Jan 09
0

Upcoming Information Sessions and Webinars: CFHI

By | IVPA Members, Tips for Volunteering Abroad, Volunteer opportunities | No Comments

There are some great opportunities to find out more about volunteering internationally. This post highlights one of IVPA’s members upcoming webinars. More info opportunities to come!

Child Family Health International (CFHI)

CFHI Staff will be conducting live CFHI Program Information Webinars on Thursday January 19th at 1pm Pacific/ 4pm Eastern, and Wednesday January 25th at 5pm Pacific/ 8pm Eastern.

All interested in learning more about CFHI Global Health Education Programs are invited to call in and follow along online as staff and CFHI alumni talk and take questions about: 

To Participate:

About CFHI:
Child Family Health International (CFHI) offers socially responsible Global Health Education Programs for health sciences students of all levels. Through CFHI participants go on 4-16 week placements alongside local doctors in underserved communities. Participants rotate through local clinics and hospitals, attend medical lectures, and become immersed in the healthcare system of the community.

Jan 01
0

New Year’s Resolution…Volunteer

By | Tips for Volunteering Abroad, Volunteer opportunities | No Comments

New Years is a time to reflect on the past but also look to the future and make goals. Making New Year’s resolutions often get’s mocked for how quickly resolutions are broken but I welcome the idea of a fresh start. The new year brings a clean slate and the opportunity to ponder what we  want to accomplish and ultimately the type of person we want to be.

Common resolutions include losing weight and quitting smoking but two also frequently cited goals are to take a trip and to volunteer to help others usa.gov). You can combine volunteering and travel by volunteering abroad. There are so many opportunities out there for volunteer travel it can be overwhelming if you are just beginning to navigate your options. Some things to consider include

  • How long can you be away? Is a week more realistic or would you like to spend a month or more abroad? There are opportunities for all different time frames. The longer you are in a location will of course deepen your experience but even with just a week you can have an amazing experience, build cross-cultural bridges and help with the sustainability of a local project.
  • Do you have an special skills? Often if you have training or background in a certain field or profession you can find opportunities to use those skills on a project.
  • Do your research before you go. Research the country you will be traveling to so you better understanding of the culture, history and political environment. You will also want to research the organization you choose to go with. Besides just looking at on organization’s website, you should also call up to talk to a representative, ask to talk to a past volunteer, and ask questions about how long they’ve been operating, how they make their local partners and what is included in the program fee. Other ideas of questions here.

International Volunteer Programs Association (IVPA) is also a resource for those interested in volunteering since our member organizations all run their own programs (meaning they are not just a placement agency), meet the IVPA Principles and Standards and have been through a rigorous application process.

IVPA’s current member list includes:

American Jewish World Services (AJWS)

American Youth Understanding Diabetes Abroad (AYUDA)

Amigos de las Americas

Child Family Health International

Cross-Cultural Solutions

Global Citizens Network

Global Service Corps

Globe Aware

Habitat for Humanity

Projects Abroad

ProWorld

 

 

 

Dec 30
0

Design with the Other 90% – Cities Exhibit

By | Book Review, Volunteer Stories | No Comments

While attending the UN – Year of the Volunteer +10 I had the chance to see the Design with the Other 90% – Cities exhibit in the lobby of the UN. The exhibit is full of examples of creative design innovations to help those living in slums, favelas, or informal settlements. It is a fascinating installation that ends Jan 9, 2012. I highly recommend visiting if you are able but for those who are unable to, you can check out their website, Design for the 90% or their book (more information below).

Almost one billion people live in informal settlements, or slums around the world. The problem is exacerbated not just by a growing population but also a migrant one. More than half the world’s population lives in cities and around 200,000 people move to cities each day. People move to cities for better access to resources, jobs, school. Living in slums does not necessarily give them that access, though it might get them closer. The innovations featured in the exhibit focuses on adaptive solutions to gain access to adequate housing, resources and infrastructure.

Some of the example that I found most interesting were the housing solutions. The picture below is from an incremental housing project in Chile. A large portion of the house was built with government subsidies that the residents could never afford on their own but then the residents are required to complete the house with their own funds. Some other creative housing projects included sandbag houses, “molding” a house with a plastic framework, and modular homeless shelters.

The exhibit is the second of a series by the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum and also has a book out, Design with the Other 90% – Cities. The book basically covers what is in the exhibit and includes a chapter by the curator, Cynthia Smith, some chapter prefaces, and facts and background to the projects. A majority of the book are short profiles that contain really only a paragraph or two for each example included in the exhibit but the book is a nice reference to remember the installation or give someone a chance to “view” the exhibit through the book.

