Volunteering

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?

Voluntourism.org: A Dynamite Resource for the Voluntour Universe

Australian Volunteers Working in Marine Conservation

Image source: Adventure.howstuffworks.com

No matter who you are—a young professional, an inner-city high school student with big dreams, an empty nester, a college graduate, or a stay-at-home mom—when you’re planning a voluntour, you need good information. Once you’ve decided to voluntour, you’ve taken the first step, and that’s a big accomplishment. You’ve probably thought long and hard about what you want out of life, what you care about, and how you want to make a difference. It’s a life-changing decision and you’re well on your way, but there’s more to be done!

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.

Free and Paid Volunteer Opportunities The World Over

Teaching Local People in Mali How to Use Digital Resources

Image source: En.wikipedia.org

As we have discussed here before, volunteering abroad can be an expensive prospect. Even when you’re working with programs that provide food and housing, you’re still responsible for airfare and other travel-related expenses, and in this difficult economic climate that can really add up. It’s a bit ironic: economies all over the world are suffering, and that means communities everywhere are in need of help, yet volunteers are financially pressed too. I wonder how many people decide not to volunteer because of financial concerns. My guess is, a lot. While I was doing research for my cousin—she wants to volunteer in Asia but has no savings to pay for airfare—I stumbled across some excellent volunteer programs that cover all expenses. Some even offer a stipend! The only catch is that most of these programs are looking for people with specific types of experience. However, the needs are broad and many people will qualify. For example, my cousin is great with computers so I recommended Geekcorps.

The Humanitarian Honeymoon

Teresa and Andrew Allen in Pommern on Volunteer Honeymoon

Image source: Today.msnbc.msn.com

I got married a year and a half ago and it was the most magical, romantic day of my life. Deciding you want to be with one person forever is one of the biggest decisions there is. Once you’ve made it—once you’re sure about your love and your commitment—standing there and promising yourself to your best friend, to the love of your life… well, there aren’t words. I couldn’t stop crying tears of joy. My husband couldn’t either. We were two blubbering messes holding each other in front of our families and friends. It was the most soaring happiness I’ve ever felt.