March 15, 2013 by Sandy Cooper Leave a Comment

Know Before You Go: 5 Tips for Respecting Host-Country Culture

Tips on How to Respect Host Countries While Studying Abroad

So, you’ve decided to go on a volunteer abroad trip to China. You know the culture is different, and you’ve been warned of impending culture shock. What do you need to know before you go on your high school summer program? How can you best prepare yourself to respect the host country where you’ll be spending a big chunk of your summer? Here are a few tips.

1. Learn the language.

You don’t have to become fluent in Mandarin, but becoming familiar with a few polite terms will work wonders. Being able to say “hi,” “thank you,” “my name is…” and “have a good day” in the language of your destination lets locals know that you respect them enough to start learning their culture. It also makes you look less like a tourist and more like a pro traveler-always a plus.

2. Dress conservatively.

While skinny jeans and tank tops might be appropriate where you grew up, many cultures have deeply-set religious and cultural traditions that preclude Western style. Your regular garb could be considered disrespectful in China or many other Eastern cultures. Many pro travelers recommend keeping knees and shoulders covered, especially if you’ll be visiting religious sites while you travel.

3. Learn history.

Learning about the history of the place where you’ll volunteer abroad will give you a deeper understanding of the culture. It answers a lot of those Why on earth do they do things like THIS? questions that come up on an international trip–and you’ll be one of the best-informed among your fellow service trip sojourners. It’s a win-win.

4. Try the local food.

Don’t turn up your nose at the local cuisine. If you’re a picky eater, it might be best to try things before asking questions (“What kind of meat is that?!” isn’t the best way to impress a host in your destination country). Be respectful and willing to try new things–even if you only end up taking one bite.

5. Watch and learn.

Some things you take for granted-like the way to cross the street-might not be exactly as you expect when you’re on the other side of the world. Watch the way the locals conduct themselves and become a master of imitation. This technique could save your life on a busy Shanghai intersection.

Going on a high school volunteer abroad trip means stepping out of your comfort zone and getting a feeling for a new place, which can be a challenge–but a worthwhile one. Keeping an open mind while you’re there will make your trip exponentially more rewarding. You won’t regret it.

February 24, 2013 by Sandy Cooper Leave a Comment

Encourage Others to Volunteer

You know how rewarding it can be to serve your community. Maybe you’ve been on a service learning trip to a remote settlement in Tanzania, fell in love with the culture there and grew to love the place and its people. You’ve been bitten by the volunteerism bug, but your friends don’t get it. Why would you want to give your own time when you could be fine-tuning your essay-writing skills?

• Why would you want to sleep on a straw mat in Tanzania when your family is going on vacation to The Bahamas this summer, anyway?

• Why spend your vacation working in a community garden?

• Why spend weekends at a community center, tutoring underprivileged kids?

Your friends don’t quite get it – but you’ve been there, and you’ve seen the smiles on the faces of people you’ve helped. Maybe you’ve experienced cultures on the other side of the world that gave you a totally new perspective on life. You can understand their initial hesitancy to dig in because you were there before too. So the question is how do you get your friends involved in volunteering? Here are a few tips to help you get started.

For the Intellectuals

If your friends would rather polish their college admissions applications, crunch numbers to solve an unsolvable algebra problem, or fine-tune their essay-writing skills, here’s the card to play: Show them how service trips and volunteerism can help their future careers.

College admissions representatives look at more than essays and high grades when considering students for admission into competitive programs. Given two students with 4.0 GPAs, the student with volunteer experience has the advantage.

Getting involved in service opportunities now can set your friends up for a rewarding future, because their service experience will precede even their college education. This will look good on resumes for years to come—and they might find themselves bitten by the volunteerism bug, giving their time and abilities for more than just the extrinsic rewards.

For the Adventurers

Maybe your friends would rather be shooting hoops, cross-country skiing, running a marathon or hiking the Appalachian Trail. If they’re putting off volunteerism for these activities, maybe you should introduce them to overseas service learning trips.

That straw mat in Tanzania might not be the first aspect of service learning you want to mention—but to those with a knack for athletics and a curiosity about exploring the world around them, a trip to help build homes in hurricane-ravaged Dominican Republic or to plant sustainable field crops in South America might be just the impetus they need to get out of their comfort zones and stretch themselves in new ways.

Service learning abroad might be the most intense type of adventure available, no matter what your friends’ interests are. Show them photos of beautiful, off-the-beaten-path destinations and make plans to go together this summer.

For the Homebodies

If your friends are more interested in sitting around reading Greek epics, playing video games or surfing the Internet, chances are good it’s just been too long since they tasted sunshine and service. Volunteer to take your friends with you on your own volunteer project in the community—try to let them see the most rewarding aspects of the volunteerism you love.

No matter what type of friends you have or their interests, you have one thing in common: you’re friends! Talk to them. Tell them what got you interested in service and why it’s worth your while to make time to stay involved. Chances are good they’ll listen.

February 20, 2013 by Sandy Cooper Leave a Comment

Community Service at Home and Abroad

With all the talk about service learning, volunteerism and reaching out to those in need, sometimes it’s hard to tell exactly where community service starts and what it means. But giving your own time and labor is more than just a trend. It’s life changing – and not just for you.

But… community service doesn’t stop when the service trip ends. Here are some ideas of ways you can stay involved right at home.

Find a project that touches you.

We all have passions, interests and concerns unique to us. By finding a community service project you believe in and identify with personally, you’ll be setting yourself for a truly fulfilling volunteer experience. And because you’ll love what you’re doing, you’ll be even more effective.

If you love spending time with the elderly, you might try volunteering at a senior citizen center or delivering meals. If education and literacy is more of a concern to you, chances are there’s a community center where you could teach ESL classes or help adult students work toward a GED.

Get others involved.

Giving back to the community means even more when your friends are on board. Any volunteer effort is sure to result in new friends, but there’s no reason you can’t encourage those in your school or community to get involved.

Volunteering in groups can be less intimidating. By gathering friends to serve with, you’re making it easier on yourself to dedicate your time and talents to service.

Get started at home in your town, then consider branching out and trying a service learning trip in the future. It’s a great way to see the world, experience other cultures, and use your mind, hands and unique skills and talents to give back through opportunities you don’t normally have.