Volunteer Partners & Projects
We work with longstanding non-profit organizations to develop meaningful service projects around the world.
Ways to Volunteer
Choose from 5 styles of service available on our Community Service summer programs. Together with the local communities, you’ll participate in projects that have a positive and lasting impact. Browse our service partners, project descriptions and available programs below.
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Youth LeadershipKeeping in mind that children are the future, there are many incredibly rewarding opportunities to care for youth. While visiting schools, orphanages and day camps, we interact with the local kids and put smiles on their faces as we coordinate fun activities and educational lessons. Serving as role models, we can promote positivity and hope, while making new friends. |
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InfrastructureFrom building homes for those in need to fixing the basic infrastructure for those affected by disaster, these projects range from construction sites to beautification efforts. Whether you have a shovel, hammer or paintbrush in hand, you’ll get to see the transformation as you improve the surroundings for the local residents. |
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Community WelfareBenefiting the community as a whole, these projects help address issues that affect people from all walks of life in a given community. Examples include preparing and distributing meals in food-insecure neighborhoods, organizing school supply kits for children or improving communal resources. |
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Environmental SustainabilityProtecting the environment is everyone’s responsibility. You can do your part as you learn applications of environmental sustainability, including sustainable farming and forestry. Help with reforestation efforts by planting indigenous trees and removing invasive species, learning about specific ecosystems and the delicate relationship playing out between humans and nature. |
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Wildlife ConservationFor the love of animals, join the effort to help protect and care for endangered or vulnerable species. From visiting a rescue reserve and adopting an elephant for a day, to helping to protect the natural habitat of giant tortoises on the Galapagos Islands, get up close to these unique creatures while helping their cause. |
Youth Leadership
Boys & Girls Club
Interact with local children as you organize and lead recreational activities for them.
Available on:
Pre-College Enrichment Los Angeles – on the Campus of UCLA – 14 days or 21 days
Pre-College Enrichment Los Angeles – on the Campus of UCLA plus Hawaii Extension – 32 days
Pre-College Enrichment Montreal – on the Campus of McGill – 14 days or 21 days
Children’s Camp
Take on various leadership roles running a camp and create warm relationships with children.
Available on:
Costa Rica: Children’s Camp Leadership – 17 days
Marti-Codolar Youth Center
Make a difference by facilitating recreational programs, games, computer education and English classes for children in need.
Available on:
Pre-College Enrichment Barcelona – 14 days, 21 days or 28 days
Infrastructure
MEDLIFE Development Project
Take part in a development project that will directly benefit the community. Past MEDLIFE projects include installing modernized bathrooms, basic kitchen upgrades, and putting in fencing to separate farm animals from living quarters.
Available on:
Costa Rica: Medical Assistance – 11 days
Ecuador & the Galapagos Service & Adventure – 12 days, 18 days
Siempre Amigos (Always Friends) Social & Environmental Responsibility Program
Assist Siempre Amigos to support residents in the Flamingo community by restoring a home for a family in need.
Available on:
Costa Rica Service & Adventure – 10 days, 21 days or 28 days
Community Welfare
Food Bank of Los Angeles
Help fight hunger in the community by sorting, inspecting and repackaging donated food items.
Available on:
Pre-College Enrichment Los Angeles – on the Campus of UCLA – 14 days or 21 days
Pre-College Enrichment Los Angeles – on the Campus of UCLA plus Hawaii Extension – 32 days
Lahu Tribal Village
Work hands-on with locals to benefit the people of their region and gain cross-cultural exposure.
Available on:
Thailand Elephant Service & Adventure – 16 days or 25 days
MEDLIFE Mobile Clinics
Experience what it takes to run a mobile clinic in the Guanecaste Region of Costa Rica. MEDLIFE establishes mobile clinics to bring free healthcare directly to communities in need. You will learn under the guidance of MEDLIFE medical professionals in an effort to provide free healthcare.
You will assist with the following tasks:
- Taking Baseline Vitals – shadow a doctor as you learn the professional manner to take a pulse, blood pressure and other measurements.
- Health Education – witness how a physician educates patients on areas of health care and help provide information.
- Pharmacy – learn about prescriptions and offer care to patients as you help to distribute medication.
Available on:
Costa Rica: Medical Assistance – 11 days
Momi Bay, Fiji
We collaborate with local villages to support a number of different projects, from volunteering at a pineapple farm to leading a local after school program.
Available on:
Fiji Service & Adventure – 18 days
Fiji Service & Adventure Plus Hawaii – 23 days
Rice Farming in the Karen Community – Chiang Mai
Assist the community with a hands-on lesson in planting rice shoots.
Available on:
Thailand Elephant Service & Adventure – 16 days or 25 days
Siempre Amigos (Always Friends) Social & Environmental Responsibility Program
Assist Siempre Amigos to support residents in the Flamingo community by restoring a home for a family in need.
Available on:
Costa Rica Service & Adventure – 10 days, 21 days or 28 days
Somos Picnic
You will work in food-insecure neighborhoods helping to bring sustainable nutrition to families in need both through direct contact and food banks. Volunteer by helping with the preparation of the food, distribution of meals, and helping to improve the infrastructure of the dining rooms.
