YouSocial Volunteer

YouSocial Volunteer

Why choose YouSocial Volunteer?

YouSocial Volunteer is a Social Platform that connects young leaders and social entrepreneurs with non-profit initiatives led by local NGOs in The Philippines, India and Nepal

Reviews

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Monica
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Transformational experience in Nepal

Volunteering with YouSocial Volunteer in Nepal has been a unique unforgettable experience! Proficient guidance of YouSocial Volunteer Staff. Supporting youth in Nepal with English lessons has been a life changing experience and I will never forget the passion & hospitality of the local staff.
One of my main learnings has been that creativity & innovation are key to manage scarce resources.
I will definately apply these learning in my current job and personal life.
Nepal is a magical place, and the combination of an amazing nature, delicious food and warm people, made it one of my favourite destinations worldwide.
I strongly recommend YouSocial Volunteer Program in Nepal to anyone that with a humble attitude is willing to connect and exchange experiences with a trusted NGO and community.

What was the most surprising thing you saw or did?
I was so passionate spending time with the local community, that I even managed to learn some basic sentences in Nepaleese that I used in my day to day. People were so exited every time they heard me speaking Nepalese!
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Sophie
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Social Entrepreneurship in the PARADISE!

One of most exciting adventures in my life!!!!
The NGO works in several Communities all around Philippines, and their projects focus in developing products based on local & natural raw materials existing in every community.

In our group, formed by diverse profiles (Tom (Engeneer from Germany), Sara (Marketing graduate from Spain), Joao (Economist from Portugal) and me, Graduate in Business Administration, the goal was to launch a local Bakery developing a Marketing and Logistics plan to sell bread, pastries and local food, that afterwards will be distributed into different communities. This project created a real impact in Community livelihood, since many families had to walk for hours or use transportation to buy bread, and now they have a bulding and can sell bread nearby too.

Also, Philippine people and kids in the community are always kind, quite and ready to share everything. :) Its a great opportunity to lears about their culture. I recommend you to enjoy this cultural exchange in the paradise!

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Enjoy the cultural exchange with the locals, and developing activities with impact but in a relaxed way. It's very important you have a humble attitude. They were the best hosts you can imagine :) Enjoy this amazing experience!!!
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Alejandro
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Volunteering in Community Kitchen was a fun, impactful and enriching experience!

I love cooking. It relaxes me while it drives my creativity. The pleasure of having family and friends over and cooking dishes with and for them is a feeling you can't beat.
Never would I’ve imagined my first volunteering experience in India was going to be behind the stove! But the opportunity presented itself and I decided not to let it go.
Cooking with young people from the most disadvantaged communities in Kolkata was one of the most incredible experiences in my life.
When I travel to another place, the first criteria I consider to choose the country is the human quality of its people; and cooking is something that revolves around people, their culture and way of being.
Food has the power to bring people together worldwide. Regardless purchasing power, culture, country or religion people gather to eat, share and experiment. During my volunteering experience, in addition to eating, we cooked together every day. It was a very special and effective way of sharing experiences of one's own culture and learning from others.
Doing Spanish cooking, nutrition and hygiene classes for the young people of the NGO was a great challenge for me since I had never done anything like this but above all it was an exciting opportunity.
I loved guiding them and coordinating the workshop so that each of the members was involved, learning and sharing impressions.
Above all, I loved seeing how they were interested in learning and understanding each recipe, how they coordinated with each other and how they put enthusiasm in every recipe we prepared. We also had a blast trying to pronounce the names of the Spanish dishes correctly!

It is fascinating to see how young people coming from communities with such a scarcity of resources and challenging environments have the ability to successfully perform relevant skills as team spirit, creativity and attention to detail… We, westerners, have a lot to learn from them!
The whole experience inspired me to step outside of my comfort zone and learn from those traits too. It was an excellent way of collaborating with a good cause while all along a cultural exchange was taking place making it a great learning experience.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Be totally open-minded! Share recipes, exchange ideas and knowledge about cooking world with Youth from the Community and learn from them and their local tasty recipes. You cant miss the local markets and the experience of buying fresh local food!

Programs

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Staff Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with program leaders.

Alex Mur

Job Title
Program Leader
Alex believes that education is the tool to change the world. With a positive mentality based on humility and perseverance, you can achieve what you propose by having a clear vision of your goal. Lover of the entrepreneurial ecosystem and innovation used to build a better world, he enjoys nature, the sea, surfing, and meditation.

What is your favorite travel memory?

My experience volunteering & surfing in The Philippines.

Developing activities and games with Children from the local community in Bohol was hilarious!

Surfing in the Coral Reef in the middle of the Pacific Ocean in Siargao was a unique experience too ;)

I strongly recommend to link a volunteer experience with another of your passions/favorite sports to enjoy the trip of your life!

How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?

In YouSocial Volunteer, I learned that having an open mind and being flexible to be comfortable in the uncomfortable will help you live a happier and more successful life.

I learned a lot from the local communities in countries like India, Nepal & the Philippines. They really know how to make lemonade out of lemons!

What is the best story you've heard from a return student?

Two volunteers that visited Nepal and got involved in the Health Nutrition & Hygiene Education project did an interview with the NGO founder and created an amazing video of it. This helped a lot for the Founder to visit Europe and get in contact with foundations and other organizations that supported access to Education and Hygiene in developing countries.

If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?

I would choose to go to India, and cook with the local community in Kolkata!

I love cooking, and especially, I love sharing dishes/recipes with other people, so this would be a great way to learn about Indian cuisine to cook tasty curries, vegetables and a huge variety of local food while sharing my knowledge about Spanish food.

What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?

YouSocial Volunteer is an amazing place to work, and this is possible because of the great attitude of everyone in the team. All Program Leaders visit the countries in which we have partnerships and volunteer themselves, so they know a lot about the local communities, the organizations and the local culture in every destination.

What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?

To be a successful company, you need to first know very well who are your customers, what are their motivations and especially what adds value for them.

In YouSocial Volunteer, we listen to our volunteers' suggestions every day and we keep close to them. Connecting experience of YouSocial Volunteer Team with customer feedback and a good implementation keeps us always on track!