Photo by Wiki.will/ Feature Photo by Mads Boedker

As appealing as saving the orangutans in Borneo sounds, not everyone can afford to participate in overseas volunteer programs. Why not look closer to home?

There are a number of causes in Melbourne that are in need of your time and enthusiasm. You can take your pick from organisations caring for the environment, animals and people, and become an urban volunteer.

Greyhound Adoption Program (GAP)

GAP was created by Greyhound Racing Victoria with the aim of re-homing retired racing dogs. Dogs that enter the program are micro-chipped, wormed, de-sexed, vaccinated and have their temperament tested before being fostered out and taught family pet etiquette -racing dogs may not have encountered a vacuum cleaner or a staircase before! Once they’re acclimatised to domestic life, they are ready for adoption.

You can help by becoming a foster parent, for around three weeks at a time, as little or as often as you want. Training equipment, food and support are provided, and you’re not expected to be home all day. This is a great option for people who can’t commit long-term to a pet, but love animals.

For more information, contact Melanie Luscombe at GAP on (03) 5799 0166 or email mluscombe@grv.org.au

Fitzroy Learning Network

Melbourne is the most multicultural city in Australia, and the Fitzroy Learning Network provides workshops and support groups for new arrivals. They teach language, computer, job interview and life skills, and provide advocacy for people in Immigration Detention Centres. They also offer classes for the elderly, students at risk of dropping out, low-income earners and people with restricted access to new technology.

Mentors are needed for classes, and volunteers can help in other areas such as administrative duties, marketing, fundraising, gardening and cooking. To learn more, visit their website, and get a copy of the application form here.

Charity Shops

Australians sure do love their opportunity shops, or ‘op shops’, and there are a countless number of these stores throughout the city centre and suburbs. Run by charities in order to raise funds, they mainly sell second-hand goods, donated by members of the community. Not only are they cheap, but you can do your bit for the environment by re-using clothing and household goods rather than buying them brand new.

Op shops are always in need of volunteers to sort donations and work at the counter, so contact any of the major charities such as Animal Protection Society, St. Vincent de Paul, the Red Cross and Vision Australia.

Country Fire Authority (CFA)

The Victorian CFA is one of the largest volunteer-based emergency organisations in the world, with almost 60, 000 volunteers. The brigades respond to various types of incidents and have an important role in fire investigation and community education. The CFA played a vital part in fighting the horrific Black Saturday fires that displaced around 8000 people last year.

Volunteers can help in a variety of ways, from fighting fires or helping in emergencies, to administration, fundraising, media and education roles. Read more on their website or call 1800 232 636.

Collingwood Children’s Farm

The farm covers over 7 hectares of land on the Yarra River, yet it is only 5km from the centre of Melbourne. This country experience for city folk was opened in the seventies, and allows kids to explore sustainable horticulture, wildlife habitats and farm animals in a fun, safe environment. The farm has its own cafe, community garden plots and runs monthly farmers’ markets.

Volunteers can help with maintenance, gardening, horticulture, and animal care and husbandry. To find out more, or to register for an induction session, email enquiry@farm.org.au.

Community Connection

To learn more about Australia, stop by our Australia Focus Page.

Feature photo: www.worldon2wheels.com; Photo: emma.maria

In response to my question about how many hours a day the WWOOFers worked, the host replied, “We expect the WWOFers to enjoy the work enough not to mind how many hours they work.”

A red flag should have begun waving itself madly, but all I could see was the cheese factory on site, the fact they made their own pasta, and the assortment of animals on the farm. I ended up working about 12 hours a day on that farm, but never with the cheese or the pasta.

After having good and bad experiences WWOOFing in four different countries, these are the questions I’ve learned to ask:

1. How many hours do I work each day?

The purpose of this question is to be prepared for the expectations of the farm. The answer also gives you a reference point for addressing concerns if you find a significant discrepancy once you’re at the farm.

Asking about days off is also a good idea. One guy arrived at a farm and thought he had every weekend off. He was unpleasantly surprised to learn this was not the case.

2. What kind of work will I be doing?

Photo: strikeael

I always like to know there is a variety of work to be done. At one farm I never did the same thing twice; I faced new challenges like milking goats and making a basket out of willow.

