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Resolve
to Reach Out: Communities Around the World
Seek Caring Volunteers
It's
a time for fresh beginnings and brave new
plans. As we look ahead to 2006, why not
make this a year of service and compassion
toward others?
It's
time to enlarge our definition of
"community" to include children,
the elderly
and families in cultures an ocean away for
whom life is a day-to-day
struggle
for survival.
Caring
individuals can take steps toward peace
and economic justice bylending a helping
hand on service programs at home and
abroad. By working
together,
volunteers and local people learn that we
share a common humanity
and
that cultural differences are cause for
celebration, not conflict.
Global
Volunteers, a nonprofit organization,
invites altruistic individuals
to
lend a hand on service programs at home
and abroad. This truly is
"travel
that feeds the soul" - a unique blend of
cultural immersion and
service
to others.
No
special skills are required to participate
on a Global Volunteers
service
program. Volunteers pay a tax-deductible
program fee ranging from
$750
for one-week in the continental United
States to $1,470- $2650 for two-
and
three-week international programs. The fee
covers all meals, lodging
and
project expenses; airfare is extra. All
project-related costs,
including
airfare, are tax-deductible for U.S.
taxpayers. Call 800-487-1074
or
dial up www.globalvolunteers.org
<http://www.globalvolunteers.org>
for details.
(Discounts available for internet use,
students, groups.) The
following
communities seek volunteers in early
2006:
Latin
America
Costa
Rica: Lend a hand on labor projects at a
women's crafts cooperative
in
Santa Elena. Jan. 14-28. Or build
community centers and friendships
in closeknit
highland villages. Feb. 4-18.
$2,095. Ecuador:
Work on construction or care for at-risk
children in the Quito
area.
Jan. 7-21, Jan. 21-Feb. 4, Feb. 11-25,
March 4-18. $2,250.
Mexico:
Teach English to university students in
the interior cities of
Queretaro
or Dolores Hidalgo. Feb. 11-25, March
11-25. $1,995.
Peru:
Befriend youngsters in South America's
largest children's home
located
in historic Lima. Jan. 7-21, Feb. 4-18,
March 11-25. $2,250.
Asia
and the Pacific
China:
Teach conversational English to Chinese
teachers of English in the
southern
city of Kunming, called the "city of
eternal spring." Jan. 7-28.
Or
teach eager learners in history-rich
Xi'an. Feb, 25-March 18,
$2,520.
India:
Befriend youths and teach English in a
children's home near Chennai
in
southern India. Jan. 7-28, Jan. 28-Feb.
18, Feb. 18-March 11. (Two-week
option
also available.) $2,295.
Cook
Islands: Tutor children in reading and
assist on light labor projects
on
Rarotonga. (Two-week option available.)
Jan. 21-Feb. 11, Feb. 11-March 4,March
4-25.$2,595.
Europe
Poland:
Get off the beaten path and meet
enthusiastic students young and
old.
Teach English in rural village schools of
historic eastern Poland.
Feb.
25-March 18, March 18-April 8.
$2,495.
Ireland:
Take a stand for peace by volunteering at
Glencree Centre for
Reconciliation,
just 20 minutes south of Dublin. March
4-18 (over St.
Patrick's
Day). $2,455.
Italy:
Experience the hospitality of Southern
Italy while teaching in
schools
in the Puglia region (considered "the next
Tuscany" by travel
experts).
Feb. 18-March 4, March 11-25.
$2,495.
Romania:
Care for at-risk babies in a rural
hospital or teach English. Jan.
21-Feb.
11, Feb. 11-March 4, March 4-25.
$2,495.
Hungary:
Experience a rich culture while teaching
in the schools of
Hódmezõvársárhely
in southern Hungary. Feb. 11-March 4,
March 18-April 8.
(Two-week
option available.) $2,495.
Greece:
Befriend and care for handicapped
residents of the northern city of
Sidirokastro
(April 1-15). $2,495.
Africa
Ghana:
Help construct a school, teach English or
assist on health projects
in
seacoast or inland villages in this
fascinating West African culture.
(Two-week
option available.) Jan. 7-28, Jan. 28-Feb.
18, Feb. 25-March 18.
$2,450.
Tanzania:
Help build and repair school buildings or
teach English and
other
subjects and experience genuine village
culture. Jan. 15-Feb. 3, Feb.
5-24,
March 19-April 7. $2,385.
Serve
in America's Backyard
Befriend
vulnerable children or tackle labor
projects in the migrant worker
community
of Immokalee, Fla. (Feb. 4-11). $750.
Preserve the rain forest of
Kauai,
Hawaii. (Jan. 14-28, Feb. 11-25).
$1,695.
Global
Volunteers, a nonprofit, nonsectarian
organization in special
consultative
status with the United Nations, has been
offering "adventures
in
service" since 1984. For more information
on any of the above service
opportunities
or for a free catalogue, call Global
Volunteers at
800-487-1074;
mailto:email@globalvolunteers.org
or via U.S. mail: Global
Volunteers,
375
E. Little Canada Road, St. Paul, MN 55117.
The website is www.globalvolunteers.org
Barbara
DeGroot, Media Relations Manager
Global Volunteers - Partners in
Development
800-487-1074
toll free - 651-482-0915
fax
Web
Site Offers Ideas, Advice for
Volunteers:
A
Web site created by 4-H Youth Development
Programs in North Dakota, Missouri and
Kansas has much to offer adult volunteers
who work with youth. The site helps
volunteers by providing free information
and interactive training about serving
young people. The Youth Volunteers site is
composed mainly of five lessons: how kids
develop, learning through experience, kids
as resources, managing groups of kids, and
working with parents and other adults. At
the start of each lesson, a quiz is
provided for volunteers to assess their
knowledge on each particular subject
before proceeding onto a wide range of
activities to increase their skills.
Reflection questions are also provided
throughout the lessons for volunteers to
apply what they are learning to everyday
life experiences. The site not only offers
a wide range of information and advice,
but it also provides an online discussion
program so volunteers can talk about
problems and ideas with others across the
country.
It
provides an excellent source of practical
tips for volunteers, said Carmel Miller,
Grant County extension agent, who helped
design the site. According to Miller,
North Dakota has taken steps to promote
the use of this site within the state. "We
have offered classes for Extension agents
so they, in turn, can offer classes in
their counties for individuals to
familiarize themselves with the site,"
Miller said. The Youth Volunteers site can
be found at
http://DLDC-COURSES.ext.missouri.edu/umc/4h-Volunteers
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Magazine of Open
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