Is Global Impact

International Service Learning For You?

Do you have a desire to apply your academic or professional knowledge and training in a developing country, serve a community, build intercultural relationships and challenge yourself?

Are you.....

FLEXIBILE

ADAPTABLE

OPEN MINDED

ADVENTUROUS

COMPASSIONATE

? ?

The Experience:

Service through Community Partnership

Service can take many forms on an international service-learning program but it will always involve a meaningful, community-driven project as an essential component of the program. You will develop a new appreciation for the power of partnering to meet community needs. Global Impact programs are focused on delivering healthcare in the developing world. In addition, there are always additional placement projects and sites for participants who are not experienced in delivering healthcare. We work in partnership with organizations which are already delivering these services.

Leave Your Expectations in the USA!

Due to the nature of the work and the context of international service learning, you WILL have the opportunity to develop flexibility, become more tolerant of ambiguity, and become more adaptable and understanding of other cultural expectations and ways of living. Leave any hard and fast expectations in the USA and open yourself up to new ways of experiencing life! You are there to serve and your role and responsibilities may change based on the current needs. Programs are not neatly packaged into conventional work weeks, and group leaders operate with an underlying assumption that you would like to maximize your intercultural and professional experiences --and the service opportunity.

Physical Challenges

Living in an unfamiliar community, in the hot humid conditions of Northern Vietnam or Belize, in a city or in a village, at high altitude or at sea level, is amazing and difficult. You may be physically challenged to meet the demands of jet lag and intensive service in the context of an entirely new environment. Most often, the experiences are unparalleled, but they frequently take place within the context of fatigue or upset stomachs due to the realities of eating and drinking in developing countries. You may be living in a bamboo house on stilts, in a community member’s home, or in a dormitory. You will meet these challenges by accepting them, overcoming them, and moving forward.

Cross-Cultural Communication andRelationshipBuilding

The opportunity to live immersed in another culture is a rewarding experience. As a volunteer in a community, you will have the unique chance to interact and build relationships with different populations of the culture including community leaders, children, religious figures, educators, medical professionals and others as well as among your fellow participants with whom you will have a whole range of shared experiences. You will visit or live in family homes, eat local food, observe traditional ceremonies, and share history and culture with the community.You will find yourself subject to ideas and experiences that are intellectually, physically, and emotionally challenging.

Personal Growth

During your experience, you may witness stark poverty or visit hospitals where patients go without beds. You may trek to villages high in the mountains where local people have never seen a medical professional and dire needs are unaddressed. This exposure to some of humanity's most difficult issues, experienced in the context of an unfamiliar community, is emotionally unsettling. Through reflection, you will come to new perspectives about yourself as well as your understanding of the people and places you visit. Reflection challenges you to think deeply about your own culture, values, and assumptions and it stimulates you to integrate your newfound knowledge and awareness into your personal goals and actions.

Everyone reflects in different ways and you will be encouraged to use a variety of reflection methods such as the following:

  • Journal-writing
  • Group discussions
  • Projects or Presentations
  • Letter-writing to your supporters or community members
  • A website or travelogue

Regardless of the method, through reflection you will have an opportunity to share your voice and listen to the thoughts of others. Through conscious reflection, the world and your place in it will expand in new and unimaginable ways.