Recommended/Favorite Summer Volunteer Program?

Student615
Thu, 30 Aug 2007 16:23:39 +0000

A friend of mine spent three months working with Projects Abroad (http://www.projects-abroad.org/). She did it out of personal interest and during a gap year, not to strengthen an application, so note that when I suggest this, I’m only saying that I’ve heard good reviews about the organization…I’m not making any claims as to how it will actually look on an application.

Anyway, that last sentence pretty much summed it up: she gave the program excellent, excellent reviews. She said that it allowed her the perfect mix of independence and supervision…that she always felt free and independent, not like part of a big service group, but that she didn’t feel totally alone or overwhelmed. She also liked that she really had the opportunity to travel and not just to work. For the record, PA sponsors a ton of different programs with all different costs, goals, locations, time periods, and requirements. She spent her time working at an orphanage in Ghana.

PA does sponsor some projects in India, but I don’t see anything exactly like what interests you. That said, there is a bit of room for self-design and flexibility, but I don’t know exactly how much. The closest thing I can find to what you describe is a human rights law option in Ghana, which doesn’t require you to be a law graduate.

Something to start considering early, if you really do want to do something like this, is fundraising. It’s one of the few opportunities you might have to legitimately fundraise for yourself Really, though…not only is it a helpful way to ease the cost, but I think that this type of service looks much better if you can show that you worked to be able to do it, rather than it just looking like something that you were financially privileged enough to add to your resume.

There are also relevant summer internships in the US, such as with Amnesty International or various Women’s Rights groups/campaigns. You may want to find organizations that interest you and then write to them directly to see if they have any interest in a summer intern/volunteer. That’s the route I took, and it was the best and worst. On one hand, the vast majority of responses were “Nope, we don’t have an intern position, sorry” or “We’ll see.” On the other hand, when I finally did find something, I wasn’t confined to a pre-defined intern role…I really got to use my skills and tailor the position to my strengths and interests, so I got a huge amount out of it. I was also able to work for a group that really interested me, rather than ‘rounding’ my interests to whatever organization happened to have a spot open.

Good luck!