Dec 19
0

IVPA Welcomes AJWS as Newest Member

By | Uncategorized | No Comments

American Jewish World Services Joins IVPA

The International Volunteer Programs Association (IVPA) welcomes American Jewish World Services (AJWS) as the newest IVPA member.

AJWS is an international development organization guided by Judaism’s imperative to pursue justice. AJWS offers service and travel opportunities as part of their mission to “to alleviating poverty, hunger and disease among the people of the developing world regardless of race, religion or nationality. “ AJWS programs are open to those with Jewish backgrounds who wish to serve and include shorter-term opportunities, like their Alternative Breaks, and longer-term programs like their Volunteer Summer, World Partners Fellows and Volunteer Corps programs.
“AJWS is known for their quality in programing. They offer well-structured, rigorous programs that give a deep experience in service.” says IVPA Executive Director Genevieve Brown. “We are excited to be announcing AJWS’s membership in IVPA.”

IVPA stands for quality and responsibility in the field of international volunteering. Organizations in
the US are eligible for membership in IVPA if they meet IVPA’s Practices and Principles and have at
least two years of incorporation.

 

About IVPA

The International Volunteer Programs Association (IVPA) is an association of non-governmental organizations involved in international volunteer work and internship exchanges. IVPA is an association of volunteer sending organizations but does not organize or run its own volunteer programs. IVPA stands for quality and responsibility in the field of international volunteer abroad programs. Members uphold the IVPA’s Principles and Practices as guidelines for good programming as well as meet stringent membership criteria

 


Dec 05
0

International Volunteer Day

By | Uncategorized | No Comments

 

Today, December 5th, is the International Volunteer Day it is also the 10th anniversary of the UN Year of Volunteers (IYV).

International Volunteer Day is a great day to focus on local, national and global volunteer efforts. Many of IVPA’s member organization are holding their own events to recognize their volunteers.

IVPA is celebrating by attending the UN IYV+10 meetings where the UN is focusing on recognizing volunteerism and the good that comes from volunteer work as well as looking to the future for ways to promote volunteerism.  Today is also the launch of the State of the World’s Volunteerism Report. More information is to come on the report and the meetings of today.

 

“A Different World Can’t Be Built By

Indifferent People”

 

Nov 03
0

2011 IVPA Global Volunteering Fairs – Summary

By | Global Volunteering Fairs | No Comments

The 2011 IVPA Global Volunteering Fairs were held October 25th and 27th in Washington, D.C. and New York City respectively. Representatives from over 30 volunteer sending organizations were on hand to give attendees information about their available programs.

The events were well attended with hundreds of people interested in voluntourism or volunteering abroad coming to find out more. Two free workshops were offered at each location about the basics of service abroad and affordable volunteering.

Thank you for all those that attended the events and made it a success. If you were unable to make it to the fairs and are interested in volunteering please visit IVPA’s site where you can find more information on questions to ask a program provider, tips on fundraising and you can search IVPA’s list of members’ programs. www.volunteerinternational.org

Oct 26
0

IVPA Global Volunteer Fair – NYC

By | Uncategorized | No Comments

This is the place if you are looking for the information on the IVPA Global Volunteer Fair, October 27th in NYC. This event is free and open to the public. If you are interested in international volunteering come meet some organizations and hear about their work. There will also be free workshops on volunteering.

Location:

John Jay College of Criminal Justice
North Hall
445 West 59th Street
New York, NY

Time:

Thursday, October 27, 2011 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM (ET)

Here is the link to register…though registration is not required to attend.

http://nycglobalvolunteerfair-estw.eventbrite.com/

Oct 17
0

Volunteer and Receive University Credit with Global Service Corps

By | Uncategorized | No Comments

IVPA member, Global Service Corps (GSC), in partnership with SUNY-Albany, is offering students the opportunity to volunteer in Tanzania in global HIV/AIDS prevention, sustainable agriculture and food security. This 15-week 15-credit service-learning experience is ideal for students with interests in international development, public health, agriculture, and global food security and takes place from January 16 – April 30, 2012.

