteer labor to the communities requesting support. We have also attended local events where past volunteers get a chance to speak about their experiences for potential volunteers. This is a great way to hear about other program sites and projects. |
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BV: Anything else you think is important? The program fees and airfare are tax-deductible as a charitable contribution.Thanks, guys, for sharing your inspiring adventures with us. We wish you many more! If your own near-term plans include a volunteer vacation, we have compiled a list of resources books in the left hand column to help you find the opportunity that fits your life. You can combine them with travel abroad, you can combine them other interests that you may have and you can work on projects right here in the U.S. |
 Contact information:Global Volunteers 375 E. Little Canada Rd. St. Paul, Minnesota 55117-1628 USA You are welcome to visit us at our home office in St. Paul, Minnesota. Office hours are 8:00 to 5:00 CST. Telephone: 651.407.6100 Toll Free: 800.487.1074 Fax: 651.482.0915 Global Volunteers is one of BoomVoyage's Featured "Do the Right Thing" not-for-profit organizations. Support Global Volunteers Now |