Cultural Restoration Tourism Project
Worldwide The mission of the Cultural Restoration Tourism Project (CRTP) is to help communities around the world restore artifacts of cultural importance and to promote responsible tourism through the advancement and use of volunteer tourism. There is growing concern over the destruction of cultural heritage around the world and also about the possible negative affects of tourism in developing countries. CRTP actively addresses these two major global issues with an innovative approach to both. Around the world communities are losing precious relics and cultural identity. To compound this situation, modern tourism often exploits these areas. Tourism is the largest industry in the world, yet seldom, if ever, is it used in a constructive manner. According to the World Tourism Organization less than ten percent of all tourist dollars make it into the hands of local communities. CRTP addresses both problems with innovative programs like our ongoing project in Nepal. CRTP is currently enacting the restoration of a Buddhist monastery in the Lower Mustang Region of Nepal. The Chiarro Gompa restoration is carried out utilizing labor and funds donated by volunteer tourists. The number of potential restoration projects around the world is virtually limitless and the number of tourists available to participate continually grows.
By inviting volunteer tourists to participate in these community restorations we bridge cultural gaps. This allows for a deeper understanding of a culture from both sides. Cultural Restoration Tourism Project
www.crtp.net
415-563-7221
Various Locations Worldwide
The Planeterra Foundation is a non-profit organization with a long history of supporting sustainable community development through travel and voluntourism. By getting to know local people in the communities we visit, they are able to help identify individual needs and act quickly to meet them. Their range of approximately 30 projects worldwide, providing water tanks to families in Kenya to a women's weaving co-operative in Peru, offer travelers with a few hours, a few days, or a few dollars to spare, a unique opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the lives of people and communities around the world.
Make a positive difference in the lives of others by volunteering your time and energy to one of our many projects around the world as part of your dream adventure. Their Voluntours provide travellers with an opportunity to give back while spending time with one of their Planeterra Community Projects. From helping protect endangered sea turtles in Costa Rica, to lending a hand at a pre-school in South Africa, you will be making a real difference in the lives of local people. No skills are required, just a desire to lend a hand, and learn more about what life is like in communities around the world.
www.planeterra.com
416-260-0999
Global Service Corps
Global Service Corps (GSC) is a nonprofit international volunteer organization providing service-learning opportunities for people worldwide to live and work abroad in Thailand and Tanzania. Programs are offered year-round from two weeks to six months. Enjoy a true cultural immersion by staying in a homestay with local families, while working hand-in-hand with local counterparts. Personalized service-learning programs, including HIV/AIDS Prevention, Sustainable Agriculture, Healthcare, English Instruction, Buddhist Immersion, and the Seeds of Sustenance Fellowship, begin with in-depth training sessions, and provide rewarding hands-on challenges for volunteers. As an accredited NGO with a complete in-country staff, Global Service Corps has become an established part of each community it serves, and tailors its development programs to offer the most benefit to the community, while providing an unforgettable experience for its volunteers. Volunteers with limited schedules can participate in a two-week introduction to service-learning in both Thailand and Tanzania. The two-week programs often seem to fly by, but offer great exposure to international development in a short span of time. In Tanzania, two-week programs include an orientation followed by a week of project work in HIV/AIDS prevention or two weeks of orientation and training in Sustainable Agriculture. Two week programs in Thailand offer projects in Education, Health Care, and Buddhist Immersion.
Global Service Corps
Global Services Corps Travel Website
415-788-3666 x128
Wild Dolphin Foundation
Ready to make some waves? Are you a self starter, able to work both independently and as a team? Live on O`ahu, or have a place to stay and transportation? The Wild Dolphin Foundation's boat and land-based volunteer opportunities are open to a wide variety of participants who feel conservation and environmental protection of dolphins, whales, turtles, coral reefs and ocean habitats may be part of their life mission.
Desired skills include ability to work in a conscientious, responsible and reliable manner, enthusiasm, interest in wildlife and conservation, background in biology helpful- particularly marine biology/environmental science, enjoy working with the public, good verbal and written communication skills, and literate in computer skills. All volunteers must be self-directed and self-motivated, willing to work both alone and within a team, and have the ability to follow printed directions.
