Volunteer Vacations Blog

Costa Rica

Canadian-Costa Rican cultural exchange

28 February 2010
Globe Aware
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Categories: Globe Aware news

by Hollie Pratt-Campbell – One crash course in culture shock coming right up.

Twenty students from Regiopolis-Notre Dame Catholic High School are travelling to the remote Costa Rican fishing village of Parismina this week to fulfil a requirement for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma.

The rigorous academic program is aimed at highly motivated students who are interested in receiving an education with a global perspective. The IB diploma requires students to complete 150 hours of creativity, action, and service, in which they strive to make a difference in the lives of others.

“We try to arrange opportunities for students to get involved in something like this to complete that requirement,” says teacher and guidance councillor Len Whalen. “[This trip will inspire them to] ask questions about the greater existence of life outside our own community, and the challenges they face working within another culture.”

The students will work with the organization Globe Aware, which offers local community projects financial assistance and help with manual labour; they will have opportunities to work at Parismina’s turtle hatchery, help out at schools, and work in restoration projects across the community. […]

Read the rest of the article at Kingston This Week.

Top 5 Tips on how to Volunteer and Travel Successfully

28 February 2010
admin
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Categories: Globe Aware news

More and more travelers want to incorporate community service projects into their travel itineraries. For those who want to volunteer and travel at the same time, a volunteer vacation experience can satisfy both wanderlust and the need to give back, on a global scale. Below are the Top 5 Tips on how to Volunteer and Travel Successfully, brought to you by Globe Aware, a nonprofit organization that specializes in facilitating volunteer travel.

  1. Research organizations that specialize in placing volunteers in international environments. By participating in an organized volunteer program you can make sure that your volunteer time will be well organized, and your skills well utilized, within a community in need. Volunteering with an organization also ensures safety while you volunteer and travel abroad.
  2. Choose your travel destination based on the type of volunteer work you would like to be engaged in. If you would like to volunteer in environmental initiatives, you might want to consider traveling to Costa Rica. If you would like to volunteer in building infrastructure initiatives, you may want to consider traveling to Ghana. Choosing the location based on the type of volunteer work you would like to do will ensure that you get the most out of both volunteer and travel time.
  3. Research the visa and immunization requirements necessary for each volunteer and travel destination you are interested in. For instance, because of visa requirements, organizing a volunteer trip to Ghana might take more planning time than a volunteer trip to Costa Rica.
  4. Do some homework and investigation about the culture of the community you will be volunteering in. This will help you be able to experience the culture in a deeper, more meaningful way while you volunteer and travel.
  5. Travel with an open heart and open mind. Don’t pack any pre-conceived expectations. Concepts of scheduling and organization are not universal, so be ready to go with the normal flow of thing sin the community in which you will volunteer and travel.

If you are interested in learning more about how to volunteer and travel at the same time, visit www.globeaware.org to see how a volunteer vacation can change the way you both see, and interact, with the world around you!

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