At another farm I only did two things: herd goats and cut grass. Which one do you think I enjoyed most? This question is important because you can find out if the work will suit you physically and if the tasks offer the experiences and challenges what you want.

3. I only speak English. Does that matter?

In France, I WWOOFed at a host who had moved from England, so language was not a problem. In Italy, however, I encountered a few problems at two farms. The first host did not like speaking in English. Instead, the host spoke to the other WWOOFers who spoke Italian, never directing anything to me.

Photo: strikeael

Their listing had indicated English was spoken, but it was a quiet and unsocial two weeks. At the second farm there was frequent miscommunication because the host spoke little English and was impatient with misunderstandings. Better to be clear from the start!

4. Do you allow WWOOFers to use the internet?

WWOOFers are often travelers who want to stay in touch with family and be able to make further travel arrangements. Yet I was surprised by the number of farms that were unhappy to let me send a quick email or look up a train schedule.

Some people are simply of an earlier generation, don’t use the internet themselves, and don’t see why you should. Others have had bad experiences of WWOOFers using their computers. Either way, if you plan to stay connected, it’s wise to ask about the host’s policy.

Make sure you leave for a host prepared; otherwise, unpleasant surprises might take away from what could be a rewarding experience.

Community Connection:

Read some other practical tips in our First-Timer’s Guide to WWOOFing.

Lots of travelers are interested in spending part or all of their travels with their sleeves rolled up, but many aren’t sure how to scope out opportunities and select a project.

Photo: Alex Kehr

This weekend, while hosting a discussion on Facebook about travel writing and voluntourism for the Voluntary Traveler Book Project, I was asked by one participant:

“I am interested (some time in the near future) heading overseas and volunteering. What would be your tips in researching/finding international volunteer positions (i.e. credible organisations, experience etc.)?”

If you have the same question, three useful online resources can help you identify organizations around the world that are actively seeking volunteers:

1. Matador Travel:

Matador’s community blog has more than 364 organizational members in locations around the world. Enjoy cycling? See how biking is incorporated into voluntourism by checking out The Otesha Project’s profile. Want to go off-grid? Check out the Mirror Foundation’s profile.

You can search for organizations by name, area of focus, or location. Be sure to review how fully the organization has filled out its profile and whether contact information is provided. If you’re interested in the organization, reach out to the listed contact and ask if you can speak with a current or former volunteer.

2. Idealist:

Since 1995, Idealist has been the Internet’s go-to spot for information about jobs and internships in the non-profit field, and the recent addition of the International Volunteerism Resource Center makes Idealist THE definitive online reference for voluntourism as well.

Jose Kevo

The IVRC provides fact sheets on topics you may not even have considered yet: the ethics of voluntourism, the costs associated with volunteering abroad, and “in country dos, don’ts, and probably shouldn’ts.” Perhaps most useful is the IVRC’s list of questions to ask the organizations with which you’re considering sharing your efforts.

3. Voluntourism

Voluntourism.org blends the Matador and Idealist models, listing organizations seeking volunteers as well as providing tips for prospective voluntourists.

The best feature of Voluntourism, though, is its webcast/podcast series, The VolunTourist, which is broadcast weekly. The VolunTourist features interviews with organizational leaders, helping you learn more about the organizations listed on the site. At present, more than 70 podcasts are archived on the site.

Community Connection:

Have you been a voluntourist? What resources did you use to choose an organization? What questions would you ask before seeking another voluntourism opportunity? Share your comments below.

Photo: The Pocket

The toddler cradled in his mother’s arms on a cold Shanghai street corner, pink hand outstretched. The family overflowing from its Chalco slum home on the fringes of Mexico City. Emaciated children, kindergarten-aged, hawking cheap souvenirs in front of Angkor Wat.

Common tableau to the seasoned traveler.

Photo: asalexander

We’ve seen so much. We’ve felt the steady accumulation of shock, sympathy, outrage, and intimacy such scenes engender. We’ve looked into others’ lives and tried to fathom the kind of help they need.

And then we reach the point where we’re ready to act, to engage. We’re ready to give back.

