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.
Special education teacher Lynn O’Brien of Indiana volunteered on her first service program last summer on the Blackfeet reservation in Montana. Her mother had worked with indigenous populations in Montana as a young woman in the 1950s, and that drew curiosity in her. Here, she describes what her service projects were like and how she […]
A friendship that includes a shared dedication to service is one that is sure to last. Californians Linn Joanis and Melody Covay have volunteered on four service programs together since 2015, and they have no intention of stopping. They first served together in the Cook Islands, and then went on to serve in Greece in […]
Many volunteers fundraise for their service program contribution by working with Global Volunteers staff to create a fundraising page. It’s easy to do! Volunteers commonly tell us that they were joyfully surprised by how many people in their lives wanted to support their volunteering — and did. Here, Don Diehl shares his story of how […]
Time and again, volunteers report that the community-based service they provide on Global Volunteers’ programs is both impactful and meaningful. These online reviews on GoOverseas by volunteers who served in Ecuador reflect their appreciation for their volunteer experience. Read more on their site and leave your own review to inspire others to follow in your […]
When Cisco increased volunteer time off for employees from one to two weeks, Carolyn Philippe jumped at the opportunity to combine her love of international travel with volunteering. In October 2021, after not having been able to travel for almost two years, Carolyn participated in her first service program with Global Volunteers. Fully vaccinated and […]
Six-time Portugal alumnus Donn Rance was eager to return to service in Beja last fall after not having been able to serve in 2020 due to the pandemic. During this service program, he worked with many students who had never had a Global Volunteer in their classroom before. Here, he shares what it was like […]
In this moving story of her experience in service with the Blackfeet in Montana, Jessica Kohn of Philadelphia describes a “life-changing experience” learning about the talents and roles of the Blackfeet people and the welfare of their community. by Jessica Kohn It was Saturday, August 7, 2021, sometime in the late afternoon. We were driving […]
Minnesotan Penny Louise Flavin said that when she discovered Global Volunteers in 2019, she was looking for a way to volunteer, give back, and learn about other cultures after retiring from her career. That year, Penny Louise served in Peru and immediately planned another service program in 2020. Although the pandemic delayed her return to […]
Our Thanksgiving gift to you: First-time Global Volunteer Courtney Curran wrote she couldn’t let the holiday season pass without acknowledging the transformative power of our Tanzania Service Program experience in her life in July, 2021. She participated on the first volunteer team on the Reaching Children’s Potential Program (RCP) since the onset of the pandemic. […]
When Cassidy Matz arrived as a volunteer in Crete in 2019, she was an early childhood education student, and anticipated teaching preschool after graduation. But, she admitted her focus was lacking. After teaching teens English for two weeks, she gained a profound sense of purpose and her career vision became clear. She changed her major, […]