Cross-Cultural Solutions (CCS) was recently listed in The NonProfit Times’ “50 Best Nonprofits to Work for 2011.”
The NonProfit Times survey and recognition program is “dedicated to finding and recognizing the best employers in the nonprofit industry”. CCS was listed with 49 other organizations who were evaluated based on workplace policies, demographics, as well as employee responses about their experience at work.
For more information check out http://www.bestnonprofitstoworkfor.com/
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:
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:
IVPA is excited to announce that we will be holding two Global Volunteering Fairs this Fall!
In 2008, 2009, and 2010, Idealist.org hosted several highly successful Global Volunteering Fairs in cities from New York to Los Angeles. Building on the success of these events, and with gratitude to Idealist.org, we are excited to announce that these fairs – no hosted by IVPA – will be held in New York City and Washington DC this Fall.
The format for these events will be the same as previous fairs: Each fair will be a three-hour evening event where prospective volunteers can chat with representatives of international volunteerism organizations as well as attend free workshops. Registration rates will also be similar to past fairs.
For more information or to reserve your spot please contact Erin Barnhart erin(at)effectivealtruism.com
The United Nations Volunteers recently published a guidance note titled: Drafting and Implementing Volunteerism Laws and Policies.
I came across it because I am interested in knowing more about volunteering and the cross sections of international and domestic volunteers.
My favorite quote was “Achieving the MDGs by 2015 is a task for everyone, and voluntary action will be critical.” This quote emphasizes the importance of global engagement. We all have responsibility.
Some other takeaways included the following:
Some of the countries mentioned included Macedonia, South Africa, Burkina Faso, United States, and Pakistan.
The paper also briefly touched on the culture of volunteerism.
“Where a culture of volunteerism exists and flourishes, volunteerism law and policy initiatives can find rapid success as they are taken up by pre-existing volunteer constituencies. By contrast, where volunteerism is poorly understood or not embraced by the population, volunteerism laws and policies may fail to be implemented properly or may be ignored altogether.”
One of the opportunities I had while in Thailand recently was to go with some Projects Abroad conservation volunteers on a reef dive. These volunteers work on projects like mangroove reforestation, beach clean up and reef conservation. The day I went scuba diving with them there were two groups. One group was composed of newer volunteers taking the first steps in conservation like learning about identifying coral and other life under the water. The second more experienced group was working on a reef nursery to help rebuild part of a reef that has experienced a lot of damage.
Reef conservation is not something I knew a lot about but I am learning more. I just read an article in the Guardian about the economic importance of saving our reefs
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/mar/07/case-for-saving-coral-reefs-is-economic
I had a great experience diving with the volunteers. We may not have seen the most beautiful parts of the reef but for anyone who enjoys diving, conservation should be a big issue. The experience had me wishing that more aspects of conservation could be incorporated into diving and tourism.
If you are familiar with voluntourism and volunteering abroad then I am sure you are familiar with some of the controversy and debate about the effectiveness of volunteers, often young and inexperienced, going abroad.
This post is not to delve into all aspects of that debate. To summarize my thoughts: yes, there are concerns but when done thoughtfully and with respect and partnership, volunteer organizations (including IVPA members) can get it right.
I wanted to highlight one of the positive aspects of volunteering that doesn’t get as much attention, cross-cultural exchange. The exchange that occurs through volunteering can build understanding and respect between people, communities and cultures.
Stan Pletcher, MD, founder of Mission Eyes Network, recently said in a speech to the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery,
“It’s not about you, it’s not about me, it’s not about how many cataract surgeries we did this week, but it’s about fostering an exchange and interchange.”
That is a powerful statement considering the importance of their of work in restoring sight.
If you ask a volunteer about her experience the number one thing you will hear her say is that the experience “changed my life”. The experience of volunteering leaves a lasting affect perhaps because the volunteer’s eyes are opened to a new culture, she experiences new things but mostly because the volunteer grows to love the people she interacts with.
I recently spoke with Creative Learning about their work in supporting and promoting international volunteering in Muslim majority countries as a way to build bridges of understanding and foster better relations. They believe that this cross-cultural exchange is so important and effective that they have a who initiative called the Unofficial Ambassadors to help increase the number of volunteers in Muslim counties.
Cross-cultural exchange is an important part of volunteering. It builds understanding, compassion and respect, something this world could use a little more of.
IVPA Member, Cross-Cultural Solutions (CCS) has recently announced that they have been chosen as one of 36 recommended organizations as part of Creative Learning’s Americas Unofficial Ambassadors (AUA) program.
The goal of this initiative is to build “peace through service in the Muslim world”. CCS was chosen specifically for their Morocco program and because they offer safe and meaningful service opportunities.
A few years ago Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn published a book titled Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide.
Half the Sky is a stunning book with gripping stories of women around the world and their plight for freedom. Issues summarized in the book include maternal mortality, sexual exploitation, female genital mutilation, education and workforce participation.
The book also highlights grassroots action and the impact that individuals can have. There is the story of Harper McConnell a young university graduate who volunteers in the Congo and ends up staying and running a school. The authors also encourages volunteering often throughout the book.
Some of the alarming facts stated in the book include:
“It appears that more girls have been killed in the last fifty years, precisely because they were girls, than men were killed in all the battles of the twentieth century.”
“The World Health Organization estimates that 536,000 women perished in pregnancy or childbirth in 2005, a toll that has barely budged in thirty years. Child mortality has plunged, longevity has increased but childbirth remains almost as deadly as ever, with one maternal death every minute.”
“One of the most cost-effective ways to increase school attendance is to deworm students… “The average American spends fifty dollars a year to deworm a dog; in Africa, you can deworm a child for fifty cents.””
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Interested in volunteering to help the plight of women around the world? Below is just a sampling of some of IVPA’s member programs.
Education: Spend a year teaching with WorldTeach or if you only have a week to volunteer, look at Globe Aware‘s programs
Health: Volunteer to help improve women’s reproductive health with Child Family Health International or work on one of Global Service Corps global health programs.
Women’s Empowerment: ProWorld and Projects Abroad has a number of opportunities in human rights and women’s empowerment.
Microcredit: Assist micro-credit organizations with Cross-Cultural Solutions
Community Development: work with indigenous communities with Global Citizens Network or work to promote education and community based solutions with Amigos de las Americas.
My apologies for the delays in posting. I’ve been traveling in Asia and while traveling I had the opportunity to visit some fantastic volunteer sites. These visits got me excited again about the cultural connections and person-to-person impact one can have as a volunteer.
Currently 8 of IVPA member organizations offer projects in Thailand including WorldTeach, ProWorld, Projects Abroad, Habitat for Humanity International, Globe Aware, Global Service Corps, Global Citizens Network, and Cross-Cultural Solutions. They offer programs located from the northern hilly region to the southern peninsula and range from a few weeks to over a year. Programs also offer a variety of projects like volunteering with beach and reef conservation or teaching English in a school. So take a look and maybe this year you might find yourself volunteering in Thailand.
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