Category Archives: IVPA Members

Jun 21
0

Global Service Corps Launches New Food Security Program in Cambodia

By | IVPA Members, Volunteer opportunities | No Comments

 

Next month, IVPA member Global Service Corps (GSC) will be launching their new New Cambodian Food Security Program. This program will use the successes and lessons of GSC’s 16 years in East Africa in community development, sustainable agriculture and management and will partner with the Cambodian government.

GSC says “The goal of the project is to stabilize food supply in rural Cambodia through community development, education, and training by establishing an educational and training center where community leaders, schools, local teachers, educators, families, and children can gather to learn about subsistence farming, crop diversification, feasible post-harvest methods, and sustainable agriculture techniques.”

For more information on GSC’s new programs please click here or check out GSC’s Newsletter.

Also, if you are in the San Francisco area please look into the amazing fundraising dinner GSC has organized.

 

“Change the Course Fundraising Dinner,”

http://cambodiafoodsecurity.eventbrite.com/

Saturday, June 25, 2011 from 6:00 PM – 11:00 PM (PT)

San Francisco, CA

May 24
0

CCS One of the Best Nonprofits to Work For

By | IVPA Members | No Comments

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/

Apr 11
0

Ever Thought of Volunteering in Coral Reef Conservation?

By | Genevieve Brown, IVPA Executive Director, IVPA Members, Volunteer Stories | No Comments

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.

Mar 18
0

Cross-Cultural Solutions AUA Initiative: Building Peace Between America and the Muslim World

By | IVPA Members, Volunteer opportunities | No Comments

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.

Mar 03
0

Volunteer Experiences in Thailand

By | Genevieve Brown, IVPA Executive Director, IVPA Members, Uncategorized, Volunteer Stories | No Comments

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.

Jan 10
0

International Opportunities for Mature Volunteers

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

When you hear about people going abroad to volunteer you might imagine a 20-something-year-old taking a semester or summer to give service. Statistically young people (15-24 year old) are more likely to volunteer but people 55 years old or older are also a significant portion of volunteers that go abroad.

Mature volunteers have a lot to contribute. A lifetime of experience and knowledge and a desire to give back make older travelers committed voluntourists.

So what opportunities are there for more mature volunteers? There are so many opportunities it is helpful to narrow down your interests before beginning your search.

Is there a certain type of service that interests you?

For example:

What about certain countries you would like to travel to?

Some organizations, like Amigos de las Americas focus on a specific geographic region but many organization have locations throughout the world. Cross Cultural Solutions, Projects Abroad and ProWorld all offer a variety of service opportunities in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America.

How long would you like to be away?

There are a range of option for length of stay from one week to a year or more.

Globe Aware is an organization that offers 1-week programs perfect for looking for a volunteer vacation. Many organization have a range for option and can also customize opportunities to fit your needs.

Dec 14
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Ever Heard of Crowd-funding”?: Social Media and Fundraising

By | IVPA Members | No Comments

Recently, IVPA member, Global Citizens Network (GCN) was featured on the site fundraising site Tipping Bucket to raise money for a health clinic in Odienya, Kenya. In just five days GCN succeeded in raising $2,947 for the clinic. One hundred and forty nine people donated to “tip the bucket”. GCN’s Kenyan community host, Mike Agedo had this to say for the effort:

“TO ALL THE G.C.N. team who participated towards this cause, either in kind or monetary, I on behalf of Odienya do thank you. AND indeed I can’t wait to meet and work with the team coming later this year. EROKAMANO!”

 

The Tipping Bucket is a unique new platform for fundraising. A project is featured on their site for a certain period of time (ex 5-6 days) and a goal for how much money to raise. Social media is then used to raise awareness for the project. People donate through the site and if the goal is reached then the bucket is “tipped” and the project is funded. If the goal is not reached by the deadline, then the project does not receive the funds and those who had committed to donate are not charged.  So it is an all or nothing proposition. What do you think of this idea of “crowd-funding” as a way to raise funds?

 

Nov 12
0

IVPA Conference Summary

By | Genevieve Brown, IVPA Executive Director, IVPA Members | No Comments

On November 4, 2010 International Volunteer Programs Association (IVPA) convened its 2010 IVPA Conference. The event, held at Cross-Cultural Solutions’s headquarters in New Rochelle, NY, brought together executive directors from leading volunteer sending organizations from around the country.

With twelve organizations participating this year, the event gave an opportunity for executives, in the spirit of collaboration, to come together and share ideas in an intimate setting. Presentations and roundtable discussions focused on providing quality programing and trends in the field of international volunteering and voluntourism.

Some of the highlights included Social media expert, Stephanie Schwab, who presented on 2011 trends for social media and there was some great discussion on how those trends apply to the field of international volunteering.

The IVPA Conference is an annual event and open to IVPA member and non-member organizations. For more details about the event or next year’s conference please contact IVPA.

Sep 24
0

IVPA Member Convenes UN Forum on Women’s Empowerment

By | IVPA Members | 2 Comments

IVPA Member, Child Family Health International (CFHI) recently convened a forum at the United Nations on the Empowerment of Women.

Held on September 15th, the forum followed the July meeting of the United Nations Economic and Social Council, which concluded with member states stressing the need for greater investment in women and girls to advance gender equality and the empowerment of women worldwide – also the specific objective of the Millennium Development Goal #3.

The forum featured women who are assuming leadership roles in non-government organizations (NGOs), from high organizational roles to grass-roots levels, who talked about the challenges they face, and specific strategies for how they are succeeding.

The forum was a great success and CFHI has been asked to return and continue to support such important issues.

For more information on CFHI, please visit www.cfhi.org

Aug 14
0

IVPA Member Cross-Cultural Solutions reaches 25,000 Volunteers!

By | IVPA Members | No Comments

A big congratulations to Cross-Cultural Solutions for reaching 25,000 volunteers!

“This month, Cross-Cultural Solutions (CCS) officially reached 25,000 volunteers who have given their service and become involved in global issues first-hand.

In 12 countries around the world, CCS volunteers work side-by-side with local people in orphanages and childcare centers, schools, health clinics and hospitals, homes for the elderly, centers for people with disabilities, and other community organizations.

While reaching 25,000 volunteers is an important milestone in a movement, the impact of this international service is exponential in comparison”… (Read more here)