From GSC’s Newsletter

Designed for individuals with multiple interests, this program allows students to participate in two GSC program areas providing a cross-sectoral response to community development in Tanzania. The focus of this service-learning experience is for students to expand their own knowledge while at the same time helping to educate local community members in HIV/AIDS prevention and rural sustainable agriculture.Students will receive orientation in the language, culture, and history of the Tanzanian people as well as academic and technical training in the areas of HIV/AIDS and Food Security that will prepare them to assist in a variety of community development and training projects. The HIV/AIDS field component includes community awareness activities and trainings that target youth and adults with the ultimate goal of mitigating the spread of HIV/AIDS in a sustainable manner. Focusing on food security, students will assist in community workshops and will also help maintain a demonstration plot that utilizes innovative bio-intensive agriculture techniques designed to increase food production and alleviate the main causes of food losses. Through both academic training and field service work in HIV/AIDS and sustainable agriculture, students will come to understand the interconnectedness of sustainable food production, income generation, and overall health and wellness.

For more information please click on the picture to the left to read the full program overview.

To learn more about opportunities for students and how to obtain credit, visit:http://www.globalservicecorps.org/site/for-students/

To apply for this program visit:http://www.globalservicecorps.org/site/apply/
CLICK HERE to view an illustrated account of a day in the life of Tanzanian volunteers!
Oct 12
0

CFHI Scholarship Opportunities 2012 – Global Heath Programs

By | Uncategorized | No Comments

IVPA Member, Child Family Health International (CFHI) is offering scholarships for their 2012 Global Health Programs. This is an incredible opportunity to participate in global health initiatives and gain valuable experience.

CFHI is offering 10 partial scholarships for January-June 2012 programs. These ten (10) partial scholarships in the amount of US $1,000 may be awarded towards participation in any CFHI Global Health Education Program during the above program months. One scholarship will be designated for CFHI’s Sight for All- Opthalmology Rotation in New Delhi, India program and one designated for CFHI’s Sonrie Ecuador-Dental Program in Quito, Ecuador.  Deadlines to apply are November 1st and January 16th.  For more details see CFHI’s Scholarship Page.

 CFHI also offers academic credit and fundraising assistance.  For more details on any of CFHI’s 20+ programs, visit the CFHIwebsite. CFHI continues to accept 2011 & 2012 program applications on a rolling basis.

 

CFHI – Socially Responsible Global Health Education Programs

Child Family Health International (CFHI) offers socially responsible Global Health Education Programs for health sciences students of all levels. Through CFHI participants go on 4-16 week placements alongside local physicians in underserved communities.  Participants rotate through clinics and hospitals, attend medical lectures, and become immersed in the healthcare system of the community.

 

Oct 07
0

Want a 50% discount to volunteer in Guatemala? Quick! Enter GCN’s essay contest. Deadline Oct 14th!

By | Uncategorized | No Comments

Act now and you could get 50% off a volunteer trip to Guatemala with Global Citizen’s Network.

From GCN’s site:

Indigenous communities across the world are marginalized from main stream society’s media.  Their voices are not always heard and their views often stifled.  Time and again, misguided and inaccurate depictions of indigenous cultures, values and beliefs are presented to the public.  One example is the current challenge the Mayan community faces as outsiders portray their own interpretations of the Mayan 2012 calendar year.

“Hollywood is also not helping,” laments Don Manuel, the head of the Mayan spiritual leaders’ council in Cantel.  He is concerned that imprudent expectations could cause harm both at the local and international level.   The Mayan spiritual council hopes to inspire Cantel’s population to embrace and commemorate their ancestor’s traditions and deter an atmosphere of uncertainty that is creating a rift in the community.

GCN has been invited by the community to work and celebrate side-by-side with members of the Mayan Center for Peace December 29, 2011-January 7, 2012. GCN is offering 2 trips at a discounted rate of 50% off the program rate of $1,950.  To be eligible for one of the two grants, send us an essay that describes how you will “pay it forward” and share the voices of the Mayan community in your local community after your trip.

There is no entry fee required and all entries must be a minimum of 400 words in length.  The deadline for submissions is October 14th  at 5pm CST. 

A GCN committee will review essays and select the top two participants based on the criteria of compelling narrative and the feasibility of the “pay it forward” action plan.  Selected participants must be able to pay the remaining $975 program fee and all travel expenses outside of GCN programs (including international airfare).

The top two selected participants will also have their experience featured in future GCN newsletters and/or on our website.  Selected participants will be notified individually during the week of October 17th.

How to apply:  Essay entries must be submitted in electronic format (MS Word, Word Perfect of Microsoft Works document.)   Please include your name and contact information.  Email your entry tolaura@globalcitizens.org

Contact us with questions laura@globalcitizens.org or 612-436-8274