volunteer overseas

So my application for an ISV trip was accepted and was given a place in the program going to Costa Rica on 30 November 2009!!! :O :D

I’ve been selling freddos and other fundraising chocolates like crazy and i’m having a huge trash & treasure sale and writing to people for sponsorship dollars… taking bottles to the recycling centre for the 10c cash back we have in south australia (not sure if this is done elsewhere?)

SMILES…

for an International Student Volunteer trip to either Costa Rica, South Africa or Thailand! I should know really soon if I’ve got a spot on the program (its pretty competitive as there aren’t a huge number of spots) and I need to save/fundraise about $7000!!! by the end of september :O I’m going to try selling chocolates, have a car boot sale / trash and treasure sale & ebaying stuff to raise money, as well as saving as much as possible from my part time job, and sucking up to my parents a little! If anyone has any ideas on how to fundraise for this type of thing your ideas would be greatly appreciated!!! :D I know I’ll get there somehow but i’d really rather not have to get a loan

i really want to do this, i have a passion for kids and so i want to go to america work in a summer camp, go to Africa work in schools, go to thailand build houses, i just want to travel the world and make a postive impact on every community i visit

Sounds like a good idea to me.

...and loving every second.

I think to pull this off (at least for the first time) I’m going to need to find a travel buddy. I don’t think I can work up enough nerve to go it alone. :(
On the bright side I figured out I’d like to volunteer most in China, India, West Africa, or Eastern Europe and would most likely want to do it the summer after I graduate college. AND I know I would most like to teach English, work with kids, or do disaster relief/medical (if qualified, lol). At least that’s a start?

I’ve done a lot of volunteering, and I was overseas for a good chunk of time, but they only coincided for a bit.

when you start thinking about one of your goals, you encounter reminders or open doors immediately after. Today, I was presented with an opportunity to sign up to help out with inner city youth or with homeless women and children. I think I will try to jump in and help one of these groups in the near future and start thinking of other ways that I could help make this world just a little better. In the past, I was so busy with work that I found that I moved away from volunteering and only found myself donating money to good causes. I know that helps too, but sometimes, it just seems as if all the money goes to administration even if that is not the case. It’s nice to be able to jump in and help out people in person. It’s also great to get that warm fuzzy feeling that you don’t really get when you sign a check.

Volunteer Overseas

I have to find a way to volunteer on a regular basis. I have always wanted to go abroad to volunteer in programs like the Peace Corps, UNV, etc., but have always tabled the idea for later date. Since I still find it difficult to commit that much time at this point in my life, I would like to look into shorter term projects. I always start researching all the programs and then get too busy. I think I would really like to do a short term project within the next 1.5 years. I think it may take some time to filter through all the different options out there and would love to get any input from anyone who’s familiar with shorter term programs. Thx!