Volunteer Opportunities

Why volunteer? Many people find great satisfaction in volunteering and donating time can be as valuable for a career path as it is for a cause. Volunteer experience can demonstrate strong motivation to gain experience and willingness to help your community. Whether students are interested in building up their resumes or just having fun, volunteering is an excellent way to meet people, learn new things, and experience life from a different perspective.

The volunteer announcements posted here are from a number of sources and organizations which are not affiliated with IAFS. Please contact the posting organizations directly if you have any questions or concerns. In general, we will not know if a position has been filled, but we will do our best to update the site regularly and remove items in a timely manner

GoOverseas.com was started with the simple idea of creating a centralized website to provide the resources required for meaningful travel abroad. That idea has grown and expanded into what you see here, a community driven website of like minded people who are all passionate about teaching, studying and volunteering abroad. GoOverseas.com features a popular 'Help Me Find a Program' forum where users regularly discuss a wide range of travel topics, and a blog community where we have brought together a wealth of overseas travel experiences. We also regularly post insightful articles to help expand the community's knowledge about opportunities to travel abroad. Please join us in our mission to build a great online community for any and all people interested in meaningful travel abroad!

For more information: http://www.gooverseas.com/volunteer-abroad

Roman Yavich, CU-Boulder study abroad alum (Chile, 2003) and co-founder of Comunidad Connect, a community development non-profit in Nicaragua, invites study abroad returnees to volunteer, conduct research, or intern in Nicaragua.

Comunidad Connect, founded in 2006 with the mission to address local opportunities with local and global resources, has projects in environmental conservation and education, sports, and appropriate technology. Research, internship projects, and volunteer placements are tailor-made and participants are accepted year-round.

The costs are $200 plus $45 per week for short term projects. Home stay placements are $110 per week including food. Special group projects and trip itineraries can be developed for groups of 6 or more people, so bring your friends on a sustainable tourism excursion.

Interested? Visit www.comunidadconnect.org to learn more or email roman@comunidadconnect.org.

The Conversation Partner Program is an informal volunteer opportunity that encourages intercultural education and friendships between Americans and English language learners.  This program is open to anyone who speaks English. Volunteers do NOT need to know a foreign language to participate. Volunteers are asked to meet at least 1 hour per week for every partner they request. Volunteers may meet with just one student or more students depending on the desired time commitment. Meetings can involve anything that interests both people, from getting coffee or lunch together to going hiking.

The volunteer time frame is a minimum of eight weeks.  At the end of the first eight weeks there is the option to continue the program with the same partner, request a new partner, or they may also choose to terminate their volunteerism.  We will match volunteers according to their interests and availability of students at the IEC. There is no guarantee that Americans will be matched with someone from their preferred countries or region. They should keep in mind that if they only want a partner from a specific region or who speaks a certain language they may not be matched with someone.

To apply to be a Conversation Partner please fill out an application and return it to the International English Center by email (convpart@colorado.edu). Please contact this email address for the application.

Volunteers in Asia: VIA is a US-based nonprofit organization offering practical, on-the-ground experience in Asia for Americans.  For college graduates and others who seek practical work experience in Asia, VIA places volunteers with partner NGOs, schools and universities in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, or Vietnam. VIA places volunteers in often-neglected locations where few Americans go.  VIA partners work in education, women's rights and anti-trafficking, the environment, community development, and other areas meeting local needs.  There, VIA volunteers help build local capacity in English or offer resource training to local NGO organizations, while learning about local culture, building new friendships, gaining field-based experience in areas of interest.

Since 1963, VIA has provided innovative experiential-learning programs in Asia that promote cross-cultural understanding, build partnerships, and offer transformative experiences for participants and the communities they serve. VIA seeks recent college graduates and adults of all ages living in the United States, who are interested in exploring new opportunities in Asia. Fluency in English is a prerequisite for program participation, and a college degree is required for one- and two-year positions.

If you or your students are interested in working with Asian partners, experiencing cross-cultural exchange, and furthering communication and understanding between the peoples of the United States and Asia, chances are high there is a VIA program for you. Check out the VIA website at www.viaprograms.org or for further questions, contact David Manning at david@viaprograms.org