This book is full of excellent volunteer opportunities around the world. The writers of this book did an outstanding job of showcasing opportunities and giving you the details on programs throughout the United States and in countries around the globe.

They divided the book into categories so you can focus your attention on a particular type of project. Some examples include, working with children, healing the environment, animals, peace building, bridging cultures, crossing generations, scientific research and share the health. Within each category you can then browse the make a difference programs.

healing the environment

*Healing the environment offers forty-seven opportunities.

One opportunity is a program on the island of St. John for those wishing to donate time for trail clean up, painting, light carpentry work or helping in the kitchen or shop. Volunteers can stay as long as they like and they are given shared beach cabins, meals and all necessary training. Transportation is not provided.

working with children

*Working with children offers forty opportunities.

These volunteer opportunities include a children’s language program in Delhi, India. This project is offered for up to two weeks with volunteers living in a residental project house with kitchen facilities. Volunteers play games, teach cooking classes, sing songs and play charades to build English vocabulary and pronunciation skills in the children. This program has a low cost of $450 for one week and $575 for two weeks. The fee covers housing, two meals a day, airport transfers, culture and local orientation and basic language instruction.

scientific research

*Includes forty-five opportunities.

Scientific Research offers a program to help restore a medieval village in Italy. This project is the restoration of a village which will become an ecological village and cultural research center. Here you’ll clear paths, install signage and help make improvements. This project offers visitors an opportunity to spend two weeks volunteering while staying in a guest house and sharing communal prepared team meals. This project area is home to beautiful undeveloped beach and hillsides for long walks. The participation cost of this project is $265 and includes meals and accomodations at the guest house. Transportation is on your own. The nearest airports are Genoa and Nice.

As the title states the book offers 500 places where you can make a difference. There are so many wonderful options. I book marked over twenty five I loved and would like to consider. This is a great book and one I highly recommend for everyone. It makes a great book for a family, a traveler, for anyone seeking to make a difference on our planet. To learn more details on these projects and many others get a copy of 500 places where you can make a difference and feel the difference by taking a volunteer trip in 2011.

Frommer’s Podcast about 500 places you can make a difference.

Frommer’s 500 places you can make a difference

Volunteers must show medical proof of good health and have scuba certification with two years diving experience. Volunteers live in apartments five minutes from the dive site and live in groups of three. The working group typically consists of 5 to 9 people and from what I saw on the site the trips are generally thirteen days in length and are offered several times per year.

 The cost of the trip is listed at $2,646 with fellowships available to defer costs. Honestly having lived in Micronesia and paid the airfare back and forth several times over if this trip is inclusive of airfare this is a steal. I paid upwards of $1,500 just for airfare and this trip includes diving in Truk lagoon  to assist with preserving the natural and heritage attributes of the Truk lagoon. It also includes accommodations and food for the volunteers. This sounds like an amazing adventure and opportunity to learn more about the history of the island of Chuuk, in the Federated States of Micronesia while diving the beautiful waters and doing something wonderful to preserve the history found there.

Flickr photo: Chuuk Micronesia, Truk Lagoon By: j cator photo’s

This organization also offers students the opportunity of applying for a scholarship program to assist with paying for this South Pacific adventure. When I choose Tahiti and a scholarship for a high school student I was given a list of 12 possible scholarship programs; several through stateside universities and a few through private foundations. What an amazing opportunity and option for a motivated teen to spend three weeks in the South Pacific learning new skills and gaining insights that few have the opportunity to experience in their lifetime. This program began in 1986 and the website shows that the trip is usually for a group of ten students and that students travel in groups. To apply for the Action Quest Program in Tahiti there is a written application as well as a telephone interview. Cost of this program without a scholarship is  listed at $4,790. Other programs are available for the Caribbean, Galapagos Islands, Australia and the  Mediterranean.

 Tahiti Picture: Flickr photo by mewtate