Eye-opening, exciting, and worthwhile: ISV will change your life as you help change the world

ISV is an amazing program that affects the communities it serves as much as the volunteers who are doing the work. Every aspect of signing up and working with ISV is professional, efficient, well thought out, and fun. ISV has selected excellent leaders and guides to work with their volunteers - every project manager, contractor, activity instructor, host family member, you name it, was knowledgeable, welcoming, and comfortable to be around. I had the honor of working in the El Castillo community which was as wonderful as I could have ever hoped for.

One moment that I think exemplifies the total work that ISV workers completed is the work we did on Marun's house. Marun is an older man who lives in El Castillo. For the past 18 years he has been living in a stick and plastic tarp house barely the size of a college dorm room, and at one point lived with 9 other people. In addition to construction work we did on 2 other houses and the school, we were able to build Marun an entirely new house with a sturdy foundation, secure walls and roof, and a cement floor. So many members of the community came to join in on the labor and when the home was complete, it was so evident how grateful Marun and all of his neighbors were. On days when we weren't doing construction work, we were running a summer camp for the kids who live in the community. I cannot express the love that is shared between the volunteers and local students. The end of the project was full of tearful goodbyes, long hugs, and the knowledge that both the volunteers and the children made huge impacts on each other.

So what are you waiting for? Be a part of helping amazing communities like El Castillo develop through community construction and education. Push yourself out of your comfort zone by signing up for the Spanish Immersion week at the start of the trip (I would HIGHLY recommend this week. You become connected to the country, the culture, and your fellow volunteers so much faster this way). Conquer your fears and see even more of the Dominican Republic by sticking around for the Adventure Tour. If you have any hesitation about signing up with ISV, don't - you are not going to find an organization as valuable, supportive, fun, safe, or welcoming as International Student Volunteers. ISV changed my life and I know it can change yours too.