Program Reviews

Hello! Yassou!
My husband Dave and I served in Heraklion, Crete, Greece, a biblical island, with Global Volunteers from Saturday, April 22, 2023 to Saturday, May 6th, 2023, and our experience was awe-inspiring with the snow-dusted White Mountains 🏔️ on an island that rose up more than 20 million years ago from the bottom of the Tethys Sea in a clash of the African and Asian tectonic plates which formed a chain of mountains surrounded by the aqua-colored Aegean Sea to the Northeast and Mediterranean Sea 🌊 to the south of Crete. Between the island of Crete and the Holy Land to the southeast is the island of Cypress; located southwest of the Island of Crete is the country of Lybia in Africa, and to the East is Turkey, a historic rival of over 2,000 years!

We learned so much in just a short two weeks about church, military, science and engineering, about geo-political issues of the island of Crete, and of the Minoans, the first civilization which began in Europe at the Palace of Knossos from 7,000 years ago on the island of Crete! After having experienced visiting the island of Crete, we stopped in at the Heraklion Archeological Museum, the Historical Museum of Crete, the Natural History Museum of Crete, and the Heraklion Heirloom Exhibit at the Basilica of St. Mark’s, and we included our findings in discussions of conversational English with Tenya’s students in the evenings from 5:30-9:00 p.m.

It’s compulsory for young people to pass English exams, in order to be admitted to a university. Volunteers aid students in becoming fluent in speaking English through question and answer sessions. Also, we played Uno two evenings at Tenya’s in between conversational English. Each evening, Tenya filled us with bakery goodies, and when we left, Tenya sent us home with homemade orange 🍊 marmalade, honey, homemade brandy, treats, and handcrafted book marks.

Additionally, we were taken on a tour of the burial museum at Agios Konstantinos, Church of St. Constantine and St. Helen, in Heraklion on our last day of service where we were educated about burial customs in Crete! Kitchen staff, Stavroula and Fr. Konstantine Pitsikaki were so warm, welcoming and, especially, generous as we peeled and cut onions 🧅 , carrots 🥕, potatoes 🥔 and tomatoes 🍅 and as we sorted bread in the kitchen where residents most in need stopped for meals.

While at Agios Konstantinos Church, we were offered coffee and goodies each morning that we served in the kitchen and in the church. We were sent away with gifts of red wine, candy, bottles of Greek olive oil, and we were offered meals daily, however we already ate in abundance breakfast at Anna’s Studio where we stayed for two weeks, and we were offered an abundance of food at Pitousi’s or Heaven restaurants daily for lunch and supper on the days that we ate with our teammates. We were truly blessed in abundance with all we needed and much more than we ever expected! We left Crete full of love, surrounded by the love of family, my husband, our teammates from Global Volunteers, by the staff at Agios Konstantinos Church, by Tenya and her students in the evenings, by the cab drivers who conversed with us and got us safely to and from our destinations.

We spent a three-day weekend prior to May Day going beach hopping along the northwestern coast to Chainia, Rethymno, and at Platanos. On May 1st, 2023, May Day, which most everyone takes off to celebrate in Greece, we golfed at the Crete Golf Course, and then we stopped at Creta Aquarium in Gournes, Crete located about 9 miles east of Heraklion. The Crete Golf Course has deep gorges as it is mountainous, so watch your step. Creta Aquarium is highly recommended for families to visit.

While in Crete, our shower was not as we had expected. It included a shower floor with a faucet and hand-held shower nosel which sprayed water all over the bathroom floor if we let it! But despite this, we had our needs met, and we were blessed in abundance! Some insights that came from this adventure-in-service mission trip through Global Volunteers: We are not called to live necessarily materialistically, with so much space and with so many products, but when we live to care for the environment, ourselves, and others, we will be truly blessed and more than we ever thought possible with healthy, nutritious food to eat, and surrounded by the love of family, friends and community!
Adio! Goodbye!