I’ve been at that point for a year now. But in grappling with how to respond to the volunteer impulse, I’ve come to realize that feeling compassion and doing something about it are two very different things.

It takes a flexible work schedule and some measure of financial stability, not to mention a fair bit of courage and determination.

And even when these factors align, there’s still the matter of selecting a compatible organization, one that works where and how you want to work. For me, that task was the most difficult.

Location

I’ve lived and traveled in Asia and witnessed stark poverty on that continent. Perennial stories of African impoverishment have nearly defined what it means to volunteer.

But need is non-geographical.

Therefore, you’re able to throw some personal preference into the mix. In my case, the desires to learn Spanish and visit South America directed my attention to that part of the world. Idle online browsing further narrowed the destination spectrum to three contenders: Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina.

Photo: NeilsPhotography

From the beginning, I knew Bolivia would likely win, being by far the poorest. But researching opportunities elsewhere allowed me to learn by comparison, develop a plan B, and ultimately decide that I’d like to participate in two projects over the course of a year instead of one.

Vocation

I’m not good with kids, nor am I a capable teacher. This automatically cut my options in half.

Photo: kiki-bolivien

Instead, I was most interested in community organizing, economic development, and sustainable practices. I have no formal background in these areas, so finding an organization open to providing some training was essential.

Such restrictive parameters, strangely enough, made my hunt easier. Searching by process of elimination proved more efficient than trying to track down exactly what I wanted.

Over time, I accumulated a shortlist of webpage bookmarks for programs that met the majority of my criteria. Now all I had to ask was, “Can I afford this?”

Cost

Frustratingly, the answer was often “no.” No, I can’t cough up $1,000 dollars a week to conduct glacier research in Patagonia or staff a homeless shelter in Chile, no matter how many perks are included.

The more of these opulent price tags I found, the more I wondered, “How could it cost so much to give back?”

If you find yourself asking this question, chances are you’re paying a middleman—a most decidedly for-profit company—to place you with the actual non-profit with which you’ll be volunteering.

They do all the legwork for you: assess your skills, identify a suitable organization, arrange local accommodation, and provide orientation resources and language lessons. This assistance isn’t cheap, even if your placement company is honest and knows what it’s doing.

Obviously, then, if you can arrange something directly with the group you want to work with, costs plummet substantially. But this is much harder to accomplish armed only with Google; likewise, small-scale charities may not have the time or manpower to help you acquire everything you need on the ground.

So what does this mean? In my experience, the equation goes like this: more research = happier (and cheaper) results. If you invest sincere effort in the search process, the right opportunity will present itself.

Resources

Sites like Idealist, Volunteer Abroad*, and other volunteerism search engines are good places to start.

(*tip: Search by country and examine the end of the list first. The smaller, cheaper operations get pushed to the back of the returns.)

But nothing compares with testimonials from people like you who’ve been there, done that. Post a query here on Matador and to the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree Forum, and check out Transitions Abroad to see what people are saying about the organizations on your shortlist.

Led by the resources above, I came in contact with Sustainable Bolivia, a Cochabamba-based nonprofit that both runs its own programs and places volunteers with local partner groups.

I’ll pay only for my housing and volunteer my time with an institute called Energetica in the area of renewable energy development. I start in two weeks.

While in many ways I have no idea what to expect, I feel confident that I’ve done my homework and uncovered the right position for me.

Now all that’s left is to go and see.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION: Did you know that more than 350 organizations from 35 countries are Matador members? Check out their profiles–and their volunteer needs–here.

Founder of The Uncultured Project with an impoverished Bangladeshi widow and her two children. Above photo and feature photo by Shawn.

With volunteer tours growing in number, more and more tour operators are including fundraising minimums either within tour fees or as an additional requirement for tour participants. Learn the basics of how to raise funds for your cause, organization, or favorite volunteer program.

1. Start close to home.

The people who will inevitably be the most invested in your cause are those that know you and can see your passion.

Start with friends, family, and acquaintances. Speak to everyone you know about the cause and be specific about your needs. Don’t be afraid to ask for dollar amounts from those around you!

