Community Service Projects

Global Volunteers' unique philosophy of service ensures your work projects help advance the host community's current development vision and goals. Always serving at the invitation and under the direction of host community partners, each Global Volunteers team member works alongside local people, and personally contributes to essential services on community projects. View a volunteer's video on Greece community projects.

Teach English to Youth:You don’t need previous teaching experience. You don’t need to speak Greek. You only need to enjoy working with kids. Your students are from the villages and rural neighborhoods of Gazi County in northern Crete. They’re growing up in a world where English proficiency is a global given - and they want and deserve to become as fluent as their urban peers. Particularly during this difficult economic period, when budgets are shrinking, educational opportunities are limited.That’s where you come in.

Your job is to teach conversational English just the way you speak it. The emphasis is on improving speaking skills - not on formal grammar. Practice pronunciation, dialogue, and reading texts. You might share stories or play games. Or, sing, dance, or plan a scavenger hunt. You'll usually teach four hours a day, allowing equal time for preparation and team meetings. And you will not leave untouched by these children and their eagerness to learn.

Serving Youth and Adults with Special Needs: Ask a volunteer who’s been there: You’ll never feel more needed or rewarded than when you spend a day at St. Spiro’s Center for Special Children and Adults. You're needed to energize, stimulate and encourage day-program participants with games and craft making. So if you’re an expert in candle-making, woodworking, or leatherwork, that’s a bonus..but not a requirement. All you need is the desire to make a difference.

"You will remember Crete’s exotic and vibrant culture forever. What will stay in your heart are the people you work with."