This was my fourth program and third country with GV (China and Poland). Had just as meaningful and exciting experience in Portugal as the other programs. Wonderful accommodations, well organized program given events (teachers on strike), and wonderful opportunities to interact with students and local adults we tutored. Had a wonderful tour of Beja by a retired high school history teacher, and local volunteers were extremely nice and helpful. I fulfilled my personal goal to learn more about Portuguese history. I was able to maintain my special diet of vegetarian, fish and eggs with no problem, and got to try a couple of traditional Portuguese cod specialties.

Though I was able to only go for one week this trip, recommend 2 week stay if possible—better value, more opportunity to work with local students, and option to tour over the intervening weekend.

Volunteering in the Rio Grand Valley in southern Texas was my 5th Global Volunteers service program. We hear so much about our southern border in the news. It was great to visit and serve in the area. We learned so much and did what we could to serve the community. We started our service by volunteering at the Rio Grande Valley Food Bank, one of the largest in the country, where we packed 482 food packages to go to low-income families. We spent 2 days at the Humanitarian Respite Center where we were able to interact with refugee families and play with the children there. We also served at a local soup kitchen. During our free time, we were able to visit the Santa Ana National Wildlife refuge where we were able to hike to the Rio Grande. On our last day, we visited the border area and saw the border wall that separates Mexico and the USA. In addition to all the places we visited, we were able to help with a home construction project. We also listened to two local women who have worked in the area for decades and gave us PowerPoint presentations on the USA Immigration policies over time. Our team leader, Barbara Morris, did an excellent job facilitating our experiences in the Rio Grande Valley. This weeklong journey was a unique service opportunity and simply amazing.

I had an amazing experience while volunteering in Siedlce, Poland! From start to finish, the trip was well organized, details were fully communicated and disclosed, staff was outstanding to work with, everyone was welcoming, supportive and informative. This was a trip outside of my comfort zone, but the Global Volunteers staff put me at ease on many different levels. While at Reymontowka manor, we were treated wonderfully. We were provided with truly healthy and delicious meals every day. From the transportation to the grounds and accommodations - everything was well kempt, clean, and pleasing to the eye. I cannot say enough about how efficiently the schedule was kept and communicated to us. Teaching conversational English to children in nearby schools was satisfying and heart warming. I really felt like I was in good hands the entire duration of my trip to Siedlce, thanks to Global Volunteers.

This was my first volunteer experience, so I had no idea what to expect. Two good friends and I picked this volunteer experience because so close after COVID we wanted to stay within the US and my friend had heard great things about Global Volunteers. We proudly wore our t-shirts on the plane with us and upon arrival at our connecting airport met two other volunteers heading to the same location. We instantly bonded!
Our group was "opening" the site after being closed for 2 years due to COVID. Peter, our fearless leader was great! He shared with us all of the volunteer opportunities (of which there were many) and we were able to have some choice into what we wanted to be involved in. Every day we had a morning meeting, and every evening a "debriefing" where we shared our experiences with the group. Besides "work" we were given plenty of opportunities to learn about the Blackfeet culture, to meet some of the local people and to see some of the sites with a local guide. We met some of the local artists and learned so much more about the Indian culture. We went on a wonderful horseback riding trip through the mountains. What has stayed with me, is that, away from work, family, friends and everyday responsibilities, I was able to find who I was again. This trip gave me such a sense of myself and what I can do to help others and I will take that feeling with me for a long time. My second trip with Global Volunteers is already planned, along with 3 of the other volunteers from the Montana trip!

Deeply involve native American daily life. Through food center, kid summer camp and senior center, we know what they need, and how we can help them. Meanwhile, we gain the knowledge from them about the culture, skill and habit.
On the food center, we worked with the staff of the local food bank, unloading deliveries and assisting community members in selecting healthy options.
Even the kid summer program is a high-energy assignment, it helps supervise field trips, play and direct games.
Meanwhile, we can assist the activities director at the senior center with stimulating projects and visit one-on-one with Blackfeet elders.
It is indeed a nice trip! You should try to experience this trip by yourself.

