The International Volunteer Programs Association (IVPA) is pleased to welcome American Youth Understanding Diabetes Abroad (AYUDA) as the newest IVPA member.

AYUDA’s mission aims to “empower youth to serve as agents of change in diabetes communities around the world.” Since 1997, non-profit organization has been sending volunteers to work in partnership within communities to develop and implement diabetes programs.

AYUDA empowers youth by providing hands-on experiences that inspires volunteers to serve as agents of social change, not only at the local level in diabetes communities abroad but in other areas of their lives as well. AYUDA volunteers go through a rigorous application and training process before partnering in-country with local diabetes organizations. Past projects included hosting camps for kids with diabetes, providing training for families affected by diabetes and outreach to communities on how to live happier, healthy lives. AYUDA volunteers serve during the summer month and applications for 2012 will be available soon.

“AYUDA is a unique volunteer organization in that it is very mission driven. They offer quality volunteer experiences, focused on youth empowerment and helping those affected by diabetes” says IVPA Executive Director Genevieve Brown. “We are excited to welcome them as a member of IVPA.”

“We are pleased be a part of the IVPA and to be joining other likeminded organizations that share our commitment to empowering volunteers and promoting local sustainability abroad,” Nicolass Cuttriss, Co-Founder of AYUDA added.

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

IVPA is excited to announce that registration is now open for organizations interested in having space at our 2011 Global Volunteering Fairs. Each fair will be a three-hour event where prospective volunteers can chat with representatives of international volunteer organizations as well as attend free workshops on international service topics.

Dates and Locations

Two IVPA Global Volunteering Fairs will be held this October in Washington DC and New York City:

Washington, DC (5:00-8:00pm on Tuesday, October 25)           

5:00-8:00pm @ St Stephen and the Incarnation Episcopal Church

1525 Newton Street NW, Washington, DC  20010

New York, NY (5:00-8:00pm on Thursday, October 27) ­­

5:00-8:00pm @ John Jay College of Criminal Justice*

899 Tenth Avenue, New York, NY  10019

* Tentative location

Registration

Participating organizations will receive:

• A 2×6-foot table in the main fair space
• Meals for two representatives
• Links to their organization, both on the fairs’ registration website (to be launched in September 2011) as well as in promotional outreach to thousands of potential international volunteers
• The opportunity to network with fellow volunteer-sending organizations

To register please contact IVPA or Erin Barnhart (erin(at)effectivealtruism.com)

Alexia Nestora of Voluntourism Gal and LAsso Communications has put together a great one-day conference on Voluntourism, June 28th in Denver, CO.

I am excited about the topics and the people. It looks like it will be a great event.

Take a look at her blog for more information.

One of our IVPA Members is in the running for the Chase”Big Ideas” contest $500,000 prize!

So support a great volunteer organization by getting on Facebook, liking the Chase Community Giving and vote for Amigos. Here is a link to the voting page: http://bit.ly/earoKX

Below is some information on Amigos and their “Big Idea”.

AMIGOS’ Big Idea is to empower young people to be leaders, today and tomorrow. With $500,000 we can open doors to one of this country’s most exciting and effective youth leadership programs. With $500,000, young people with big dreams from families with few resources will become agents of change, who facilitate meaningful, community-based growth. With $500,000, young people will return home after a life-changing experience within the Americas full of ideas and hope, and secure in the knowledge that they, too, can make a real impact in this global world of ours. With $500,000, a small idea that began 46 years ago – building communities through youth leadership development – can welcome hundreds of new faces of today’s Americas into a future that they will define. With $500,000, AMIGOS will strengthen intercultural relationships within the Americas and make it a better place – one young person at a time. Vote now to support the development of young leaders across the Americas!

Voting for Round 2 runs from May 19th through May 25th.

Winning this contest is a very attainable goal if we can get all Amigos and their networks to vote. Please vote now and forward this message on to your friends to help us win the biggest award yet, and all they have to do is click “Vote for AMIGOS” on Facebook!

I have recently seen an uptick in the interest of people volunteering abroad with their families, especially families with grade school age children. Part of the increased interest is I am sure due to Spring Break and the looming Summer Break but I think it is great that parents are wanting to give their children a new type of experience, one where they are actively involved in serving and creating cross-cultural understanding.

If you are interested in volunteering with your children one of the first steps would be to find an organization that can accommodate families. Not all volunteer sending organizations accept under age volunteers, even with a parent accompanying them. Every organization is different and while one organization may have the policy that only of 18 years and older, another might fully accept an 8 year old volunteer with his parent. Some organization might not have a specific age policy and so you would need to contact them to see if their programs would fit your family.

Some other things to think about are:

• Flexibility of the volunteer schedule
• Accommodations
• Vaccinations
• Food and water safety

From experience of working with families as they volunteer and even volunteering with my own family, it can be an eye opening experience. And while things may not go as smoothly as you envision it is an experience you never regret.

Some great IVPA members to look into that accommodate families are:

Cross-Cultural Solutions

Global Citizens Network

Global Service Corps

Globe Aware

Habitat for Humanity

Projects Abroad

ProWorld