Volunteering Programs by Volunteer Programs Bali

Though I am quiet young and I have never left Europe before I always felt safe and comfortable druing my time in the program. The support is excellent and every one is very kind. During my time I have learnt at lot. I have learnt things about the Balinesian culture but I have also learnt a lot about myselfe. I can really recommend this organisation and it's programs. I am looking forward to visit Bali and VP Bali again though I don't know when I acctually will. But I will

A normal week day would start with preparing classes with my co-teacher (Rose). We would talk about what we had done with this class the previous day and what we wanted them to do that day. These preparations never took too long since usually you had to adjust your plans to the number of students present and to their wishes (Some days they would ask us to play a specific game which we would try to fit into the class plans if it matched the topic). Usually there was also time to do yoga or go to the market in the mornings if we wanted to. Classes started in the afternoon and in the beginning it was very helpful to have Rose with me who had been volunteering for longer and could lead the class. After a few days I wanted and was able to take on more responsibility. Teaching the students who were different ages and had very different English skills was always fun as they were very motivated to learn and seemed happy to be there. I was surprised by how polite and respectful they were with us eventhough we were younger than regular teachers. The only thing I found challenging in the beginning was how to explain some games or tasks to the younger classes (whose level of English was very basic) since I do not speak Indonesian and sometimes they wouldn't understand my instructions in English. But I learned very fast that there was always somebody around who could help me translate to Indonesian (Ami, Kimberley or Novia) and also the stronger students would help to explain to the weaker ones.
Over all, it was an amazing experience to see the students get used to me and my teaching style and open up to me and make a little bit of progress every day, even if it was just learning one new word. Their smiles and laughter will probably be one of the things I will remember and miss most about the program. I wish I could have stayed longer than 3 weeks and I would recommend staying at least 4 weeks to anybody who wants to volunteer with VP because after a few weeks the students really know you and you know them and have gotten used to Balinese life and culture and you will not want to leave then.
I found that all the girls volunteering with me were amazing people and I had a great time getting to know them and the VP staff. Everybody was extremely friendly and we would always help each other (concerning classes, visa, money or even food places). I will miss the people in this program so much because you grow very close to each other over the course of the weeks.
I think this program is one of the best things you can choose to do and will definitely make you realize what really is important in life.

I had an amazing time with the students. It took some time for me to grasp the difference in language (even though it's similar to my language). The kids are eager to learn and we feed each other's energy very well.

I found this volunteer program through a friend and I must say it has been one of the best experiences of my life. The kids are... well there are no words to describe them and you will have the chance to meet people from around the world. If you are hesitating, just do it. Seriously you will never regret it.

My time at the Program by the Sea was amazing and I learned a lot about the Balinese culture and people and about myself. The ambiance was great and I really bonded with the children of the school since I lived next to their doors. I defenitely learned a lot from everyone in terms of looking at life, behaviour and facing extreme situations. Thank you to everyone who made that stay in Bali unforgettable!!

In those 2 weeks working at the WG Project in Bedulu I met awesome volenteers, a great hostfamily and a lot of lovely kids in school. I would definitely recommand this project to everybody who wants to experience the balinese culture at his best. Plus: Pretty much all of the volenteer program fees you have to pay go to the local projects, which isn't necessarily the case in a lot of other volenteer programs around the world.

Thx VP Bali for everthing!!

Overall I really enjoyed my stay here, to me it was perfect.
Teaching the Kids was fun - although it was harder some days as they were exhausted or not motivated a few times, but this can happen to everyone right?! And we had some really fun days - the dancing part with the girls, I enjoyed the most.
Moreover I liked the evenings together with the all the other volunteers; good group, good vibe - lots of fun. Finally I think Ubud is a pretty good place for volunteers to stay, I felt absolutely comfortable here. Ubud has so much to offer and is absolutely interesting - so a great location to stay and be a volunteer. :)

I really enjoyed my volunteer work at VP Bali. We stayed at a lovely homestay, everything was clean and we had awesome breakfast.
In addition, all volunteers from one program stay at one homestay which makes it pretty easy to make friends and to feel like home in Bali. VP Bali is indeed a family of volunteers.
During my two weeks, I was able to teach two groups. The younger ones, roughly 8, and the older ones, between 13-15 years old. I enjoyed co-teaching and working with the kids, they were so enthused!!
I would definitely recommend volunteering with VP Bali. If you habe time, spend more than 2 weeks!
And also Ubud as such is a great place to stay. Friendly people, awesome food and restaurants, and a warmly atmosphere. Also for travelling at the weekend, Ubud is centrally located.

I was in Tianyar for two weeks and have met some of the most incredible people I've ever known! The village feels like a home away from home and you'll always be greeted with a smile and a "Hello, how are you?" - a truly amazing atmosphere. Program by the Sea gives you are great opportunity to experience Balinese life at all levels.

