Summer Volunteering Teen Adventures and Family Excursions

Tuesday, March 20th 3:30-4:30 p.m. EST

WEBINARS

w w w . c r o s s c u l t u r a l s o l u t i o n s . o r g

Agenda

• Introductions

• Recognized Leader

• About CCS

• About our Home-Bases

• Our Dedication to Safety

• Sustainable Volunteer Work

• Benefits of Cultural & Learning Activities

• The Importance of Free-Time

• Family Volunteering & Impact

• Teen Volunteer Abroad

• The Value of a CCS Program

• Questions?

• Next Steps

Introductions

Claire Boyce Program Advisor

Alumna of

CCS Costa Rica & Guatemala

Alexandra Raab Program Advisor

Alumna of

CCS Guatemala & Tanzania

• 501(c)(3) non-profit organization

• No religious or political affiliations

• Excellence in International Volunteering

• 99% of CCS volunteers who completed an evaluation rated their overall program experience as "Excellent" or “Above Average."

• 99% of the local projects we work with rated the volunteers' overall impact as "Highly Positive" or "Positive.“

• Over 75% of our volunteers agree to represent CCS, and share stories about their CCS experience with others.

• Strong Credibility

• Exec. Director chairs Building Bridges

Coalition buildingbridgescoalition.org

• Member of IVPA volunteerinternational.org

• Special Consultative Status with the UN

• Leader among peer organizations

A Recognized Leader Over 17 years and 28,000 volunteers

About CCS

• Types of Programs

• Volunteer Abroad (2-12 weeks)

• Insight Abroad (1 week)

• Teen Volunteer Abroad (1-3 weeks)

• Intern Abroad (4-12 weeks)

• 12 Countries

• Summer start dates are filling up quick!

• Program Fee (Starts at $1,700)

• China, Russia, Guatemala at a

discounted rate!

• CCS staff departure support

OUR VALUES are: Shared Humanity When people of different cultures have an opportunity to connect, there comes an understanding of our shared humanity. Respect We accept, appreciate and respect that people know and understand what is appropriate for their own communities. Integrity We commit to ensuring the safety, flexibility, professionalism, transparency and excellence of our programs.

Turn an Ordinary Summer into an

Extraordinary One

Summer Advantages • Peak Time: Meet the most amount of fellow volunteers

• Cool off in Latin America: Southern hemisphere is cooler during the

summer time!

• Teen Volunteer Abroad only available during the Summer

• Summer internships also available to advance your career

• Groups – Faculty-led groups are most common during the Summer

months

A Typical Experience as a CCS Volunteer

The CCS Experience: Home-Base

• All accommodations are taken care of once you step off the plane

• Safe food and drinking water

• Able to accommodate dietary restrictions or food-related health concerns

• 24-hour staff availability

• You’ll have some of the best conversations with our cooks & drivers!

• Safety is our #1 priority…

Learn a new recipe…

Safety is our #1 Priority

• Program Sites chosen based on safety and

security

• Rigorous in-country staff training; extensive

emergency procedures

• Home-Base is cornerstone of safe

infrastructure

• Safe residential neighborhood

• Safe healthy meals; safe drinking water

• 24 hour security

• CCS Drivers and vehicles

• Comprehensive Travel Medical Insurance

• Safety at Volunteer Placements

• Free Time safety

Explore a new neighborhood

Dedication to Safety

The CCS Experience:

Volunteer Work

Explore a new definition of service

• Local Partner Programs

• Sustainable community development

• Volunteer Placements Available • Caring for Infants & Children

• Caring for the Elderly

• Caring for People with Disabilities

• Teaching Children

• Teaching Conversational English

• Assisting Teachers of Special Education

• Observing & Assisting Local Health

Professionals

• Working with People Affected by HIV/AIDS

• Working towards Women's Empowerment

The CCS Experience:

Cultural & Learning Activities

Cultural Immersion: An Insiders Perspective

• Orientation

• Learn the language

• Explore the culture with our staff;

always age appropriate

• Guest speakers from the local community

• Museums and landmarks

• Markets

• Feedback session

Take a hike… on new ground

The CCS Experience: Free Time

Afternoons, evenings & weekends are for you!

• Weekend travel

• Excursions & local attractions

• Shopping

Brazil: Zip line in Salvador!

Russia: See a play in St. Petersburg!

Peru: Visit Machu Picchu!

Go to the beach … in another continent!

Families in Action

We welcome families of all sizes!

• Minimum age for children: 8 years old

(10 years old in Russia & Morocco)

• All children are eligible for a discount!

• Extensive pre-departure support

Questions to consider: • Is my family open to traveling? • Do my children understand the

impact of service & volunteering? • Are we looking for a city or a small

town? • Are my children learning a

language?

The Impact of Family Volunteering

The Teen Volunteer Abroad Experience

Overview • Ages 14 to 17

• Countries

• Xi’an, China (1 date left!)

• Orosi, Costa Rica (full)

• Volta Region, Ghana

• Tepcán, Guatemala

• Western Cape, South Africa (full)

• Suphanburi, Thailand (new!)

• Safety is our #1 priority

• Cultural and language immersion • Supervised and Structured Free Time • Team-building adventures

• Application process

For an in-depth overview of teen countries: www.crossculturalsolutions.org/webinars

• Group volunteering

• Project-based; Designed with the goal of

accomplishing the project within the 1-3

week program

• About four to five hours a day

• Examples: • Teaching English at a local school

• Painting murals in an orphanage

• Playing sports and teaching arts and

crafts at a school for children with

disabilities

• Planting a garden in an elderly center

• Participating in recreational activities

with the community.

• Urban art photography project

Teen Volunteer Abroad: Volunteer Work

Volunteer work structure for Teens

• Breakdown of expenses • Food, Lodging, Transportation, & Staff

Support: 51%

• Outreach: 15%

• Program Development &

Management: 13%

• Volunteer Coordination: 12%

• General & Administrative: 9%

• Tax Deductible • Program fees are 100% tax-deductible

for U.S. residents

• Our Dedication to Transparency • Transparency Document

Value of a CCS Program

crossculturalsolutions.org/program-fee

What Your Program Fee Covers ANNUAL BREAKDOWN OF PROGRAM FEE

Questions?

Next

Steps

Determine where, when, and for how long you

want to volunteer: http://www.crossculturalsolutions.org/enroll/enroll-checklist

Contact a Program Advisor

1-800-380-4777, Monday-Friday, 9am-6pm EST

Claire: claire@crossculturalsolutions.org

Alexandra: alexandra@crossculturalsolutions.org

FOR MORE WEBINARS: w w w. c r o s s c u l t u r a l s o l u t i o n s . o r g / w e b i n a r s

Upcoming Events

• Evanston, IL, March 24th

• Long Beach, CA, March 29th

• Midland, MI, March 30th

• San Francisco, CA, April 13th

Find more events:

www.crossculturalsolutions.org/events

Stay In Touch

ccscommunity.org

facebook.com/crossculturalsolutions

twitter.com/volunteerabroad

youtube.com/ccsvolunteerabroad