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November 19, 2003 WUSA TV – Washington DC
The Volunteer Vacation
After September 11th there was a short term dip in Americans signing up for volunteer vacations but now a resurgence is in full force, an interest fueled perhaps by strong feelings to take an active part in helping to change the world. The Peace Corps is also seeing a serious increase in applicants due in part to the sluggish US job market. Many graduates decide to “volunteer” for a great life experience before committing to that cubicle. Interesting and understandable, one former Peace Corps member told me that practical skills like carpentry, farming and plumbing are of the most help in developing countries.
THE FIRST STEP: Determine the length of time you have available.
Although we’re primarily speaking of shorter vacations today – one, two or perhaps three weeks, opportunities abound for longer terms.
THE SECOND STEP: Determine what your preset interests are:
A particular region or country of the world.
Within North America.
Individual States.
Developed or developing country.
Do you already have language skills or are you interested in learning a language.
Professional or non professional work.
Do you need or want academic credit.
What costs can you afford to cover on your own.
Organizations providing volunteer vacations fall into the categories of
Non profit
Government
For-Profit
Religious
Independent
Now we start the research for available organizations providing opportunities that fall within your criteria. One of the best resources I found was “How to Live Your Dream of Volunteering Overseas”. A comprehensive book that leads you along the decision making process providing not only guidance but a plethora of resources. One of the three authors Zahara Heckscher lives in the Washington area, a frequent public speaker, instructor and contributing editor to Transitions Abroad another wonderful resource on alternative travel and volunteer experiences.
Zahara and her co-writers spent six years researching the material for their book. Its organization and completeness show that devotion. The outline they provide via the index and Chapters present the reader with a blueprint no matter what resources you choose to use. Even these authors suggest searching websites and other publications for additional viewpoints.
As I read their book and other resources, any thoughts of becoming the next Mother Theresa were quickly squashed as reality set in that on the scale of world need my contribution would be small but not insignificant. At this time, I’m a very experienced traveler, have been severely injured in a third world country and have faced a variety of issues while traveling, the picture painted by “How to Live your Dream….” and most other materials seemed to be forthright about the actual situation in various destinations. I assume that the majority of presentations in print and person to be honest and factual. It is still important to closely examine all the information and talk to others who have volunteered with the organization you re most interested. Non profit status only guarantees they are not required to pay taxes – nothing else.
This advice comes from the mother that sent her young daughter to a horse camp in the wilds of South Dakota (with her other little girlfriends) where in a week, they never had a bath, any fresh fruit or vegetables and slept in a un-remodeled chicken coup!
**Cross Cultural Solutions**
Like most not-for-profit organizations that run international volunteer programs, Cross-Cultural Solutions' programs are driven entirely by volunteer contributions. Read this excerpt from HOW TO LIVE YOUR DREAM OF VOLUNTEERING OVERSEAS to learn more about why most volunteer programs have a fee.
* The local organizations and projects with which you volunteer overseas have limited resources and are seldom able to subsidize your trip or cover the costs of hosting you. (These costs include housing, feeding and transporting you, among numerous other things.) If they did have the financial resources to pay an international volunteer, it would almost certainly be more beneficial and cost-effective to hire a local person instead, someone who already knows the language and culture and is likely to stick around.
* Identifying appropriate host organizations overseas and working with them is time-consuming, takes resources, and requires an experienced and professional staff.
* The process of preparing, training, transporting, housing, feeding, and supervising volunteers is not cheap. Additional services such as health care, re-entry assistance, travel medical insurance, and more, all add to the expenses of a program.
* The costs of recruiting volunteers, producing literature, answering the phones, sending mailings, developing a website, and interviewing potential volunteers are significant.
Cost for 2004 in a Cross Cultural Solutions program.
Weeks: 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Price*: $2175 $2423 $2671 $2919 $3167 $3415 $3663 $3911 $4159 $4407 $4655
What You Get For the Fee
Personalized Volunteer Placement with our Partner Programs, based on your skills and interests, including all the coordination, in-person visits and communication necessary with each local organization.
In-country Perspectives Programming that includes excursions to nearby points of interest, special events and discussions with a variety of local cultural, professional, governmental and community agencies and people.
Cross-Cultural Solutions' Home-Base structure, providing you with a comfortable, safe place to live, the basic amenities, all of your meals, and transportation to and from all Cross-Cultural Solutions' placements and programs.
An experienced U.S. based Cross-Cultural Solutions Program Manager (and former volunteer with Cross-Cultural Solutions) who will serve as your coordinator, guide, and liaison with our in-country staff.
In-country basic language assistance (optional).
Professional, locally-based staff to provide orientation, supervision and guidance throughout your stay.
Travel medical insurance and emergency evacuation insurance, applicable to participants worldwide.
Important documents, including in-depth pre-departure packs, orientation information, and all in-country informational materials.
Country-based airport transportation.
Local phone calls.
In-coming international phone service.
A toll-free 24-hour emergency hotline in the U.S.
Not included in the program fee
Costs associated with obtaining a visa or immunizations (when needed).
International airfare and corresponding airport departure taxes.
Personal Internet time and long-distance (domestic and international) phone calls.
Laundry service.
**Caribbean Volunteer Expeditions**
Caribbean Volunteer Expedition members measure and document historical plantations, windmills, and other structures to help local Caribbean agencies keep a record of their architectural heritage.
Caribbean Volunteer Expeditions, is a non-profit agency, was started in 1990. Today, with almost 10 trips per year, they are helping to preserve and document the fragile historical heritage of the Caribbean. You don't necessarily have to be architecturally skilled, although professional assistance is appreciated; you just have to be willing to help preserve the history of the Caribbean and have fun.
