ISV officially started its international volunteer and adventure travel program in 2002. And now has grown to be one of the largest Volunteer and Adventure providers of its kind in the world, partnering with over 150 organizations on six continents. ISV/YIA has provided well over 125,000 students with overseas opportunities to travel with a purpose and make a significant impact on our planet.
International Student Volunteers provides meaningful student travel by combining life-changing volunteer work with adrenaline-filled adventure travel. Where did the idea of combining these two types of travel programs come from?
In the process of creating a student program environment which is truly life-changing, I feel there must be a balance between these two non-negotiable components:
1. Volunteer: Students must be given the opportunity to sacrificially give of their time and talents, which inevitably provides the life-altering feeling which comes when you have filled a genuine need and witnessed a measurable, positive change in a humanitarian or environmental cause, ultimately bigger than yourself.
2. Adventure Travel: Students must experience firsthand the different cultures (peoples and communities) and witness/experience all the natural wonders (mountains, volcanoes/hot springs, rain/cloud forests, beaches/reefs, caves, rivers/waterfalls/canyons, etc.) their host country has to offer. This requires an extensive road trip and various forms of travel such as bus, trains, treks, horse rides, boats, rafts, snorkeling, etc.).
Is this what sets International Student Volunteers apart from other volunteer program providers? What is the organization's competitive edge?
This perfect balance of life-changing volunteer work and responsible adventure travel is only one of the elements that set ISV apart from other volunteer program providers:
1. All ISV programs (both volunteer projects and adventure tours) are set up and run by our own ISV-trained and qualified staff. Many organizations simply pay others to set up and run their programs.
2. ISV’s real focus is on working with students as we strongly believe, students are not only the heartbeat of today’s society but ultimately tomorrow’s future leaders on this planet.
3. ISV volunteer programs have two focus areas, that are often intricately linked:
* Community Development: to help the impoverished families and children in the world through education, healthcare, sanitation, and basic infrastructure improvements and,
* Conservation: to create a positive environmental impact through initiatives like endangered species research and protection, habitat restoration, and regeneration of forests, wetlands, and mangroves.
4. ISV partners with over 150 organizations worldwide from NGOs, government agencies, grassroots organizations, faith-based organizations, and others. We work with renowned organizations, such as the Red Cross, UNICEF, Peace Corp, Sierra Club, Conservation Volunteers Australia, etc.
5. ISV Programs has been featured on the Discovery Channel with Larry King.
6. ISV has 32 members of the US Congress and Senate serving on our Board of Reference who have endorsed the nearly three million hours of volunteer work ISV students have done around the world.
7. ISV has 310 universities globally which have offered academic credit and/or internship credit for participation on the ISV program.
8. ISV was awarded Outstanding Volunteer Project by the World Youth and Student Travel Confederation.
9. Baseball’s nine time All Star, David “Big Papi” Ortiz has partnered with ISV to help impoverished communities in the Dominican Republic.
10. ISV is certified by the US President’s council on Service and Civic Participation to distribute the Presidents Volunteer Service Award.
Clearly, ISV has garnered quite a number of awards since its launch in 2002, including being named as one of the Top Ten Volunteer Organizations by the U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy. What do you think is the biggest contributor to ISV's success as an organization?
The biggest contributor to ISV’s success is definitely the 30,000+ students who have traveled on our program and rated their ISV experience an average of 4.8 out of 5. ISV has focused on creating a life-changing environment where students not only experience the fulfillment of giving back and making a positive difference in the lives of others, they also have their own lives and perspectives transformed in the process. Our success and our recognition revolve around the personal testimonies of our students and their experiences.
International Student Volunteers offers programs in seven countries. Which destination is the most popular?
South Africa, in terms of numerical first choice. However, all ISV programs receive the same high ratings and are described by our students as “life-changing”.
How have you selected program locations? Do you have any new ones you are eyeing?
Our staff is presently looking into numerous new countries and meeting with hundreds of new potential partner organizations. ISV selects volunteer projects based upon the following criteria:
1. First and foremost, there must be a meaningful and genuine need for volunteers.
2. Secondly, there must be a desire and an appreciation demonstrated on the part of the host organization and/or community to receive our volunteers.
3. There must be a sustainable plan in place for the work which is to be accomplished.
4. ISV will only accept projects where the goals are achievable and measurable.
5. We look for project locations where the work environment is safe!!
6. The volunteer project overall must be FUN, and ISV works with the host organizations to implement elements to insure the overall experience is indeed FUN.
7. Finally, the entire project experience is bathed with an educational emphasis.
ISV has a wide variety of volunteer and adventure travel programs. Which program receives the most participants annually and what draws participants to the program, in your opinion?
Student participants are assigned to all ISV countries with a similar number to each country. We are able to do this as most students indicate an interest in each of the destinations, and the needs are great everywhere we travel. Some participants are drawn in to the service aspect but many are excited by the adventure tour. What we know from the evaluations is that participants are deeply affected by both components.
What do you consider ISV's greatest achievement?
Our greatest achievement is the ongoing process of producing more Global Citizens with a lifestyle of giving back and positively changing our world! ISV has a couple of hundred staff members worldwide who share our common vision/mission, and we are seeing it happen. It is our goal and our dream. This is what is happening and this will remain our greatest achievement.
Cultural immersion is part and parcel of all good volunteering programs abroad. What type of cultural activity receives the most positive feedback from ISV participants?
Our community development/humanitarian projects achieve the highest level of cultural immersion as our volunteers develop relationships and always mix with the local communities. Then again, students on conservation projects that involve a homestay really come away feeling like part of the community.
Regardless of the project type, some of the most cherished cultural activities involve playing sports (soccer or baseball) with kids from the community, learning to cook a few dishes of the local cuisine, and of course, learning some of the local dance moves, from merengue to gumboot dancing. This cultural immersion is a major element in the entire ISV program environment and indeed contributes to the live-changing outcome.
Looking back to ISV's roots, including Youth in Action, how has developing and running volunteering and adventure travel programs shaped your life and future?
My entire career has been spent working with youth, from summer camps, youth groups, city parks, and recreation to coaching and teaching performing arts, etc.
With the performing arts shows and with the cultural exchange programs, students always stated on their evaluations, that: “it was the best experience of my life”, but when we started the volunteer program, students began to say something different. They were saying: “this experience has changed my life.” We will continue that which we are doing and continue to build upon the foundation of these past 13 years.
What can we expect from ISV in the next five years?
ISV is presently involved in some of the biggest expansion initiatives in our history. Over the next five years, we hope to expand and extend our global impact tenfold.
