“A healthy mind in a healthy body” was an ideal first advanced by the ancient Greeks as a prescription for living wisely. Staying active physically and mentally in retirement is mentioned by many of our volunteers as a reason for service. In an online interview, five-time Global Volunteer Elsa Boykin, says volunteering enhances her well-being […]
Linda Noonan says teaching English to children as a volunteer abroad was an opportunity to fulfill a long-time dream. But, it wasn’t without a bit of anxiety as well! As a retired teacher from Illinois, she knew her knowledge and education were top-notch qualifications. Yet, teaching students in a Mexican classroom was initially daunting on […]
Team #172 to Ecuador had the opportunity to visit the home of a child served at an early childhood development center in Calderón, on the northeastern-most border of the sprawling capital city of Quito nestled high in the Andes Mountains. The two centers where Global Volunteers partners in Calderón are for disadvantaged families, and mainly […]
20-time alumni Steve Fox is a retired teacher from Washington State who participated on his first Global Volunteers program in Minnesota in 2003. 15 years later, as a retiree and octogenarian, Steve has contributed 1360 hours of service on 20 service programs worldwide. Here he shares his reflections on volunteering in retirement. (pictured here with […]
The inter-generational Appleby family group – grand-daughter Megan, father Mike, and grandfather Robert – joined together to volunteer in Crete with Global Volunteers. Their assignment? Helping elementary and middle school kids speak conversational English. Although Global Volunteer Alumni Robert taught conversational English to High School kids and adults on previous programs, he said enjoyed working […]
Monday, September 3: We Spread Out on Community Projects by Sarah A titch, a scoatch, a smidge, a squizzle. We all pitch in. Working hand-in-hand as volunteers on the Blackfeet Reservation. We started our week on the Memorial Day holiday – so many of the “standard” Global Volunteers project sites are closed for the day. […]
First-time Global Volunteer Denise Nelson Nash has always had a passion for volunteering. In July, she served on a Global Volunteers service program in Hanoi, Vietnam – a goal for her – teaching conversational English at the Vietnamese Institute for Development Strategies (VIDS). She shares her story here: “As a young adult, I lived and […]
By Jan, Costa Rica Global Volunteer. Quote of the Day: If you think in terms of a year, plant a seed; if in terms of ten years, plant trees; if in terms of 100 years, teach the people. -Confucius Reflections on our two weeks at Colegio Tecnico Profesional de Santa Elena, Costa Rica: Thinking about […]
Zach, a Central Michigan University student, served as a West Virginia Global Volunteer over his summer break. His reflections, and those of his teammates, are extracted from the team’s daily journal, and describe the typical work on a week-long service program in Appalachia. If you would have told me a year ago that I would […]
Journal by Cisco, Global Volunteer in Portugal: March 3, 2018 Another day, another morning, I got dressed and ready for breakfast. I head downstairs, returned my key, and as I walk to catch the school bus, it made me reflect of the time here in Beja and what kind of impressions I have left in […]