During my semester in Milan, I enrolled in two social psychology courses that afforded me an in-depth education of the social justice system of the country. I visited a number of political and non-profit agencies and studied some of the conflicts the social system of Italy faces today.
A popular topic of social conflict I studied in Italy is illegal immigration. Italy’s legal policies against illegal immigration have historically been perceived as quite lenient.
Last year, I applied for, and did not receive, a Volunteers for Peace scholarship. Still hoping to spend my summer working on some kind of international project, I reached out to and obtained a research position at the University of Wisconsin’s Department of Applied Economics and Agriculture, where I cleaned and analyzed data from 90 interviews with peach growers from Bolivia. Although the work was often tedious, I found myself quickly feeling connected with the farmers, whom I could never meet but whose living situations, hopes and worries I read and entered into the ever-growing data set. I developed a much deeper appreciation for the environment, realizing that I had taken clean water, parks and fields for granted, while the livelihood of farmers in the interviews depended on the quality of the water that irrigated their orchards and the delicate balance of nutrients in the soil.
Over my 30-year career as a certified teacher, researcher, anduniversity teacher educator, I‘ve planned, facilitated and refined educational experiences for children from pre-kindergarten through adolescence, as well as for adults who teach (or were preparing to teach) in New York, Connecticut, Texas, and Arizona.During the summer of 2008, I served in Italy as a member of Volunteers for Peace, an international non-profit global immersion program directed towards arts, education, andcultural exchange, I was assigned to Barra, an economically disadvantaged area southeast of Naples.
We were thrilled to receive the release announcing volunteer, Ken Budd’s upcoming memoir! The Voluntourist chronicles Ken’s journey of personal discovery through his involvement short-term volunteer projects in New Orleans, Costa Rica, China, Ecuador, Kenya, and a VFP partner project in Bethlehem City, in 2009. THE VOLUNTOURIST: A Six-Country Tale of Love, Loss, Fatherhood, Fate, and Singing Bon Jovi in Bethlehem, goes on sale tomorrow, May 8th.
This semester in my international business class, I was lucky enough to hear James Kofi Annan speak about his organization called Challenging Heights. James, a survivor of child slavery, started Challenging Heights in Ghana to help educate children who have been rescued from slavery or any form of child labor. Child slavery is a major issue in Ghana and other parts of the world. The resolution of this problem requires a vast amount of resources, including the means to educate the world on what is happening and what needs to be done to help. James is helping the cause by educating people on the culture in Ghana and what caused the problem to happen. By understanding the underlying problem, people like myself realize this is a slow process that requires participation from people around the world, the families in Ghana, and even the children themselves.
Top Provider: With a minimum of 20 reviews across all programs and average overall over 90%, VFP has qualified for GoOverseas’ #1 badge!
“I see a lot of NGO organizations who use logo to show their spirit. What I think about International WorkCamp is a universal family – the people – who are willing to change themselves, consider deeply about the future of human society, and embrace the world kindly….”
“On behalf of SJ Vietnam, I am very proud of getting Volunteer Award which is the first time given in Vietnam for the most outstanding voluntary organizations who have made great contributions for community development in Vietnam. The award is more precious for us as we have celebrated 10th anniversary of International Year of Volunteers with lots of workcamps and projects during 2011″.
Today countries around the world, the UN General Assembly and Volunteers For Peace (VFP) are celebrating International Volunteer Day and the International Year of the Volunteer +10! Volunteering empowers people to take an active role in our world, provides opportunities to address social and economic challenges in a tangible way, and enhances international understanding and cooperation between people. Today we thank all who volunteer in their local communities and around the world. Together we are building a brighter and more peaceful world.
Watch VFP President/CEO Meg Brook on local Vermont TV program “Near & Far” discuss VFP’s work in Haiti!
http://www.cctv.org/watch-tv/programs/host-richard-kemp-and-meg-brook-volunteers-peace
Volunteers For Peace, Inc., 7 Kilburn Street, Suite 316, Burlington, Vermont 05401, USA
Telephone: 802-540-3060 | Email: infoREMOVETHISBEFORESENDING@vfp.org
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