Here is a quick summary of the details of a typical trip:
Housing: Usually we can stay somewhere for a reduced price or for free. Sometimes at a campsite, other times in a shared house.
Costs: CVE volunteers must pay for their own airline tickets to the islands, as well as food and housing, plus a small administrative fee to CVE.
Schedule: Each Expedition usually lasts about a week. Most days include work in the field for about half of the day; leaving the rest of the time to sight-see, tour the island, visit the beach, or whatever else is fun.
Conditions: It can be hot, and rugged. Volunteers should be prepared for thorns, mosquitoes, and other Caribbean conditions. But don't worry; the beach is never far away.
CVE now has Elderhostel Volunteers contributing to our projects. Volunteers have helped with the documentation and measurements at Fort Charles, in Nevis, and at the Eden Browne Great House, also in Nevis. More Elderhostel weeks are planned including restoration, archeology, and cemetery inventories in Nevis, St. Kitts, Antigua, Old San Juan, and St. John, USVI.
Global Volunteers is an organization that I became familiar when interviewing participant’s years ago. In their 20th year Global Volunteers has mobilized more than13, 500 volunteers on community development projects in 19 worldwide countries. Volunteers work on short term team projects usually two to three weeks. The people I know have built stone walls, painted schools and community centers. Teams can be made up of multigenerational families with older children - with an age range of 16 to 75. Global Volunteers is most popular with the over 50 set and being a team player helps. Fees run up to $2500 not including transportation to the country. Like many volunteer programs Global Volunteers has repeaters and some go on to become team leaders.
Here are some volunteer service opportunity descriptions.
Teach English language conversation skills in China, Ghana, Greece, India, Italy, Mexico, Poland, Romania, Spain, Tanzania, Vietnam, Minnesota (USA)
Care for disabled and orphaned children and adults in Ecuador, Greece, India, Poland, Romania, and Ukraine.
Protect the environment/work on conservation projects in the Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Hawaii (USA).
Build and repair homes and community facilities in China, Costa Rica, Ghana, Ecuador, Hawaii (USA), India, Ireland, Jamaica, Mississippi (USA), Tanzania, South Dakota (USA), W. Virginia (USA).
Tutor children and adults/advance literacy projects in Cook Islands, Ghana, India, Mississippi (USA), Tanzania, Ukraine.
Improve basic health care services in Ghana, Ecuador, India, Jamaica, Romania, and Tanzania.
The Peace Corps
The Peace Corps traces its roots and mission to 1961, when then-Senator John F. Kennedy challenged students at the University of Michigan to serve their country in the cause of peace by living and working in developing countries. Since that time, more than 170,000 Peace Corps Volunteers have been invited by 136 host countries to work on a variety of issues.
Some of the newest programs and projects focus on HIV/AIDS in Africa and the Caribbean, information technology, and continued expansion into new countries.
The staff of recruiters—all of whom served in the Peace Corps themselves—can tell you what it's really like to Volunteer, whether or not you qualify, and how to work through the application process.
The Peace Corps provides Volunteers with a living allowance that enables them to live in a manner similar to the local people in their community. It also provides complete medical and dental care and covers the cost of transportation to and from your country of service.
Upon returning from overseas Peace Corps volunteers require some adjustment, upon completing your service, they provide just over $6,000 toward your transition to life back home. The money is yours to use as you wish: for travel, a vacation, making a move, or securing housing.
There are many benefits during and after the Peace Corps. Check their website for recruiting fairs, and locations of their 11 regional offices. You can also find a local recruiter at (800) 424-8580.
INFORMATION SOURCES
How to Live Your Dream of Volunteering Overseas”
www.volunteeroverseas.org
The website provides contact e mail for the authors as well as many ways to purchase including as an e book.
Available online at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com and Booksense.com
Purchase in Washington DC at:
^^Olsson's Books & Records
418 7th St. NW
^^Olsson's Books & Records
1200 F St
^^Olsson's Books & Records
1307 19th St. NW
^^Kramerbooks & Afterwords (Dupont Circle)
1517 Connecticut Ave NW
^^Politics and Prose
5015 Connecticut Ave NW
Transitions Abroad Magazine
www.transitionsabroad.com/
Outstanding resource for information of every sort on living, working, traveling and volunteering everywhere.
Cross Cultural Solutions
www.crossculturalsolutions.org
US Headquarters
2 Clinton Place
New Rochelle, NY 10801
Tel: 1-800-380-4777
1-914-632-0022
Fax: 1-914-632-8494
Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Peru, Russia, Tanzania, Thailand
Caribbean Volunteer Expeditions
www.cvexp.org/
CVE, Box 388
Corning, NY 14830
607 962 7846
ahershcve@aol.com
Elderhostel
75 Federal St
Boston, MA 02110-1941
www.elderhostel.org/
Global Volunteers
www.globalvolunteers.org
375 East Little Canada Road
St. Paul, MN 55117-1628
(800) 487-1074 (651) 482-0915 fax
The Peace Corps
www.peacecorps.gov/
Contact your local recruiter at (800) 424-8580
Some other sites related to volunteer service.
www.idealist.org
www.cartercenter.org
www.amnesty.org/
www.projectpalette.org/
Helpful Information
travel.state.gov/passport_services.html
www.zvs.com/ ZVS is an online resource for visa and passport needs.
Global Volunteers, 375 East Little Canada Road, St. Paul, MN 55117-1628 USA, (800) 487-1074 (651) 482-0915 fax
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