Q: Could you give us a short background on Global Citizens Network:
A: Global Citizens Network (GCN) was started in 1992 by six Twin Cities’ residents, all with extensive experience in coordinating international volunteer teams. The purpose of GCN is to provide individuals the opportunity to interact locally and internationally with people of diverse cultures who share common global values, in order to develop creative and effective local solutions to global problems.
The vision of GCN is to create a network of people who are committed to the shared values of peace, justice, tolerance, cross-cultural understanding and global cooperation, to the preservation of indigenous cultures, traditions and ecologies, and to the enhancement of the quality of life around the world. This is achieved by sending short-term teams of volunteers to communities in other cultures where participants immerse themselves in the culture and daily life of the community. Each volunteer team is partnered with a local grassroots organization active in meeting local needs. The operating philosophy of GCN is that the people of the world are one people, enriched by individual differences, united by the common bond of humanity. The diversity of the Global Community is its greatest strength; understanding and respect is its greatest gift.
Q: What are some volunteer opportunities you offer? Do you have any volunteer opportunities you are particularly proud of?
A: Volunteers get a chance to live for a short period of time, 1 - 3 weeks, in another culture working and visiting with local people. They live “close to the ground” – in homes and/or community centers, hostels, etc., being completely integrated into the host community. By working alongside the community on projects that are community-initiated and led by community leaders, volunteers become a part of the community. As a result, all participants begin to gain knowledge of each other’s worlds, and trade insight into each other’s hands, hearts and minds.
Community projects are as varied as the communities with whom we work. In all instances, projects are conceived, designed and directed by the community themselves, and benefit the community at large. Examples of projects accomplished in partnership include building community structures such as health clinics, schools, community centers; rehabilitating community property such as irrigation ditches, school furniture, traditional housing; setting up new resources such as libraries or resource rooms.
Q: What kind of daily life should prospective volunteers expect?
A: Volunteers stay either in family homes or in a community center, depending on the setup of the host community. The volunteers eat the local food, and dine as a group in an arrangement of the host community’s choosing. Since the volunteers work alongside community members, they are integrated into the daily life of the host community, and are invited to join in other daily activities as well as special occasions.
Q: What is the most important piece of advice you can offer future volunteers?
A: Be flexible, openhearted and open-minded. It is often hard to suspend pre-conceived ideas, but the more one can do so, the better able one is to adapt and to learn from the host community.
Q: What is the biggest challenge while volunteering abroad?
A: Sometimes when the geography, climate and food are very different from what one is accustomed to at home, physical discomfort can prove to be a large challenge. Try to stay healthy and well rested while abroad; use common sense and take the time to learn beforehand how to travel safely and healthfully.
Q: On the flip side, what is the biggest reward?
A: In learning about new cultures, one learns so much about their own self, culture, society, and the world. Often, it takes getting outside of one’s “comfort zone” to truly become more comfortable and productive in the world.
Q: Why should they pay to volunteer with Global Citizens Network? How is the money used?
A: Many people ask why they have to pay to volunteer. GCN receives no outside funding or grants and other than one or two part time time staff people is completely volunteer driven. While individuals may be able to travel for less to many of these places, GCN provides the entrance into a village and exposure to a culture that one could not receive if traveling solo to these places. Through the long-term partnerships that GCN has established with communities around the world, volunteers gain a unique perspective into life in a Tibetan village or on the Navajo Indian Reservation.
The program cost covers in-country travel and lodging, most meals, orientation materials, medical and emergency evacuation insurance (for sites outside the U.S.), a donation to the village project and a share of the team leader's expenses (team leaders are not paid). Airfare is additional. All trip-related expenses are tax-deductible in the U.S.
Q: Do you have any advice on funding a volunteer experience abroad? (Fundraising, Budgeting, Scholarships etc…)
A: The key to the success of your endeavor is timing. Giving yourself time will allow you to explore your options and make you aware of any deadlines may have. If you feel uneasy about fundraising so you can travel, remember to focus on the community and not you as an individual. The goal of your fundraiser should be asking others to support the community you will be working alongside. And no matter what you do, have fun with it! For specific ideas, visit our website at http://www.globalcitizens.org
Q: How does volunteering abroad fit into the bigger picture of aid and development?
A: We believe that volunteers must enter a community respectfully, and only at the invitation of a host community. By respecting the community’s knowledge, values and practices, community development can be achieved that is self-sustaining and self-affirming. By partnering communities from different backgrounds, cultures and societies, each community gains the insights, values and knowledge of the other, thereby sharing potential solutions to local and global issues of common concern. GCN’s philosophy is that the people of the world are one people, enriched by individual differences, united by the common bond of humanity. The diversity of the Global Community is its greatest strength; understanding and respect is its greatest gift. Through this sharing, development occurs on an individual, communal and societal basis.
Q: Why should someone volunteer with Global Citizens Network?
A: Returned volunteers speak the most clearly to this question. In their words,
"With the beauty, the simplicity, the strength and comedy of this place, each day becomes an adventure to be anticipated."
- Gladys, Ontario Kenya volunteer
"I learned much more that GCN is about the process of building long term relationships with communities, not necessarily about the process of "building"! It was truly priceless to be allowed to be on the 'construction site' with a group of indigenous people in Mexico. Tourists DO NOT get that opportunity-nor should they. We all believed we truly made a difference in the lives of others."
-Diana, Colorado 2 time Mexico volunteer
Q: How can someone get in contact with Global Citizens Network and learn more about your volunteer abroad opportunities?
A: Website: http://www.globalcitizens.org
Email: info@globalcitizens.org
Telephone: 1-800-644-9292
Mail: 130 N. Howell St., St. Paul MN 55104 USA
