GVI, Ethical Impact: Volunteer in Tenerife

I spent six weeks volunteering in the whale and dolphin conservation Tenerife in November/ December 2023.

I had an amazing time and enjoyed every day. The daily activities felt meaningful and professional while still being fun. On the boat trips, we saw many pilot whales and were lucky enough to encounter bottlenose dolphins, Atlantic spotted and striped dolphins, a hammerhead shark and some curious turtles as well as flying fish.

Tenerife's landscape is beautiful, there are so many different things to do in your free time and the organized experiences are great too.

The staff members on the base are truly amazing. Very understanding, fun and you can feel the love that they have for their job. We were even offered great help when organizing trips in our free time. Occurring problems (Calima, short-term lack of water, minor injuries...) were handled quickly and professionally.
Of course, Tiny the cat deserves an honorable mention.
There are a couple of rules that need to be followed but I found these rules to be reasonable and meant to keep the participants safe.

Originally, I booked for four weeks but decided to extend my stay. It was super easy to do so, the e-mail support was great and everything was cleared for me to stay longer the day after I made the decision.

I got to know so many great people from all over the world, some of whom became good friends. It also helped me to improve my English.

There are only two little weaknesses in my eyes. One is the cost of the project. It is not easily affordable for young people. But you do know the prices from the beginning and there are good offers every now and then.
The second thing is that for me, it would've been great to start the project on a Sunday and also leave on a Sunday. I felt a little lost on my first two days as the weekends are free and we didn't quite know what to do yet. I also think it would be nice to have a last free day before leaving. On the other hand, I understand that starting on Saturday gives more time for people to settle, especially for people with e.g. long flights and possibly jet lags.

I had one of the best times of my life volunteering in the Canary Islands. This project made me want to pursue a career in conversation, especially marine biology. I am already looking into booking my next GVI experience.

I spent two weeks volunteering with GVI in Tenerife and my experience was simply amazing. As a young woman I was looking for a safe way to travel. I wanted to meet new people and do something meaningful. The GVI program was exactly what I was looking for. The volunteering work was very interesting and made me even more passionated by wildlife conservation. I loved to meet all these people and work together in trying to preserve the environment. I learned a lot and came back with so many good memories. I can’t wait to join another program.

The accessible opportunity to gain useful experience in the industry and field alongside professionals. This environment is friendly and pro-learning to encourage each individual to explore their own knowledge and abilities.
This experience has taught me how to go out on my own and create experiences that will help me reach my goals, positively impact the environment and create lasting friendships. The accessibility of this opportunity allows a wide range of inderviduals to gain knowledge and experience.