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Volunteer Abroad Profile: International Volunteer Programs Association

Thu, 11/10/2011 - 18:47

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This awesome article was brought to you by Katie Boyer

Katie studied public relations at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, CA and is now working with Go Overseas in the Bay Area. Her experiences with traveling abroad combined with her passion for Latin American culture and community service fuel her writing and creativity. Follow Katie on Twitter: @VolunteeReviews and her blog.

One of the most difficult parts of volunteering abroad is choosing a program from the countless options. Luckily, the International Volunteer Programs Association (IVPA) has created a distinguished membership association in order to make it easier for potential volunteers to find accredited international volunteer organizations.

Teaching English abroad

I spoke with IVPA’s Executive Director Genevieve Brown to learn more about the association. Building on her experiences of studying international development, traveling, working, teaching, and volunteering in Guatemala, Mexico, and Ghana, Brown was inspired to continue this work through IVPA.

In 1996, IVPA started from the need to raise the standard of volunteer programs. Today, IVPA is an important resource for potential international volunteers, promoting responsibility and ethical standards within the industry. As an association of non-governmental international volunteer exchange programs, IVPA only provides information; it doesn’t run programs.

IVPA’s mission is to promote awareness and access to valuable volunteer programs abroad as well as provide guidelines for quality programming. IVPA also prides itself on being a forum for representatives from all aspects of international volunteering, from staff and board members to volunteers themselves. IVPA knows how overwhelming it can be when browsing unfamiliar international volunteer organizations. By providing relevant industry news, personal stories from past volunteers, fundraising tips, questions to ask the organizations, and tips for choosing the “right” program, IVPA helps volunteers navigate to legitimate sources to ensure the best international experience.

(Volunteers) come back with a changed perspective and a greater understanding of the world they live in. They are more compassionate and dedicated to being a global citizen, helping wherever they can, and building bridges of understanding.

Build houses abroad

For a volunteer organization to become an accredited member of IVPA, it must meet all of the standards and membership criteria, which are all outlined on the website. The IVPA Practices and Principles include guidelines for each step of a volunteer’s experience: pre-departure, program, and post-program. Guidelines also cover organization-wide expectations. By ensuring the transparency and clarity of volunteer organizations, these guidelines give volunteers and their families added assurance and more accurate expectations. One example of a quality that IVPA looks for in international volunteer organizations is support – members of IVPA provide fundraising help to cover the cost of the program, 24-hour emergency phone numbers for the volunteers and their families, and medical insurance abroad.

IVPA has accredited ten organizations that work in a variety of fields abroad, addressing almost any interest a volunteer might have. IVPA’s Global Volunteer Fairs are a great way to find out about possible programs and projects.

Highlights:

Popular volunteer destinations: Latin America, India, South Africa

Average cost: $1,000-2,000 for a week

Types of programs: Family health, youth empowerment, diabetes education and support, economic and ethnic inequalities, sustainability, poverty and community development, and more.

Examples of projects available through IVPA member organizations: