Global Volunteers provides service-learning opportunities for individuals of all ages, skills and backgrounds. Prospective volunteers often ask if their expertise and interests can be used in a host community. If you're open to new challenges and enjoy working with and learning from local people, you can contribute to and benefit from a volunteer vacation. You may ask:
- Am I willing to freely offer my skills and interests?
- Can I accept direction from local leaders?
- Do I understand and support the team work concept?
- Do I value being a part of a long-term effort?
- Do I enjoy learning about new cultures and lifestyles?
Depending on your appetite for challenge and adventure, you can choose a program close to home, or in a community remote and unseen by conventional tourists. And, you can choose between rugged, physically-challenging environments or the familiarity of a classroom and comfortable hotel in a small town or urban setting.
Learn From Local People and Share Personal Insights
By immersing yourself in the daily routine of the host community you learn, first-hand, about the joys, struggles, hopes and dreams of the people you serve. While the service component of volunteer work is your primary focus, it's also the conduit for cross - cultural understanding. Cultural immersion leads to personal insights you can't obtain as a tourist. And, you can share insights about your culture and ideas in a personal way. Global Volunteers' proprietary materials and on-site cultural orientation further guide you on local customs and practices.
Please remember that this is more than an alternative to a standard vacation. Global Volunteers is committed to providing our volunteers accurate information on all of our service program offerings. What we ask of you is flexibility. Patience, a spirit of adventure, and a sense of humor also go a long way. Some host communities provide a greater degree of predictability than others due to cultural norms or how many teams we have sent to a particular site.
