Jerry Swon has a longstanding interest in volunteering and community involvement.

Month: April 2019

5 Opportunities To Volunteer Abroad Jerry Swon

5 Opportunities to Volunteer Abroad

When given the opportunity to volunteer abroad, I highly recommend you cease the chance. Volunteering abroad provides allows you to travel the world and experience new things all while impacting the lives of others. Unlike volunteering domestically, international volunteering requires you to be fully immersed in a new culture. Your time spent volunteering abroad will broaden your horizons and allow you to experience a new way of living.

If you are willing to take the plunge, you will want to conduct some research about which organizations will be the best in supporting during your time abroad. To narrow down your options, I have selected a few of the best organizations that will make your volunteering experience amazing.

Love Volunteers 

Love Volunteers was first started by a brother and sister duo from New Zealand who wanted more opportunities to travel abroad that didn’t break the bank. The organization first formed in 2009 with only 20 projects in 12 countries. Fast forward to the present day, Love Volunteers has hundreds of volunteer opportunities in over 30 countries.  Love Volunteers works closely with local communities in developing countries to ensure they create the most impact without negatively disrupting the community.

Global Vision International 

With over 20,000 volunteers since 1998, it is no wonder why Global Vision International (GVI) has been recognized as one of the “Best Volunteering Organizations”.  GVI has 250 active initiatives around the world that help contribute towards long terms solutions to global issues. Along with a volunteer program, GVI also has internship and leadership development programs perfect for those who are looking for global career experience.

Plan My Gap Year 

Whether you need a break from your academic career or have just graduated, volunteering abroad can provide you with clarity or the chance to make a difference before you take on the next step in your life. Plan My Gap was founded by volunteers for volunteers that offers programs across 17 countries, that range from short-term (1 week) to long-term ( 40 weeks).

Volunteering Solutions 

Volunteering Solutions has logged over 773,825 hours of volunteering. For those in a time crunch, Volunteering Solutions offers 2-Week Specials where you can immerse yourself into a volunteering experience without taking you away from your home for too long. They offer a variety of volunteer experiences from volunteering at an Elephant Sanctuary in Thailand to working for Beach Conservation and Restoration Project on the beaches of Costa Rica.

Cross-Cultural Solutions 

For almost a quarter of a decade, Cross-Cultural Solutions has made it their mission to impact education and health opportunities for communities who are in need. The organization primarily focuses on seven countries, Morocco, Ghana, Peru, Greece, Thailand, Costa Rica, and Guatemala. Unlike other organizations, Cross-Cultural Solutions does not house its volunteers with host families in order to maximize security.

 

Finding A Volunteer Niche Jerry Swon

The Ideal Method to Finding A Volunteer Niche

Looking for volunteer opportunities is one of the easiest searches one can do, generally. Local communities will never be at a loss for needing help, and the resources available to find that work are readily accessible.

Different sources one may use to search for these opportunities include local community centers, local community colleges, bulletin boards, and probably more commonly, the internet!

If one chooses to go to internet route, there is a particular source that provides some good insight on the topic, called Idealistcareers.org. An article recommended for reading can be found by going to the website here.

The first thing to focus on before beginning this search is to decide which field of work would be most desired to volunteer in. What area of interest sparks passion? Perhaps it is an area of interest that allows for many open opportunities. When a person can feel that he/she is making a difference in what he/she does, all parties benefit from that, and it keeps him/her wanting to go back for more. With that in mind, a person can start to look at other factors that play a part in finding the right opportunity.

Other factors to consider in this search include preference on a timeframe, local versus remote locations, and how much time is wanted to be spent volunteering. For timeframe, a person could look for weekday work or weekend work. Some volunteer opportunities are more available during the weekend because more people will generally be available during those times. That’s not to say that during the week there are fewer opportunities.

That brings up another factor – local versus remote locations. If someone is a hands-on type of person that prefers working locally and with other people, examples to consider for local opportunities may be at a pet shelter, a soup kitchen, a children’s daycare, or feeding the homeless. If a person would prefer to be on the computer, on their phone, or volunteering through media, some remote opportunities may consist of assisting Red Cross with online message boards, editing or writing to help support an environmental cause, or acting as an advocate for a mental health company.

All of the above can act as an aid for how to find volunteer opportunities. A future volunteer should decide what field to help with, figure out how much time is to be spent doing it and then put it into action.

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