The best requests highlight your personal involvement and ask for specific amounts of money for specific goods. Write to your address book and don’t forget to include friends who have long since been out of touch. What better way to spread the word while getting in touch with old friends?

2. Utilize local and small businesses.

Often small businesses are happy to provide goods in exchange for getting the word out about their services. Try asking small restaurants to provide free or discounted food for a dinner and charge a small entrance fee.

Or throw a dinner party at your home and ask friends to donate potluck dishes. Getting publicity in local newspapers, company newsletters, on radio stations, etc., will introduce you to a wealth of possibilities for gaining both corporate and individual sponsorship.

Photo by Maryann

3. Find a common interest.

Though your cause might be across the ocean from your home, there are always local networks that share similar goals and are great avenues to access funding.

Is your cause education related? Tap into local high schools or universities. Is it sports related? See if teams in your area would be willing to provide sponsorship or in-kind donations. Raising money for a particular country or group? See if there are locals from that country who can mobilize their networks. Check online groups, such as MeetUp.com to find people who are passionate about the same cause.

4. Be a social butterfly.

Organize a karaoke night, pub quiz, or concert with local musicians willing to share their talent. Better yet, do a clothing or book auction with your friends. Everyone brings a few items and you can buy items back for a set donation. You refresh your wardrobe/bookshelf and recycling is good for the earth!

Make sure that any event has minimal costs to you and as many costs as possible are donated in-kind.

5. Share your talents.

What is your skill? Yoga, surfing, karate, tennis, cooking lessons? Raise money by offering to share your talent with others!

Additional Tips

Know your cause.

The easiest way to put off potential donors is to not have answers to basic questions:

Any responsible voluntourism operator or NGO should be able to answer these questions. If you aren’t sure yet where the money will go, try to be as specific as possible with friends, family, and potential donors about how you will make decisions about putting the money to work.

Find a responsible charity/NGO.

As a fundraiser it is your responsibility to make sure your donors are putting their money into a sustainable and responsible project. Consider:

Match.

Be sure to also ask donors to check with their employers. Their donations might be easily doubled with company matching plans!

Say thank you.

Be sure to acknowledge donations and follow up after your trip or once the funds are spent.

Community Connection

For an extensive list of great orgs to support or research, please reference the Organizations Page at Matador.

photo courtesy of Barbara Hicks

Habla Ingles??

What if I told you that I just had a whole week’s vacation in a four-star villa in a small, beautiful village near Salamanca, Spain and it included three full meals a day with wine and it came with about forty new best friends …all for free?

I know what you’re thinking, ‘Yeah, right, Lisa, what’s the catch?’

Well, there was one catch — all I had to do was speak English. And considering it is my native language…it wasn’t all that difficult (OK, maybe it was difficult late at night after sampling a few too many Spanish wines).

Que?

Pueblo Inglés is not exactly a school for English—it’s more like an intense English ‘experience. It’s a unique opportunity for native English speakers to immerse themselves in Spain’s culture and people firsthand in exchange for simply chatting with Spaniards.

And for the Spanish folks, it’s like an intensive week-long English ‘sleep-away camp’ which gives them the opportunity to improve and practice their English-speaking skills the best way—by force of course.

For the duration of the week, they are forbidden to speak Spanish and must converse in and listen to English at all hours of the day…easy for me, not so much for them.

I was trawling the web one day looking for a job or volunteer work in Spain when the website for Pueblo Inglés popped up.

The idea scared and intrigued me at the same time—not only would I be able to travel for one week without spending a dime (that’s 15 cents in Euro), it would enable me to meet and connect with real Spaniards who mostly come from the professional business world—something often hard to do when you are a tourist on a budget (or globetrotting vagabond like me).

I applied on a whim, not knowing if I truly wanted to commit to this week of constant jibber-jabber. I figured they probably wouldn’t accept me on such short notice or I could always say ‘no.’ Exactly one day later I received an email: “Welcome! You’ve been accepted to Pueblo Ingles!”

Oh, and it was starting in two days. Time to high-tail it to Madrid.

Donde?