Wild Dolphin Foundation
Wild Dolphin Foundation Travel Website
(808) 306-3968
Volunteer in Jamaica
Assist with community development projects in the fabled Blue Mountains. See your efforts transform a village! As the birthplace of Global Volunteers' service programs, Jamaica's mountain villages have welcomed us for over two decades. Volunteers have helped in many ways: building footbridges, painting classrooms and community centers, and occasionally by performing dental extractions, well-baby exams, and outreach to home-bound seniors. We invite you to serve this economically poor, isolated area. You'll find the tropical vistas of the travel brochures, certainly. But more, you'll discover resilient villagers who'll captivate you with their optimistic outlook and surprising resourcefulness. Discover the REAL Jamaica in her people
Global Volunteers
Global Volunteers Travel Website
800-487-1074
The Peace Corps
The Peace Corps traces its roots and mission to 1960, when then Senator John F. Kennedy challenged students at the University of Michigan to serve their country in the cause of peace by living and working in developing countries. From that inspiration grew an agency of the federal government devoted to world peace and friendship.
The Peace Corps' mission has three simple goals:
Helping the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women.
Helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.
Helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.
Older Americans contribute tremendously to Peace Corps programs all over the globe. No single group has more to offer in terms of experience, maturity, and demonstrated ability.
Many older Volunteers find their age to be an asset while serving overseas. You will have the opportunity to share a lifetime of work and wisdom with people of developing nations who respect and appreciate age. And because there's no upper age limit to serve, it's never too late—Volunteers who are well into their eighties have served and continue to serve.
Peace Corps
http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm
800-424-8580
Volunteer in Latin America
Costa Rica is one of the most developed countries in Latin America but about 1/5th of the population still live in poverty. The majority of this poverty exists in the rural communities of Costa Rica. As the gap between the rich and the poor continues to widen, rural communities struggle to keep pace with the growth of their urban counterparts. Volunteers in Costa Rica help to address this in balance by volunteering their resources to help these communities in need. Costa Rica is also recognized in its efforts to protect its bio-diversity and natural resources, but over-development and modernization is beginning to destroy this tropical paradise. Roughly 25% of the country is protected by the government, but laws and legislation are loosely enforced and regulated, leading to harmful activities such as deforestation and poaching. In addition, as tourism continues to grow in Costa Rica, foreign investors are increasingly developing resorts and large hotels and ruining the coastlines. In reaction to current issues, Costa Rica has actively began promoting alternative tourism involving projects such as volunteer vacations, eco-tourism, wildlife conservation and turtle conservation as an alternative.
uVolunteer
www.uvolunteer.org
00 506 813 1449 (Costa Rica)
Volunteer to Teach in Thailand
Did you know that in Thailand seniors are valued much more than in western countries? As a volunteer you will not only do good but also have a great time. Your experience and skills will make an great difference to the life of many people. You can join us teaching English or computer skills, providing students with the chance to listen and speak to a native speaker. Your life experience will give you plenty of topics to discuss and your students will be interested to learn from you.
Or maybe you love reading books to children and like to join our "Reading English books to Thai children" project.
Other volunteer opportunities include smaller or bigger repairs at rural schools. Many need some paint or partly replacement of wood in the walls or ceiling. Help repairing furniture or lights.
This is an opportunity for couples or single persons who feel fit enough to travel and like being around younger people.
Thai Experience
http://thai-experience.org/senior-travel.html
It is quite difficult to reach us at our office as we spend a lot of time at schools, with the volunteers etc.. Please also try the mobile number to contact or make an appointment by email in advance.
Tel.: +66 (0) 8 99 65 87 62
Various Community Projects in the U.S.
For nearly 40 years, Senior Corps programs have connected more than 500,000 Americans to service opportunities in their communities. The Foster Grandparent Program connects volunteers age 60 and over with children and young people with exceptional needs.
The Senior Companion Program brings together volunteers age 60 and over with adults in their community who have difficulty with the simple tasks of day-to-day living.
RSVP offers "one stop shopping" for all volunteers 55 and over who want to find challenging, rewarding, and significant service opportunities in their local communities.
Senior Corps
www.volunteerfriends.org
(202) 606-5000
Preserving Catalina Island
The mission of the Catalina Island Conservancy is to be a responsible steward of its lands through a balance of conservation, education and recreation. Caring for 88 percent of Catalina with its 42,000 acres of sweeping valleys, rocky hillsides, oak-covered plateaus, 50 miles of rugged coastline and 200 miles of roads is a daily undertaking.
The Conservancy is responsible for protecting numerous rare and endangered species found on the Island and nowhere else in the world. Conservation efforts, scientific research, and educational outreach persist while the Island welcomes more than one-million visitors a year. Balancing human needs and desires and the needs of the land to stay healthy is challenging indeed.
