There are a multitude of resources that could be listed on this page. We have compiled just a few that we believe you may find useful before or after your GCN experience. The resources have been sorted around the issues of Travel Assistance, Community Development, Fair Trade, and Philanthropy.
Global Citizens Network is excited to endorse the International Volunteer Card(IVC) The IVC is an internationally recognized identification and discount card, available exclusively to volunteers. Just go to the following web link to sign up and purchase the International Volunteer Card
If you work, volunteer, or are an immediate family member of an employee of a registered nonprofit organization that is involved in humanitarian work overseas, like Global Citizens Network, you can receive discount travel with Fly for Good!
Fly for Good provides support with online booking engine as well as email and phone service for complicated and uncommon destinations. Besides being able to offer discounts on our humanitarian contracts, airlines also provide additional benefits. Benefits included, but are not limited to:
1.) Changes to airline tickets with reduced fees often 50-75% lower than regular tickets.
2.) Refundable fares with reduced penalties often 50-75% lower than regular tickets.
3.) Free stopovers to cities while traveling internationally.
4.) An additional piece of luggage beyond the normal 2 piece rule. (only on select airlines, this does not apply to all airlines)
Note: Airline published fare tickets do not qualify for the above benefits.
You can also turn in your Fly for Good receipt for tax-deductibility purposes!
In the flights page, create your personal login by "signing in" in the sign up box. When you click sign up, there will be a highlighted part of the form that says Approval Code. Please enter the Global Citizens Network Code: GCY30 (case sensitive with no space)
Do you feel like you forget something every time you pack for a trip? Get organized with our interactive packing list! We've brainstormed a list of over 100 commonly packed items and separated them into categories, ranging from personal items to outdoor gear. Just check off the items you need for your trip, type in up to 10 additional items of your own choosing, and hit "Get My List!" We'll create a packing list customized just for you. You can print your list, e-mail it to yourself or a friend, or save it to your computer for easy access in the future. Give it a try!
>Includes information on outbreaks, specific diseases, recommended vaccinations, a
nd traveling with children and pets.
Official site of the U.S. Department of State. Includes information about countries
and regions, traveling and living abroad, and more.
Offers interactive foreign currency exchange rate conversion based on the 12:00p.m. EST buying values from the Federal Reserve Bank in New York.
Features a time zone map that displays current local time for locations around the world.
Features local times, calling codes and currencies for countries all over the world. A very helpful resource.
Interactive series of codes needed to make a phone call to and from anywhere by selecting the appropriate countries and cities from pull-down menus.
Language translator used for translating text or web pages from English and other languages to French, German, Greek, Chinese, Spanish, and others.
News source that synthesizes the news resources of over 1,600 organizations that promote human rights
News source by and about indigenous rights
Provide information and educational materials about peace and justice. Particular attention paid to nations of Latin America, Africa, Asia and Pacific, the Caribbean, and the Middle East
The Millennium Institute seeks to develop and provide advanced analytical tools for development on a national and global scale, and to form values-related questions and analyses on the consequences of development strategies.
Inform, education and organize to promote human rights, democratic participation, economic justice and cross-cultural understanding in the context of globalization, particularly in the Americas.
A magazine for parents raising little global citizens.
Organic, shade grown coffees and information on the ecology of coffee farming. "A cultural, social and consumable revolution with gro
unds firmly fixed in a Farmer Friendly Fair Trade Reality"
Provides fair income to people living in the non-Western world by marketing their handicrafts in North America. Ten Thousand Villages makes an effort to work with artisans who would otherwise be unemployed or underemployed.
St. Paul, MN 651-690-5255
Provide clothing, jewelry and gifts from cottage industries around the world. 20% of profits return to third world development.
A great resource for understanding tax deductability for volunteer vacations (November 2010)
http://www.bankrate.com/finance/taxes/volunteer-vacations-let-you-help-others-1.aspx
Directory of giving opportunities to socially responsible international organizations
Guide to local and national charities with information on how to donate, volunteer, and speak out on a variety of issues.
Online service that enables individuals to learn about microfinance, find investment opportunities, and invest. A web-based, eBay-like marketplace to connect ordinary people (with investable assets as little as $100) with microfinance entities that need capital.
Find out how you can support GCN by hosting an International Student with NACEL International School!
If you want to expose your children to other cultures in a way that is more real, in-depth, personable and memorable – by working in community with them rather than just traveling – this is the way to really learn about another culture.
We were exposed to something few of us get to experience. Most often we simply drive through communities. This time we got to meet and really get to know people, and they were so generous. We got far more out of the experience than we gave.
Kathy P., Rock Point, AZ (family of 4)
This was our best family vacation and a phenomenal experience. I feel extremely fortunate that I was able to do this with my children. My children realized that although the people in the community we visited didn't have a lot of material possessions, they had some things we didn't. The community members were funny, loving and generous.
The group experience was what made it so great. The team leaders were remarkable. They never passed judgment and treated my children like full members of the group, so they acted that way. The experience made them more confident and more excited about taking other travel adventures.
Marcy G., Xiloxochico, Mexico (family of 6)
Volunteering in Tanzania was a life-changing experience that opened my eyes not only to the needs of our fellow global citizens, but also to the lovable and exhilarating culture of Bukoba.