The morning of the eight-day program we all gathered in a plaza in Madrid and were herded onto a bus. We rode for three hours west of the capital city to a tiny rural town called La Alberca full of winding cobblestone lanes. The countryside was dotted with clusters of trees, all dropping acorns and chestnuts onto the hilly green backdrop.

Our hotel was in a bucolic setting with shady paths and ponds and was more like a group of several chalets. I was joined by about 20 English-speaking volunteers from Canada, the US, England, Australia, and Ireland and 20 Spaniards from all over Spain with ages ranging from early twenties to sixty plus.

English Spoken Here

The program directors, Pablo from Spain and Akemi from California, laid down the law at the get-go: The most important rule of Pueblo Ingles–NO Spanish allowed. They really wanted this to be a true and hardcore immersion experience for the Spaniards—basically forcing them to drink, eat, sleep, and possibly dream in English.

The Agenda

Each morning after pants-splitting buffet breakfast we paired off into ‘couples’ for ‘one to one’ conversations that would last about 50 minutes. After a ten minute break, we would then swap and grab another Spaniard for the next hour and so on.

It was a bit like a speed dating scene—everyone gabbing at once, getting to know each other.Everyone was unique, friendly and fun. Despite my initial fears, we never once ran out of things to talk about.

photo courtesy of Alfredo Avila

Everyday I was paired with different people and we constantly did different activities. It certainly was an odd and funny sight to see all these coupled pairs of people wandering around the grounds, sitting in chairs, and strolling down the street.

If someone didn’t know better, it probably looked like some kind of psychiatric institution or rehab center at which we were all getting over our drug, alcohol, or other addictions. Of course, if they saw our parties every night, they would probably think it wasn’t a very good program.

We would usually have a break sometime in the morning and also other activities like games, conference calls, and presentations—during which lucky Spaniards got to tell us all about their jobs, or Anglos entertained us with some kind of unique skill they have (singing, dancing, and other random embarrassing behavior).

A tasty three-course lunch with plenty of vino (nothing gets conversations going like some cheap wine) was at two o’clock, followed by the very crucial Spanish siesta (nap time) which I really think we should instate here in America.

At five o’clock we continued with more talking, fun group discussions about anything and everything and hilarious skits.

It reminded me of some university days doing role playing and brainstorming to come up with the most entertaining performance. It was fun to just be silly and what I really remember most is laughing almost all the time.

One day we toured the lovely nearby medieval village for a bit of a break. A three-course dinner with more wine, of course, was at nine (a little late for the Anglos and too early for the Spaniards) and then their Inglés would really get tested as many of us hung out at the bar until the wee hours of the morning.

The Spanish really know how to party.

Jesus and David made me laugh my ass off. Vicente made me feel like the queen of the dance floor. Cecilia was a sweetheart who invited me to stay in her home in Madrid after the program.

I can’t say enough about the new friends I made here. Yes, the program was free and that was my initial draw to it, but I realized later that the experience was ‘worth’ so much more.

The Easy Life

The beauty of this program is that your entire schedule is laid out for you. There is really nothing to worry about. I had my own small ‘villa’ that I shared with Potola, a boisterous and hilarious flight attendant from Madrid.

Our ‘casa’ was just steps from the lobby and bar so it was so easy to stumble to bed before sunrise, and get up the next morning (even if it was only a few hours later) and just walk over to my next session of speaking English. There was no commute, no metro, no taxi. You just walked home in two minutes. Life was simple and good.

It was easy for me, but much harder and more tiring for the Spaniards who had to do everything in their second language. Imagine being constantly forced to speak Spanish all day. Your brain would be so tired. And even when they were ‘enjoying the fruits of the vine” (read: drunk) and dancing they were still speaking English.

After a week of fun, we all ‘graduated’ and received our certificates for completing not only a week long English ‘course’ but one of the most fun weeks I’ve had in a long time.

All in all, the 8 days spent at Pueblo Inglés was like an intense microcosm of life—a condensed, easy version and having to say goodbye after our amazing week together was hard for me.

Hopefully the Spaniards improved their English and I know I have made some amazing new friends in Spain that will remain in my heart and hopefully in my life forever.

To find out how you can have a free week in Spain, check out: www.puebloingles.com.