Available on:
Costa Rica Service & Adventure – 21 days or 28 days
Village of Hope
Provide support and assemble resources such as “Journey Bags” to be distributed to children in foster care.
Available on:
Hawaii Service & Adventure – 20 days
Environmental Sustainability
Amazon Quechua Community Development
Learn from indigenous people in the Amazon rainforest, who still follow traditional ways of life such as subsistence farming. Work alongside community members to help with a project, such as maintaining a nature trail.
Available on:
Ecuador & the Galapagos Service & Adventure – 12 days, 18 days
Conch Republic Marine Army (CRMA)
Our groups will help cleanup the canals in the Big Pine community. The CRMA’s mission is habitat restoration, and to clean up and protect the coasts, mangroves, and waterways of the Florida Keys. CRMA uses passive restoration techniques to reduce or eliminate the sources of degradation and permit enough recovery time to allow the site to naturally regenerate.
Available on:
Florida Keys: Marine & Wildlife Conservation – 16 days
Coral Restoration Foundation
Get up-close experience with scientific fieldwork and coral reef restoration. Snorkel for a unique “birds-eye” view of coral nurseries and active restoration sites on nearby reefs. Discuss coral tree and nursery advantages and disadvantages while exploring various aspects of maintenance & materials. Delve into outplanting techniques and methodology, invertebrate field guides, coral identification & biology.
Available on:
Florida Keys: Marine & Wildlife Conservation – 16 days
Eco Maui
On this environmental community outreach program, learn about Maui’s natural environment and participate in a service learning project which will support an environmental or cultural restoration site.
Available on:
Hawaii Service & Adventure – 20 days
Enrich L.A.
With over 116 school gardens built in L.A., help care for a garden and engage with the students who benefit from eating its healthy produce.
Available on:
Pre-College Enrichment Los Angeles – on the Campus of UCLA – 14 days or 21 days
Pre-College Enrichment Los Angeles – on the Campus of UCLA plus Hawaii Extension – 32 days
Life Monteverde Co-Op
Help promote sustainable living on this 42-acre farm by planting trees, taking care of the animals and helping with organic fertilizing.
Available on:
Costa Rica Service & Adventure – 28 days
MarineLab
Learn about various adaptations and behaviors of marine invertebrates and observe these adaptations firsthand through short experiments conducted while snorkeling.
Available on:
Florida Keys: Marine & Wildlife Conservation – 16 days
Maui Cultural Lands
Spend a day learning about marine ecosystems and coral ecology. Have fun getting into the ocean to do your part to help the reefs heal and ensure a healthy marine ecosystem for the future. Then head inland to the Honokowai Valley to visit one of the richest archeological sites of the Hawaiian people. Here you will help maintain the sites to keep them clean of invasive species. You’ll also learn about Hawaiian medicinal plants and applications, and assist with their primary goal to reforest the Honokowai Valley with native and endemic Hawaiian plant species.
Available on:
Hawaii Service & Adventure – 20 days
Reef Environmental Education Foundation
Become a Citizen Scientist by taking part in the Volunteer Fish Survey Project, an effective and powerful ocean program that allows scientists and resource managers to use the data to better understand and protect ocean ecosystems worldwide. Explore South Florida’s diverse tropical ecosystems, understand their importance, and discover how individuals can make a difference in conservation while kayaking through John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park.
Available on:
Florida Keys: Marine & Wildlife Conservation – 16 days
Skyline Conservation
Take an eco-adventure zip-line tour with Skyline Hawaii as they share the history and culture of Hawaii.
Available on:
Hawaii Service & Adventure – 20 days
Somosomo Village, Fiji
Work alongside a marine biologist to help with ongoing environmental sustainability projects. This could include Mangrove planting, coral reef surveys, invasive species removal, beach cleanups, coral planting, fish id/counts, constructing incinerators, and marine enrichment.
Available on:
Fiji Service & Adventure – 18 days
Fiji Service & Adventure Plus Hawaii – 23 days
Wildlife Conservation
Costa Rica Animal Rescue Center
Volunteer at this animal sanctuary, where different animals and wildlife are rescued, rehabilitated, and released back into their natural habitat.
Available on:
Costa Rica Service & Adventure – 10 days, 21 days or 28 days
Elephant Rescue Park
Spend quality time with Thai Elephants at this rehabilitation center.
Available on:
Thailand Elephant Service & Adventure – 16 days or 25 days
Latin American Sea Turtles (LAST)
Help with various tasks with LAST including boat trips to conduct in-water studies, lending a helping hand in the sea turtle rescue center, work on mangrove reforestation project and with beach cleaning.
Available on:
Costa Rica Service & Adventure – 28 days
Costa Rica: Sea Turtle Conservation – 14 days
Malama na Honu
Help Hawaiian sea turtle protection efforts through education, public awareness, and conservation tasks.
Available on:
Hawaii Service & Adventure – 20 days
Hawaii Sea Turtle Conservation – 11 days
Maui Ocean Center Marine Institute (MOCMI)
Help with various tasks with MOCMI, including data collection, beach cleaning, and coral reef ecosystem assessments.
Available on:
Hawaii Sea Turtle Conservation – 11 days