I've participated in Global volunteer programs in 3 other countries. This team was the largest team I've been with, there were 21 of us. Half of the 21 were folks under 26. The intergenerational nature of the experience was terrific. The team was cohesive, and fun! We had the opportunity to create a never before Summer School for kids in Castelvatrano. While it was challenging, it was also very rewarding.

I'd recommend the summer experience for families. It's a chance to work together as a family and build bridges with folks you would otherwise never interact with.

On of my best memories was meeting a young Ukrainian boy who just wanted to kick a soccer ball back and forth and enjoy the sunshine and storks flying overhead.

Another highlight was gathering round to draw pictures of our pets. Some of the kids were really talented and they love telling stories about their animals.

I was also fortunate enough to be in Warsaw for a special anniversary of WW2.

There was also plenty of time for exploring the sites of Warsaw and Krakow, or just reflect on your experiences.

I would recommend reading a bit about these two countries before taking part in the Program.

My 16 year old daughter and I volunteered at a Summer Camp in Castelvetrano teaching conversational English through Global Volunteers. The students were ages 6-10. The teacher provided structure but we did have the freedom to incorporate our own idea's for games, lessons, outside activities and arts and crafts. We really experienced an insider's view of the local culture within the community.

This was a great way to bond with my daughter while both exploring something new together. We actually stayed in a Palace and worked within a team of 20 people. Half of the team were teenagers and although the other teens were on a different assignment during the day, we all met in the afternoons for team meetings and spent dinners and evenings together. The teens really bonded and had a blast. We were so fortunate to have so many kids close in age that all got along so well. The teens sat together during dinners and played cards and board games late into the night.

Our team enjoyed daily excursions after our volunteer work to archeological sights, beaches, an olive oil mill, cathedrals and historical buildings, gelato store, etc. etc. Castelvetrano is an ancient city rich in architectural history, small family owned restaurants, and traditions. We even had a meeting with the mayor!

We were provided with connection to a local agency for weekend tours. Most of our team participated in this and it was a way to see so much of the sights without the inflated touristy prices. There was so much to do and see. It was fun doing this as a group.

Our team leader, Giovanni was extremely knowledgeable as he was a local from Castelvetrano. He understood the needs of the team and guided us to achieve all of our goals. As well as making sure we always had what we needed. Whether we had concerns or dietary needs, Giovanni was easily approachable and always open to listening and resolving any issue.

I have taken several Global Volunteers trips and each one was very different and special in its own way. You would never have this type of experience just being a tourist. I would highly recommend it.

Our Global Volunteers trip to the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota in July 2022 exceeded my expectations. There were so many dimensions to our service program. Barbara Bicknell was our leader and she did an awesome job connecting us with the community. We stayed at a dorm of the Rosebud Episcopal Mission and Rev. John Willard was our host. On our first day after orientation, we visited a wildlife refuge and hiked to a waterfall and river. We were invited to sit in on two Tribal Council meetings, which gave us insight into the issues the Lakota Tribe dealt with. We were invited to work with the Tribal Land Office. We worked alongside Lakota women and men foraging for various plants used by the tribe and we worked with them picking up litter at the cemetery and a small lake. The Lakota provided lunch for us on some of these occasions. We all felt very welcomed by these kind and generous people.
We were also invited to their Bison range and later attended a workshop at the Tribal Ranch with lunch provided. We learned so much about the Lakota culture through our involvement with the local community. Some of us participated in daily sage smudging prayer services. We were all invited and six of us participated in a sweat lodge ceremony along with Lakota women and men who had recently finished a Sun Dance. On our last day, some of our team cleaned out the basement of an Episcopal church while others of us worked with the Land Office at a Children's Day festival handing out helium balloons, candy, and water.
Each Global Volunteers trip is unique, and I list our service program activities to give future volunteers an idea of what we did. This journey was personally life-changing for me and I learned so much. The Lakota principle of interconnectedness with all the elements of nature is a way of life that really inspired me. I truly benefited from our interactions with these beautiful people who have suffered so much throughout time and they have enriched my life.