<p>does anyone know of any good and safe organizations to volunteer at if you wanted to volunteer abroad.</p>
<p>Soup Kitchen! Might not be the most fascinating place for some people, but I thought I worked a lot and helped a lot of people from starvation:)</p>
<p>Amigos</a> des las Americas is one possibility if you want to volunteer in Latin America. My school organizes trips with them every year, and I presume they're reliable.</p>
<p>edit: I just noticed that they have a Spanish language requirement, but if you do speak Spanish, here is the link to the NYC</a> chapter.</p>
<p>I think there a lot church-sponsered volunteer activities aboard....</p>
<p>Although their programs are expensive and the majority of their spots are probably filled for this summer, VISIONS is one company that does a great job of providing high schoolers with great experiences of doing community service work abroad in a fun, eye-opening, safe, and very rewarding way. They run programs all over the world, one in Peru, one in Tortola, one in Ecuador, one in Australia, and many more. I myself did a program two summers ago in the Dominican Republic and had THE TIME OF MY LIFE!! I lived in an impoverished community with 20 other teens and helped to run a daycamp and build a school for the surrounding area. Anyways, if you're interested checkout the company at: <a href="http://www.visionsserviceadventures.com">http://www.visionsserviceadventures.com</a></p>
<p>wow i took a look at that website and that looks really good. thanks so much! do you know if that would look good for colleges..volunteering in another country for a month rather than volunteering in your hometown.</p>
<p>
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do you know if that would look good for colleges..volunteering in another country for a month rather than volunteering in your hometown.
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Volunteering out of the country doesn't look "better". It just shows you have money to burn.</p>
<p>oh ok..thanks</p>
<p>Community service/volunteering was the main extracurricular activity that I highlighted on my apps when I applied to college (I'm now a graduated senior). I did a variety of volunteer work -- everything from being a camp counselor locally to working in hospitals to tutoring to the program that I mentioned to you above. Colleges look for commitment, dedication, and intitiative when they review your app. So, a volunteer job that fits your interests, you apply for yourself, and continue during the school year may be just as good as doing the program that I mentioned to you above because it shows that initiative and commitment in the college process. If you have the time, money, and desire to volunteer abroad, though, I'd definitely consider doing a program like VISIONS. I did mention it on all of my apps and write essays on it. I did allude to that trip in every college interview I went on. And admissions officers did look impressed by the fact that I had taken community service to another level by seeing poverty first hand and trying to do something about it. But while all of that's relevant, what I most gained from my experience abroad was an eye-opening, interesting, rewarding experience that changed me as a person and that I still consider the time of my life nearly two years later.</p>