The children are an absolute pleasure to be with and love having your attention. It's amazing how even in a short period you can form such a strong bond with these children and you can really see how grateful they are to have you there. During your first couple of lessons it is occasionally tough to find new ideas to bring and inspire the children but once you know your class, you will find your feet really quickly.

There's 3 major things to remember about this project, the first being that the children have fun and want to return for more classes. The second is that you must be positive, patient and outgoing. And finally, be prepared for big class sizes. Don't come to this project intending to improve their grammar, what you need to do is improve their conversation English - this is the most important tool for their future.

It can be challenging at times as there is no curriculum to follow however, this can also be a benefit as you are able to teach whatever your English language passion is. One tip of mine would to make a list of things you would like to teach them and then amend the difficulty to suit their needs. The hours are 2 one hour and a half sessions from Monday to Friday which means you have time off at the weekend to explore Bali.

There are probably 101 things I've forgotten to say about the children and Yayasan because they are just fantastic. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone as it is hugely rewarding, but you must be prepared to think for yourself and throw all the time and energy you have into the program. It will be an unforgettable experience should you chose any of the projects.

I found the Ubud program to be a really positive experience for me. It was challenging at first because I had no previous teaching experience plus no experience working with kids. However, it is important to challenge yourself which is why I chose to do this program. After the first few days you will easily be able to get into the swing of it because the kids were eager and motivated to learn, the classes were fun plus the program staff and other volunteers were wonderful. If you want to immerse yourself in a different culture, language and way of life while having the time of your life then you should do this program.

this was the best part of my life so far, this program was the best decision i ever made, first i had a really big connection with Bali since day one, i felt m home, everybody is welcoming, cheering, smiling, social... volunteers where family, the family we leaved with, was literally a family, where i teared when i left and said goodbye, the coordinators are such an inspiration that you will admire, full of energy happiness and fun. the students are the best part, when you know how to get to their heart and have that connection with them, you will earn their love, they are all smart, ambitious, love work, and they really make your day with their laughter, it is so fun to teach them and put all your energy in teaching with fun, games, laughter and craziness just free yourself from boundaries and act a child, you will love it. believe me when you leave, you will be sad, you will cry and you will never stop thinking about them, you gave studies and literacy, and they will give you love, happiness, peace and they will change your prospective about life. you will learn a lot that you will appreciate it a lot. ubud is such a great place where everybody will make you feel home, it is really safe, and everything you need is near and close, the food and fresh juices are really amazing. just be careful on getting sunburns, dont be exposed to sun for more than 3 hours, and if you will drive a motor cycle be carefull. rather than that, everything is just perfect. you will just wish that you spent the rest of your life there...

We volunteered together with a friend at Program Ubud for 2 weeks in January 2014.

Ubud is one of the loveliest places on Bali - it's safe, there're many things to do and see (morning yoga, jewellery making classes, batik painting, white water rafting, those famous massages, various performances and so on) and there're a lot of good places to eat at. Even though the classes lasted for 3 hours in the afteroon, we were never bored.

The program was very well organized - from picking us up at the airport and the accommodation to the support we got during the program itself (from Kimberley, Jose, Novia and our homestay family).

Teaching kids was the biggest highlight of the program itself :) It was a very fun, exciting and interesting experience. BUT please do keep in mind that it involves hard work - be it preparation for the class or the class itself. The kids were very eager to study and absorbed all the materials very quickly.

Also you do get an opportunity to travel around during the weekends. Due to its convenient location, it's quite easy to get to different parts of the island - the choice is yours - surfing in Kuta, enjoying wwaterfalls in the north or diving in Amed.

Bottom line - to go or not to go? Definitely yes! Trying is much better than listening to others - you'll never know what it's like until you're there :)

Overall, I really enjoyed the program and am glad I made the decision to participate in it. Working with the kids was impactful for me as I don't get to work with young children in my day to day job, and haven't done much volunteer work with young kids before.

My main challenge however was not speaking any Indonesian, I think preparing with basic vocabulary and/or simple instructional language would have been helpful prior to my visit. It was somewhat frustrating not being able to communicate directly with the children, as I felt this limited my ability to teach them (even with Novia in the room).

This is an excellent experience and very fulfilling. Make sure
You bring some resources because they can be limited and try and get
Comfortable riding a scooter or can can get expensive getting lifts everywhere even in Bali

Program orientation was very useful at the day of my arrival. I had no previous experience of teaching but I received some useful tips on teaching and what do students expect from the teacher that appeared to be important and very practical. Although some resources are limited and there's some lack of teachers, most of the students in (program by the sea) are very active and very eager to learn. They are very smart and respectful. I started to connect with the kids at the end of my volunteering period and I wished that I could stay longer to make a bigger impact. My overall experience was amazing and I would definitely recommend this program to others who enjoy new experiences/cultures and want to meet new people and make new friendships.