Through educational outreach and an active volunteer program, citizens of all ages are invited to learn about the Island and to participate in protecting it. The Hike, presented by the Conservancy Education Department, takes visitors and residents on walking tours – mild to wild – into the interior with trained naturalists. Visitors and residents alike are invited to participate in on-going evening and summer educational programming including educational campfires in Avalon and Two Harbors, at Little Harbor, the Wrigley Botanical Garden and various other sites in the interior. The Nature Center at the Airport-in-the-Sky, and the soon-to-be-opened Nature Center at Avalon Canyon, provide residents and visitors with the Island’s natural history including its plants, animals and first human residents – the Tongva Indians. Jeep® Eco-Tours take hearty explorers deep into the interior to less-visited and quite spectacular destinations
Catalina Island Conservancy
www.catalinaconservancy.org
800-631-5280
Sea Turtle Rescue Project in Guatemela
The mission of Volunteer Adventures is to create and promote volunteer opportunities that improve the lives of others and the environment in which we live.
Volunteer Adventures also believes that a diverse mix of volunteers creates strong programs and lasting experiences. To that end, Volunteer Adventures offers scholarships and other incentives to attract volunteers of differing ethnicities, ages, genders, income levels, and skill sets.
As a volunteer in Guatemala, you will be working at the Sea Turtle Conservation Center in the town of Hawaii. Turtles on the Pacific Coast are endangered because their eggs are prized by local populations as a supplement to their income and diets. On nights that the turtles come to shore to lay eggs, competition for the nests is intense.
Volunteers with our Sea Turtle Project will be heavily involved with the nesting and hatching of sea turtles. You will be walking the beaches at night, seeking nesting mother turtles. When a turtle is found, you will tag and measure it, and gently collect the eggs for transfer to the safety of a hatchery. During certain times of year, you will have the opportunity to participate in the release of hundreds of tiny hatchlings into the sea.
Volunteers at the Conservation Center will also be involved in the monitoring of other endangered species such as caiman (crocodiles) and iguanas, both of which have been hunted for their skins and captured as pets. Additionally, volunteers will have the opportunity to participate in environmental education projects in local communities.
Volunteer Adventures
www.volunteeradventures.com
888-825-3454
Volunteer in Ghana
As a volunteer in Ghana, you will gain unparalleled access to a country that is rich with the traditions of West African culture. Volunteers in Ghana quickly learn that at the heart of this culture lies a strong sense of family and cultural roots and an appreciation for taking a moment to visit with others. Ghanaians are well-known for being welcoming, enjoying conversation and exchanging ideas with others. Volunteering abroad is a life-changing experience. You are sharing your enthusiasm, time, skills, and energy — and giving "yourself" in a way that allows you to effect positive change. Making a difference can be as simple as spending time with orphans, sharing love and affection, sharing stories and photos with the elderly in a community, or practicing basic English with students of all ages.
Cross-Cultural Solutions
www.crossculturalsolutions.org
800-380-4777
Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity International is a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry. HFHI seeks to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the world, and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action. Habitat invites people of all backgrounds, races and religions to build houses together in partnership with families in need.
Habitat for Humanity
http://www.habitat.org/
800-422-4828
Community Volunteer Service
Our vision is to support the work of local community organizations in developing countries through the placement of international volunteers. We believe that local communities are in the best position to determine their needs, and we provide volunteers to help them achieve their goals.Volunteering is a great way to contribute to the global community and gain experience, and also fosters personal growth. Whether you would like to take a short volunteer vacation or a prolonged gap year, GVN provides challenging and affordable international programs abroad.
Global Volunteer Network
http://www.volunteer.org.nz/
800 963 1198
Volunteer in Chile
On an American Hiking Society Volunteer Vacation, you visit stunning backcountry locations to construct or rebuild footpaths, cabins and shelters. In the process, you meet new people, explore canyons, peaks and valleys, enjoy quiet evenings around a fire and come home refreshed and rejuvenated. Volunteer Vacations are more fun than work! American Hiking Society volunteers have the opportunity to apply for two volunteer expeditions in Chilean Patagonia, both of which are sponsored by The Patagonian Foundation. First, volunteers can apply for a 3-week trip to Chile's beautiful Valle Chacabuco to remove fences and invasive species and prepare the land for national park status. This trip gives volunteers the chance to see the endangered huemul deer, visit South America's second largest lake, and see the world famous Baker River, currently threatened by plans for a hydroelectric plant. It is a great opportunity to be part of the formation of a new national park!
American Hiking Society
http://americanhiking.org/events/vv/index.html
800-972-8608
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