Megan age 19, Bukoba, Tanzania
GCN wasn't just a volunteer trip but instead a life altering two weeks that helped me discover myself.
Shannon age 15, Bukoba, Tanzania
Our GCN sponsored program in Tanzania wasn't a vacation but rather a deeply moving experience our family will cherish for a lifetime.
Sean, Dad, Bukoba, Tanzania
Working side by side with my husband and children, helping, reaching out, and learning from people in a culture vastly different from our own together as a family was one of the most valuable experiences of my life. We are already planning our next volunteer vacation.
Karen, Mom, Bukoba, Tanzania
This experience changed all of us. Nothing can compare with it. It's made my kids into global citizens. Before we left for Kenya, I was concerned that my kids were getting spoiled, but the trip showed them how happy people were, even though they had so little by comparison. They also discovered how much more important it is to have experiences instead of things.
My kids are so mature now as a result of the trip. They have a new and broader world view.
Nancy F., Maili Tatu, Africa (3 time repeat participant with 2 kids)
I took each of my two granddaughters on a trip when they turned 13, as a rite of passage. It was tremendously bonding for us. It deepened our love and our relationship, but it also sensitized the girls to different cultures and helped them gain an understanding and empathy for others.
One of my granddaughters was extremely wary. She said, "I don't know how to do this and I don't want to be there." But by the end, she was begging to stay. She had formed some amazing friendships. It was quite a transition.
My advice to families considering this kind of trip is this: Even if you have some hesitation, trust that the experience will be transforming for your child and for your relationship with your child. My two granddaughters are totally different personalities, but the same positive transformation happened for both.
We had so many one-on-one reflective conversations about what we were experiencing and learning. It's a different and more intimate way of being with children.
The team members were incredibly kind to my teenagers. The leaders were such good role models -- caring and inclusive.
Meg V., Rock Point, AZ 2003; La Push, WA 2007
The truly amazing thing about this community is the pride, character, and sense of respect you feel being with them. They carry themselves with esteem. Being with them, you know they will not only survive, they will succeed, collectively using the resources available to them for the good of the whole.
Joyce, Pennsylvania; Kenya Participant
With the beauty, the simplicity, the strength and comedy of this place, each day becomes an adventure to be anticipated.
Gladys, Ontario; Kenya Participants
I learned much more that GCN is about the process of building long term relationships with communities, not necessarily about the process of "building!" It was truly priceless to be allowed to be on the 'construction site' with a bunch of indigenous people in Mexico. Tourists DO NOT get that opportunity-nor should they. We all believed WE TRULY MADE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF OTHERS.
Diana, Colorado; Two-time Mexico Participant
I have just this last hour arrived back home after what can only be described as an experience of a lifetime, the people at Jampaling were wonderful and I return with a feeling of accomplishment, and everlasting respect for a group of people who work so hard with such limited resources to achieve their goals.
David, Ontario; Nepal Participant
As a GCN volunteer you expect to fill the role of giver, giving of your time, efforts, money and heart. During a recent trip to Nepal, I felt more like a wide receiver for a pro football team, with countless blessings being passed my way! It started before I even left with support from a bunch of people, some of whom I don't even know, my sponsors through fundraising.
Cherril, New York; Nepal Participant
A positive growing experience that will unfold as time moves on. I do appreciate the warm hospitality of the local Navajo people and thank them for all they did to open our eyes and heart to their life, culture and values.
Jerry, Minnesota; New Mexico volunteer
It has become the most meaningful thing I've experienced in my life. It was more than a casual cultural exchange. I never felt like a tourist - I felt like I was coming home.
Ted, New York; New Mexico volunteer
The trip to Rock Point was a wonderful experience for me. Our team really "connected" and are talking among ourselves of doing other trips together! We all agreed we haven't laughed and sung songs like we did there for a long time. The Navajo people are wonderful, and we were able to share songs, dinner with them and they with us. We were able to complete the projects they had for us and still have lots of time for culture exchange.
Lynne, California; Arizona volunteer
My goal was to get lifted out of my personal and professional rut, to have my head and heart spun around and to land more solid and grounded. For the most part this happened.
Nancy, Vermont; Guatemala volunteer
Because of a scholarship provided by Global Citizens Network, I was able to spend two weeks volunteering in Guatemala, in a rural village called Llanos de Morales. This was my second trip volunteering in a developing nation (I went to Nicaragua two years ago), but my first time working with GCN. My experience was unforgettable and I would recommend it to anyone!
The best thing about the trip was getting really close-up pictures of horses. The hardest part of the trip was leaving Chirapa
Tana-Isabel, Washington; Peru youth volunteer
I wanted to be "in the middle of nowhere" and enjoy it as well as learn about the Quechua culture. My comfort zone has expanded and I enjoyed getting to know the people!
The most inspiring moment for me was receiving a genuine Quechuan percussion instrument as a gift from the community. It showed me that the community valued my presence and it is something that I will never forget.
David, University of Minnesota Participant; Peru volunteer
As I zipped into my sleeping bag, I reflected on this totally crazy, awesome experience, and in many ways wondered how (why) we are having so much fun. This is -- by far -- the best trip we have ever taken as a family and perhaps even my best trip ever. Everything is an adventure. We are living it rather than observing it. Amy S., Chicago, Guatemala volunteer
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