Stories from students, retirees, working professionals, couples, families, groups, solo travelers, first-time volunteers, volunteer veterans and everyone in-between from more than 20 countries around the world. Learn about your favorite country in their own words.
“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 […]
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 […]
Every Global Volunteer team keeps a daily journal of work projects, insights, and lessons to document their own experience in the partner community. In these team journal excerpts, volunteers describe the hand-in-hand effort to make a difference alongside local people on the Blackfeet Reservation of Montana. Monday, September 3: We Spread Out on Community […]
First-time Global Volunteer Denise Nelson Nash has always had a passion for volunteering. In Hanoi, Vietnam, she accomplished a long-held goal – teaching conversational English at the Vietnamese Institute for Development Strategies (VIDS). She shares her story here: “As a young adult, I lived and worked in Venezuela. Living in another country taught me the value […]
You can become part of a team of volunteer teachers and students in Crete. When you help the children of Malevizi with their English skills, you experience their culture through their lives and interests. Val, a Greece Volunteer, shares her journal entry recalling two unforgettable weeks of “summer language camp” with eager Greek students: “As […]
How to volunteer in Cuba? For Roberta, Cuba had long been on her bucket list, so when she learned she could travel legally to Cuba with Global Volunteers, she didn’t hesitate. It turned out to be one of her most rewarding experiences. Read on for her journey in her own words: I’ve always wanted to […]
Long-serving volunteer Laura Merriam first served in Vietnam with her husband, Peter Armstrong, in 2015. Her beautiful recollections were printed in MinnPost, an independent Minnesota newspaper. Below are highlights from Laura’s journal from one “average” day of her teaching assignment as a Global Volunteer in Hanoi. By Laura Merriam The old quarter of Hanoi, where […]
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, shared his journal reflections from his Global Volunteer summer service-learning experience. “If I’ve learned anything on this incredible trip with Global Volunteers, it’s that stepping out of your comfort zone every once in a while can lead to friendships, new skills, and memories that are simply impossible to forget.“ […]