Volunteering Internationally…in the US?

Leonore Kriegel of Magdeburg, Germany, works in the Eden Gardens Block Club community garden. (photo courtesy of The Philadelphia Tribune)

By now, you may know that IVPA is a legitimizing body for international volunteer organizations to send volunteers outside of the United States on projects to improve the communities they temporarily inhabit. Our member organizations do fantastic work outside of this country, and we commend their efforts constantly.

Interestingly, though, no one ever seems to talk about the volunteer work that people outside of the United States do in this country. An article published in The Philadelphia Tribune titled “Overseas volunteer help tend Detroit community garden” details the international volunteer adventures of a few people from Germany flying over to help improve Detroit’s rapidly decreasing infrastructure, by helping out in the community garden, as well as partaking in other projects.

Their volunteer experience is very comparable to ours – starting with anxiety, driven by passion, and ultimately becoming an unforgettable and rewarding experience. These international volunteers, with nothing more than the intention to do good, help connect us to people from across the seas; and together, we can make a better world.

I definitely recommend giving the full article a read – we appreciate the international efforts to make the US a better place!

2 Comments

  • Jenn says:

    Thank you for sharing the article!! What a cool project — getting to help out the community but also learn about the history and culture? Sounds great! The only thing that would make it better is seeing Americans from other parts of the US working alongside them. It’s so exciting to volunteer abroad that we often forget about the amazing opportunities that are just a few states over. I’m not sure that I’d pick Detroit… but there must be other cities that offer similar programs 🙂

  • Maurine says:

    I am a Graduate student holding a degree in Business Information and Technology..I would like to volunteer for any work..Thanks in advance

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