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.
Seeking purpose through service, and more than a bit curious about her Italian heritage, first-time volunteer Susanne DiBianca joined Global Volutneers in Castelvetrano, Sicily to give back, and get back to her roots. Her service adventure in Sicily allowed her to explore the homeland of her ancestors, experience their culture, and practice basic Italian with […]
Nine-time Global Volunteers alumni Linda Roberts says from an early age, the concept of the Peace Corps inspired her. As she neared retirement, she sought out similar programs with a shorter time commitments. Global Volunteer’s policy of inclusivity encouraged her to inquire how she might share her skills with similarly inclusive partner communities who need […]
During a week-long adventure in service, eleven-year-old Fletcher and his mother, Christie, found gratitude for each other and the Cuban people through volunteering. They learned about themselves and a different culture by leaving their everyday life behind to embark on a volunteer journey. Even though Fletcher is only eleven years old, he flourished while serving, […]
Andy Kingman has volunteered for many organizations over the years, including raising money for blood cancer cures, participating in the Avon Three-Day Breast Cancer walk, and serving annually with the Big Sur International Marathon. But as a former teacher and marketing professional, she wanted to do some classroom volunteering to help young people prepare for […]
Global Volunteers’ 177th volunteer team in the Cook Islands was the first to return after COVID. The team included a teacher, military veteran, former World Bank employee, birdwatcher, three-time Cook Islands volunteer, and a college librarian and grandmother who brought her eleven-year-old grandson. They brought oceans of experience and passion to change the world, sometimes […]
Iowa Development Director and Global Volunteers Alumna Ann Sweeney has found a familiar second “home” in Ciego de Ávila, our partner community in Cuba, which will again host volunteers after a nearly three-year pandemic suspension. On her last service program in 2018, Ann rekindled connections with “old friends” in a community garden, where team members […]
Peggy and Bud Cope volunteered in Greece with their three children, Ellie, Adam, and Evan, after having a year that could’ve torn them apart, both physically and emotionally. Peggy had the feeling that the only hope her family had to heal and come together was if they did something meaningful together. So Peggy and her […]
Laurie Sunderland volunteered in San Juan, Texas on the U.S.-Mexico border on her first service program with Global Volunteers in April this year after having met Global Volunteers while traveling and volunteering abroad. In her blog post, originally posted on her personal blog, Laurie reflects on her week in service, saying she mostly remembers the […]
Denver public health retiree Joanie Jones said joining the people of Siedlce, Poland to care for Ukrainian mothers and children evacuated from their devastated homeland was both life-affirming and heart-breaking. As a six-time Global Volunteer who previously served in Poland, Joanie says she knew right away that she wanted to go and help – but […]
In this first-person volunteer story, alumna Penny Louise Flavin describes her experience working with Ukrainian women and children in Poland in April. Penny Louise first served with Global Volunteers in Peru in 2019. Following the pandemic, she returned to service to teach conversational in Poland in October 2021. In February this year, she served in […]