Volunteering as a Family

Volunteering is a unique way for families to spend time together, through giving back to those less fortunate and making a difference in the world.  Realizing that volunteering holidays offer more than a beach holidays, it comes as no surprise that increasingly families are opting for this way of travel.

Here are some of the benefits which volunteering abroad can offer your family:

Benefits for the Family
Volunteering together as a team in a foreign land requires communication. Working side by side on something new and shared, opens up channels for family conversations which can be  challenging at home, where modern life demands focus on screens and gadgets.

The opportunity to learn a language together can be great fun for the whole family. There is no better way to learn another language than immersing yourselves in the culture and speaking with locals. You can even keep the holiday alive through the phrases you’ve learnt.

Volunteering abroad can help a family gain a new perspective. Many studies suggest that happiness is relative. When surrounded by locals who have so little, families begin to appreciate the lifestyle they have, and children may even begin to ask for less back home, feeling generally happier and more content.

Benefits for Children

Children can gain so much from volunteering abroad, often more than adults, they are still learning about the world and absorbing everything around them. Volunteer work has almost become a requirement for future college applications, introducing children to volunteering abroad at a young age means they will have greater self-confidence to volunteer again in the future,
knowing they can succeed. With previous experience behind them they will be able to push their comfort zones further, perhaps taking on more of a leadership role.

Volunteering boosts CVs and resumes for the future. Many jobs require previous experience, but this can be a catch twenty-two situation. Volunteering can solve the gap of providing experience.

Benefits for the Community

The primary reason to volunteer abroad is to get involved and help develop a community. Volunteers provide vital skills and services which a community doesn’t have the resources for. With volunteering abroad increasing in popularity, there has never been a wider pool of projects to choose from as a family.

Here are just a few to get you started:

Teaching Projects
Teaching English requires no prior experience, just a basic speaking level and a willingness to get stuck in. Families can choose to help in different ways, depending on their level of confidence. Taking a class of their own, confident families can dive straight into the national curriculum, teaching altogether.  Whereas other families may wish to sit in another teacher’s class and help
individual children who may not understand as much. You’d be surprised the confidence of children when given the opportunity to help teach a class!

Building Projects
Little hands and legs may not be able to offer the same support on a building project in terms of manual labor, although they often have great fun helping with measuring, mixing and painting.
The volunteer sending organisation, Original Volunteers provide family teaching and building programs suitable for all ages.

Animal Projects
Children love to experience new and exciting animals and may thoroughly enjoy volunteering at a sanctuary. Interacting with animals makes children more empathetic and compassionate. Animal sanctuaries can be found all over the world, often welcoming families.

Check before booking with the organisation what their policies are on children volunteering at animal projects. Children don’t always understand that animals are not toys and don’t want to be cuddled all of the time!

Individual versus Group Project

Additionally to the type of volunteering you’d like to do as a family, consider the group size you would feel most comfortable in. Individual and small group projects offer more support when volunteering, so your hosts can provide more attention specifically to your family. Alternatively, you may prefer a group project, these may have 20-30 other volunteers of all ages, living alongside you in a volunteer house. Group projects can be considerably more sociable, because of this there can be less independence during free time, as volunteers tend to do activities together.

Things to prepare for a family volunteering holiday:

• The most important part of any trip is travel insurance. Make sure that you have appropriate insurance for all travelers, children could already be included in a parent’s policy, or even on an annual household policy. It is worth checking the small print before heading off.
• Make sure you travel with an emergency card, and let your bank know where you are going. Set up mobile and online banking if you haven’t already. It’s a good idea to make yourself aware of money transfer services, such as Western Union in case you need money sent over quickly from friends and family, there’s no need to be stranded penniless abroad anymore.
• Comfort items can help children settle into a volunteering project, the absence of home can be scary, it is nice to have familiarities, for example their favorite pillow or toy.
• Gadgets and entertainment can help children distract themselves on flights and train journeys, watching their favorite shows and movies. Whilst trying to get away from all of the screens in everyday life, this isn’t always practical when embarking on long journeys, just be sure to turn them off when you arrive at your destination.
• Arrange accommodation with access to a kitchen, this is essential when travelling with children, as local cafes and restaurants may be limited to local cuisine and adult sized portions. International staple foods, such as pasta, noodles and rice, can be found in even the most remote village shops these days. Some items are handy to take with you to save hassle trying to buy them, for example a tin opener and vegetable peeler. Some families even take their own plastic bowls and cutlery.
• A kids-sized camping mat can be useful when travelling between places. There may be long waits in train stations and airports. When your little one gets tired, there is nothing better than being able to provide them with a bed to get some shut eye on.
• Accidents and injuries can happen anywhere. Travel first-aid kits are important when volunteering abroad with children. Plasters and anti-septic wipes may be expensive or difficult to get hold of quickly. When preparing a first aid kit make sure you have supplies which are suitable for your whole family. Some insect repellents and rehydration sachets can cause discomfort to children, check on the label.

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