Q: Could you give us a short background on Global Volunteers:
A: We are, first of all, about peace and justice. Global Volunteers was founded in 1984 by a small group of idealistic Americans who wanted to help create a foundation for world peace by uniting volunteers in service worldwide. The concept was, and still is, that connecting people who want to lend themselves to help others with those that need help with community projects is the most effective, and direct way to wage peace. It is through mutual international understanding that we can engender respect for and understanding of other’s cultures and ways of life.
Today, as a non-governmental organization (NGO) in special consultative status with the United Nations, Global Volunteers mobilizes some 150 service-learning teams year-around to work in 20 countries on six continents, and is the internationally recognized leader in this field of work. Global Volunteers continues to work to help lay a foundation for world peace through mutual understanding. We plan to add one or two new countries to our program offerings each year. Through direct project funding in volunteers’ service program fees, fundraising for special projects, and providing qualified, catalytic volunteer assistance to the host communities, we’ve established a proprietary model for person-to-person service that is highly effective.
At the request of local leaders and indigenous host organizations, Global Volunteers mobilizes teams of short-term volunteers to live and work with local people on micro-human and economic development projects identified by the community as important to its long-term development.
Q: What are some volunteer opportunities you offer? Do you have any volunteer opportunities you are particularly proud of?
A: All our work centers on helping to improve the daily lives of children and families, most of whom live in poverty without accessible resources. Volunteer teams support some 100 host communities in 20 countries year-around. Work projects include nurturing at-risk children, teaching English and classroom subjects, labor projects such as building and repairing homes, assisting with health care and the like. We’re committed to broad-based, long-term community service. No professional experience is required. Volunteers work in cohesive staff-led teams, and are guided by local consultants and hosts throughout the duration of the program. We’re particularly proud that we were the first short-term American volunteer program (non-governmental and non-religious) to be invited to the People’s Republic of China to provide community service. And, we were the first such organization to work in a rural Chinese village (An Shang). Further, we were the first American volunteer organization to be invited to work in Vietnam after international relations were normalized. We’re proud of our programs to sustain orphanages in Peru, India and Ecuador. We’re deeply committed to providing the financial and volunteer support required to truly be of service to our host organizations.
Q: What kind of daily life should prospective volunteers expect?
A: Our volunteer accommodations always reflect the local standards, both to honor the local people’s way of life and to provide a genuine view of daily life in the host community. At the same time, we strive for the greatest level of safety and most appropriate level of comfort so that our volunteers are rested, and able to maximize their service contribution. So, the lodging varies from home stays in the U.S. and Australia to guest houses and hotels in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and South America. Local cooks prepare evening meals, lunches are usually provided by the host at the work site, and the volunteers prepare their breakfast in their accommodations.
Q: What is the most important piece of advice you can offer future volunteers?
A: We always caution prospective volunteers about keeping their own agenda “in their back pocket.” The purpose of "service-learning" travel is foremost to serve, and thereby, to learn first-hand about the host community and its people. Our local hosts guide all our volunteer efforts. It’s a model that’s difficult for some hard-charging, “type A” Americans, but it’s essential for true service. That’s why we ask our volunteers to assume a “servant-learner” attitude that’s explained in our orientation. Those who offer themselves this way find that it enables a true exchange of ideas, traditions, and dreams to which most any open-minded individual can contribute. It is the foundation of world peace.
Q: What is the biggest challenge while volunteering abroad?
A: Some people struggle with culture shock and can get overwhelmed by the poverty and need they witness, particularly if it’s their first experience in a developing community. However, our Country Managers and consultants are trained to help our volunteers overcome their own initial feelings and ease into the realities of the host community. Also, some people aren’t used to living and working as a team. We spend two days in team-building sessions before the service program starts to enable people to form a cohesive group. Many long-lasting friendships (and romances!) have begun on our service programs!
Q: On the flip side, what is the biggest reward?
A: There are truly so many, it’s hard to innumerate: Each person has their own reasons for volunteering, however, most people say they want to “give back” to the world for the opportunities and privileges they’ve been given. Most are motivated by the immense need the world over, and are drawn to do something the help. In return, they learn that we are all more alike than different, and gain a first-hand, personal understanding of life in the host community. This is a life-altering experience for most people, and we believe, truly is the path to worldwide reconciliation and understanding.
Q: Why should they pay to volunteer with Global Volunteerst? How is the money used?
A: As a self-supporting organization, Global Volunteers relies on the volunteers’ tax-deductible contribution to finance the service projects we maintain in the host communities we serve. These communities and host organizations have no resources with which to obtain the assistance we provide. The volunteers’ service program fee includes direct financial support for the host community and covers on-site costs (meals, accommodations, on-site travel -- excluding airfare – medical emergency evacuation insurance, and orientation package) as well as team coordination (program development and consultants, country manager expenses, volunteer recruitment, and logistical support). The entire contribution is applied to Global Volunteers’ sponsored programs and community partner development, with less than 15 percent going to our administration and overhead. Significant budget efficiencies are obtained by amortizing administrative costs across our total program offerings. Global Volunteers solicits no religious or political funding.
Q: Do you have any advice on funding a volunteer experience abroad? (Fundraising, Budgeting, Scholarships etc…)
A: Yes, our web site offers ideas and our volunteer coordinators are quite good at sharing others’ fundraising ideas.
Q: How does volunteering abroad fit into the bigger picture of aid and development?
A: Americans are a giving people, but we often become too enthusiastic about our own agendas. That’s why thoughtful, informed assistance is required. Our purpose in 1984 was to establish working partnerships with under-served rural communities striving to become self-reliant. Since then, our programs have expanded from the developing world to emerging democracies and urban communities around the globe. Over time, these service partnerships have grown and expanded, and we’ve been able to provide significant development assistance which has vastly improved host communities’ standard of living. Our executive staff and managers have years of advanced academic and practical experience in the human and economic development areas, which enables us to advance our relationships with our host partners and enable our volunteers, who do our work directly, to be most effective in a short time. Our annual training and assistance to our International Advisory Committee provides ongoing support to our host partners and ensures that the service we offer respects the local people’s desires and needs.
Q: Why should someone volunteer with Global Volunteers?
A: In 1984, Global Volunteers laid the foundation for what became known a decade later as "volunteer vacations:" We were there in the very beginning. Our expert Country Managers and exceptional Host Community Representatives help maximize each volunteer’s experience. On-site preparations include team-building sessions, an in-depth orientation to the host community, including discussions on local traditions, and language lessons where appropriate, guest speakers -- such as traditional healers, community activists or educators -- and educational events -- such as pow-wows, musical concerts, round-table discussions and the like. Over the years, this total immersion, proprieteary method has proven to be essential for providing insight to the volunteer vacation experience. Our Philosophy of Service guides every aspect of service and learning with local partners. As co-founder along with my husband, Bud Philbrook, I’m tremendously proud of what we’ve accomplished together with our exceptional hosts and generous volunteers over 22 years!
Q: How can someone get in contact with Global Volunteers and learn more about your volunteer abroad opportunities?
A: Please call us at 800-487-1074, or email us at email@globalvolunteers.org. Our web site is www.globalvolunteers.org
