Projects Abroad is an organization like the Peace Corps, but with short-term options and fewer requirements. Projects Abroad is an international volunteer organization that connects individuals with flexible programs around the world to support under served communities.
Here are the main differences between Projects Abroad and Peace Corps opportunities:. Filters 0. What would you like to do? Where would you like to go? Who is this for? If you want to volunteer with the Peace Corps, but cannot meet the requirements, Projects Abroad is the perfect alternative. We can help you get the experience you need to pursue a degree in your chosen field or further your career.
We offer volunteer abroad programs , overseas internships and study abroad opportunities in:. Our programs will be a stepping stone you need to meet your goal of working with an organization like the Peace Corps in the future. For Peace Corps programs, you need to be at least 18 years old. Projects Abroad accepts volunteers of all ages and skill levels. These programs focus on experiential education, and give people a safe and guided introduction to volunteering and traveling abroad.
Like Projects Abroad, the Peace Corps has no upper age limit for seniors and retirees. However, if you need more flexibility in where and when you travel, Projects Abroad is the program for you. You choose what you want to do, where to go, and your travel dates. Our Project Experts can help you choose which project best matches your skills and experience. The Peace Corps is a great way to give back and gain experience abroad after you graduate.
However, your service time will be just over two years, which not everyone is able to do. With flexible programs running year-round, Projects Abroad is the ideal short-term Peace Corps alternative. Concerned about making a real difference with short-term volunteering?
Read our popular blog about how we ensure that your work makes a tangible impact. If you are interested in international volunteering, Projects Abroad is a great opportunity for you to see if the Peace Corps is a right fit for you. Because of the flexibility in our programs, you'll have the chance in a safe and hassle-free environment to see if a long-term volunteer project is something you are interested in.
President Kennedy first issued that call at the University of Michigan. And the Peace Corps received enthusiastic support from the beginning. To date, more than , Peace Corps volunteers have served across countries, from Ghana to Cambodia to Ecuador. You can serve as a Peace Corps volunteer in many countries around the world. Currently, more than 7, Peace Corps volunteers are serving across 61 countries. In , the countries with the most Peace Corps volunteers include:. In each country, Peace Corps volunteers help society meet their need for trained women and men.
They promote a better understanding of Americans among locals, as well as gain a better understanding of the local culture and people.
This is why the Peace Corps is crucial to maintaining positive relations between America and countries around the globe. Many top Peace Corps countries are ones on our list of the best places to volunteer abroad. As you can see, when you volunteer with the Peace Corps, you can do good, learn about another culture, and have the time of your life!
Note: The countries that the Peace Corps serves change from time to time. When you apply to the Peace Corps, check the updated list of countries. Volunteer programs may stop in some countries each year and begin in others. Whether you want to volunteer in Madagascar or volunteer in Argentina , we have programs to recommend for you! To join the Peace Corps, you must meet two mandatory requirements.
You must:. For Peace Corps volunteer roles, you also must be able to commit to 27 months of service. Assignments first involve three months of training in-country. This is a specialized short-term role that requires more experience and skills than standard volunteer positions.
Service time is months. Frequently asked questions people have about Peace Corps requirements include:. Moreover, the Peace Corps aims to have a volunteer force that reflects the diversity of the United States. Men and women from a variety of races, ethnic groups, religions, and sexual orientations serve in the Peace Corps. This enables the agency to bring diverse perspectives and solutions to issues developing countries face.
Additionally, while many think of Peace Corps volunteering as being geared towards the youth, understand opportunities for all age groups exist. There is no upper age limit. Read our guide on volunteer abroad opportunities for seniors and retirees. Since the Peace Corps has two mandatory requirements you must be 18 and a U. You have alternatives to the Peace Corps. You could also volunteer with non-governmental volunteer abroad organizations.
Organizations such as Plan My Gap Year and Maximo Nivel have both short- and long-term volunteer opportunities that are similar to Peace Corps assignments. Peace Corps volunteers address the most critical problems communities face. For their assignments, Peace Corps volunteers join one of six project sectors:. What you do specifically depends on the needs of the host country and your skills and experience.
If you graduated with a degree in education, you could teach digital literacy to local youth. Going through the list of current openings is a good way to understand what Peace Corps volunteers do. Here are a few examples of the types of jobs Peace Corps volunteers do:. Sharpen your skills in your field, or take on a new challenge and build your skillset.
Before you apply for a position with the Peace Corps, make sure you meet the requirements, especially the education, language, and experience requirements. You should also make sure the assignment suits you. After all, you want to get the most out of the experience. Because you can change the world! Peace Corps volunteers enact positive change by promoting peace and friendship. The work of Peace Corps volunteers moves societies towards a brighter future.
PCVs help expand access to education and healthcare, develop the next generation of leaders, improve food production, and boost environmental conservation,. If you have a passion for serving others and uplifting those who need it most, volunteering with the Peace Corps will bring you great personal satisfaction. You not only get to help people, but you also get to learn about other peoples and cultures. This will enable you to develop as a person in amazing ways.
Russell E. Morgan Jr. Peace Corps service transforms both the volunteer and the community members they serve. As Dr. The experience also has its professional benefits. You also can improve those important soft skills, such as communication, listening, and empathy.
The experience may even help you figure out what you want to do for your next step in life. Don't expect your service to be exactly like your friends or that blog you found while going through the excruciatingly long application process. Likewise, not all advice you get from other volunteers will necessarily apply to you. We all joined the Peace Corps for different reasons. We all have different histories. We all have different lenses through which we've seen the world and through which we're seeing this experience.
The quality of each Peace Corps program varies between countries. If a country has had volunteers, uninterrupted, for a long period of time, then chances are they've had time to work out the kinks to successfully train volunteers or more specifically meet the needs of the host country.
However, if they have just opened or reopened because of previous political instability and evacuation, for example you may be entering a work in progress. Information on program quality can be found by looking at survey results for each country on Peace Corps Wiki. Departure dates can be found for each country as well. Especially in the months following pre-service training PST , you will find yourself with little to do as you learn the language, integrate into your community and figure out what projects you want to start.
This is all essential to your success as a PCV, but it doesn't exactly feel like work. Even as your service progresses and you get a few projects started, you may still be surprised with the large amounts of free time you have, and the creative ways you start to fill it. Consider bringing an instrument or hobby you've always thought of trying but never had the time to do so.
Chances are, you'll certainly have the time in the Peace Corps. There are even some Youtube videos, like Poop in a Hole , that I wish I had seen before my departure.
They capture the fact that our lives as PCVs are different from what we had at home. In most Peace Corps countries, you may stand out and get an unusual amount of attention for it. You'll suffer a lack of privacy or be faced with different work ethics. You'll have to give up some hobbies or habits and exchange them for others. You may have to poop in a hole. In short, you will have to integrate not only into a different culture, but a different lifestyle, which can be difficult but is all part of the challenge of doing Peace Corps.
You'll undoubtedly miss some important events back home, which makes it seem like a dauntingly long amount of time. At the same time, two years may not be enough time to accomplish some of the projects that you want to do, and you'll find yourself at the end of it looking back and wondering how it all flew by.
Definitely don't be put off by how long the commitment seems at first. No matter if you have two years to commit or only two weeks, there are organizations out there that can help you contribute to a meaningful volunteer project abroad.
While there are some key differences between short and long-term projects, the underlying importance is that you DO move abroad to volunteer.
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