Aid Organizations

Cross Cultural Solutions Welcomes All Volunteers

A Young CCS Volunteer with a Child on His Back

Image source: Flickr.com

In my research over the past few months, I’ve come across an astonishingly wide variety of volunteering organizations. Many of them have a specific demographic target: college students, established professionals, the under 18 crowd, or retirees. From a business perspective, it makes good sense to choose a niche. It’s easier to plan for the needs of a specific group than for the needs of all. It’s also easier to market to one demographic—you can focus your efforts on a narrower field of publications, television programs, social media platforms or events. This strategy is ideal for the volunteer looking to find a group of similarly situated people with which to travel and work, but what about the volunteer who wants a more diverse experience?

Learning AFAR: An Enduring Gift for Underprivileged Children

Five High School Students Traveling with Learning AFAR

Image source: Wegivebooks.org

For children without resources, travel feels like an unattainable dream. Millions of kids in America have never set foot outside their home state, let alone in another country. How can anyone respect the vastness of the planet, the differences between cultures, the biodiversity of our oceans, the preciousness of a desert rain, if she hasn’t seen more than a concrete strip, a local deli, and her own backyard? In a world where our actions—our use of fossil fuels, water, and food; our waste; our elected officials; and our rabid patriotism—deeply and dramatically affects the global citizenry, we must educate our children to understand and respect their planetary kin. Learning AFAR, the flagship program of the AFAR Foundation, meets this desperate need.

Global Explorers: Creating Responsible Citizens of the World

Seven Peruvian Boys Playing in the Water, Working with Global Explorers

Image source: Globalexplorers.com

Empathy is one of the most important qualities a person can have. Without empathy, we are each an island. It is difficult to feel a deep connection with someone else when you can’t imagine yourself in her place. We may understand our connection intellectually, but true empathy means feeling a desperate humanness, a sympathy that compels us to act. I think experiencing different lifestyles at a young age teaches empathy early. When a child sees another child, she feels a kinship. I think this natural affinity dissipates as we age, unless we are taught that it’s right to feel, to care, and to have the desire to help.

The Gap Year: A Unique Opportunity for Long-Term Volunteering

A Recent High School Graduate Working in Ghana for Her Gap Year

Image source: Safari-guide.co.uk

When I was in college, I didn’t appreciate the harsh reality of a 9-5 job. When you’re young you see the world as full of possibility, and it is. But as you get older, take a job and start a family, those possibilities narrow. Employers expect a lot. American workers have the least paid vacation time of all wealthy industrial nations. For most of us, unless we quit our jobs, leaving our lives for a year is not a possibility. But for college-age adults, taking a year off before or during college is a much more realistic option.

Making the Most of a School Vacation

Deloitte's Service Oriented Spring Break Project Live United

Image source: Liveunited.org

My sister is in college and I’m always so jealous of her time off. She gets two weeks off for spring break, two months off over Christmas, and three months off over the Summer. I don’t begrudge her the time—she works hard and needs a breather from school work—but I do try to encourage her to spend it doing something meaningful. She frittered away her last break hanging out with friends and, while she had fun, she also felt rather empty returning to school. She knows she could have spent that time more wisely.