<p>My daughter graduates from HS in 2011 and wants to go to another country to volunteer-she picked Ecuador but I am not sure about this -the website she found is
Volunteer</a> Abroad, Summer Volunteer Programs Abroad in Asia, Africa and Latin - Central Americ </p>
<p>I am wondering if anyone here can give advice or other websites where their children have gone to get experience in other countries.</p>
<p>I understad if you are worried about her safety, but Ecuador is one of the safest countries in South America, and really most of South America is pretty alright regarding safety.</p>
<p>I am not sure about that deal… $925 for 2 weeks? Do you also have to foot the additional airfare? That is more like a tour than volunteering.</p>
<p>The volunteering we went was sponsored by the Government, you pay airfare and every thing else is free at the receiving country.</p>
<p>I haven’t looked at it that closely yet — she is just interested in going to another country and helping out</p>
<p>TIme magazine has a story this week on gap years.
My daughter arranged her trip through Projects Abroad when she was 18, however, if you know what you want to do- you may be able to plan out your trip without going through a third party.
[Volunteer</a> Abroad: Press about international volunteer work with Projects Abroad](<a href=“http://www.projects-abroad.org/more-info/press/]Volunteer”>Press and Media | Projects Abroad)</p>
<p>Just make sure the trip itself is not a high price paid trip for the benifit of the organizer. You should only pay for the airfare and nothing more.</p>
<p>Rotary District 5150 has a program to distribute wheel chairs in Mexico, they drive down with large containers of wheel chairs for the disables, there are Rotarians and Interacts(High School Level of Rotary Club) participating, it is a very worthwhile experience and it will be a good EC for college application.</p>
<p>You may want to check with your local Rotary or Lion’s club to see if they have any international project your DD can participate.</p>
<p>How about Pueblo Inglis? Our kids did it and absolutely loved it. They made friends from around the world and they really bonded with them and have stayed in touch. </p>
<p>[Are</a> you a native English speaker? Come to Spain in Summer](<a href=“http://www.morethanenglish.com/kidsandteensen/index.asp]Are”>http://www.morethanenglish.com/kidsandteensen/index.asp)</p>
<p>It’s a teen english language immersion camp for Spanish teens. The Spanish kids pay but they invite native English speaking teens there, for free, to volunteer. Which means interacting, speaking English, plays, sports, and other social activities with everyone. They pair up an english and a spanish kid to each room for each week (matching by age). They have several locations in the country side and you can select your preference from their website. </p>
<p>You can go 1 or 2 weeks, you get a certification of 100 volunteer hours per week. You have to pay for your flight but they meet you in Madrid at the gate, they cover all your other expenses: acccomodation at the camp (which is a four star resort), food, activities, transport to and from hotel (if you arrive a day early or leave a day late, for about 70 Euros they have a package that includes accomodation, meals, chaperone and tour of Madrid).</p>
<p>Kids really loved it. Many go back year after year (you might have to first get on a waitlist when you apply). The staff are native english speakers and extremely well organized and professional. I can’t recommend them highly enough.</p>
<p>Thanks Starbright-that sounds great-I’ll tell her about it. She plans to major or minor in Spanish.</p>
<p>Check into Safe Passage/Camino Seguro (hope I spelled that correctly) in Guatemala.</p>
<p>starbright - I checked out the website, it sounds great. I am going to have D2 check it out. We are living in a Spanish speaking country now. She has studied Spanish since K, so her Spanish is getting to be quite good. I think it would be a great experience to go to a camp like that for a week or two. From the picture, the living quarter seem very nice.</p>
<p>Does any one know a simillar program in France? My DD intended to minor in French and she is looking for a program like starbright described.</p>
<p>how about saving the $$ and volunteering right here in the good old usa? some of our cities right here could really use some help.</p>
<p>Volunteering abroad is always a very controversial topic, precisely because many volunteer trips are organized by for-profit corporations who make big money charging a hefty penny so people can feel like they are “making a difference.” What they are, though, are simply tours - and the actual benefit to the community is often slim.</p>
<p>A look at the website you link makes that organization look extremely profit-seeking. I am seeing prices in excess of $2,000 for a two-week trip, not including airfare. That is an insane cost. You could do a luxury, for-pleasure trip for cheaper. A quick glance at the press about the organization, and it seems like they are simply a “placement service” that sets you up with organizations - making them 100% for-profit, and likely not at all interested in the well-being of any particular community. Going directly to a reputable organization of interest would be a far better way to spend one’s summer - and far more altruistic. </p>
<p>There is nothing innately wrong about volunteering abroad, however, if one chooses a program carefully - oftentimes, the amount of money you have to pay to participate is a good indicator of whether or not the company is looking to make a profit or to help the communities they send volunteers to. </p>
<p>But even if one is able to find a reputable program abroad - a more difficult task than finding reputable programs at home - there is still the ever-present issue of the money spent on airfare and accomodations. The money from that costly airline ticket sent directly to a reputable organization would probably do the community one is volunteering in more good than whatever a high school graduate can accomplish in a week’s time with minimal training or expertise. So, if the aim is truly 100% altruistic, a program like Americorps would be much more appropriate (you actually make a profit off of that!). </p>
<p>However, everyone loves to travel - if one recognizes he/she is priviledged, in essence “taking a vacation”, a volunteer vacation isn’t really all that evil. But again, look into the programs carefully if you are really concerned about making a difference, because the impact programs make on communities varies quite vastly. A little research should definitely be done beforehand. And certainly $1000+ not including airfare for only 2 weeks time is an exhoribant, profit-making venture, not a true volunteer or even budget travel experience.</p>
<p>I like this site: [Workaway.info</a> the site for free work exchange. Gap year volunteer for food and accommodation whilst travelling abroad.](<a href=“http://www.workaway.info/]Workaway.info”>http://www.workaway.info/) A friends daughter used it and worked all summer in Europe following a study abroad at College. I also think it’s weird to pay for a volunteering experience.</p>
<p>I often think of all the good that could be accomplished if people donated the money they were going to spend on plane ticketsdirectly to the charity overseas and did the actual volunteer work here at home.</p>
<p>For those interested in Pueblos Inglis: Keep in mind that, because it’s supposed to be ‘english immersion’, no one at the camp is allowed to speak Spanish. But it can be very handy for when you walk into the village, or for touring around Spain. </p>
<p>I would not view this as a humanitarian activity as international volunteering efforts should and can be, of course. The kids at this camp are well-off spanish kids (as they can afford to attend). However it is a wonderful, enriching, fun experience for teens, it’s fantastic value, and they do get credited volunteer hours which is useful too. </p>
<p>I have heard there are other such camps in different european countries but I don’t have any links to them, unfortunately.</p>
<p>Thanks for that link starbright. Sounds awesome! Yeah if you look through the website they are very adamant that you do not speak any spanish throughout the week because the job is to accommodate the spanish kids who want to learn english. Luckily i don’t speak a word of spanish! I’m already 18 so hope i’m not too old to join.</p>
<p>I agree but I also think it teaches children how good it is to help others in need even if it costs some money-think about that!!</p>