Alumni Volunteers ~ After Your Project

Welcome VFP Alumni! Returned Volunteers are an integral part of our mission - joining together to improve all life on the planet. This part of VFP's website is for you - the thousands of alumni of Volunteers For Peace and International Voluntary Service.

Stay Connected

Help the staff of VFP stay in touch with you by letting us know your current email and mailing information. Please email us your current information. For more information on how you can stay connected within the VFP Network please visit one of the topics below.

Sign-up for the VFP Monthly Email Newsletter
Volunteer Reports ~ Share Your Story
Volunteer Reports ~ Photos & Video
Become a VFP Project Co-leader

Sign-up for the VFP Monthly Email Newsletter

If you haven't already please sign-up for the VFP Email Newsletter. This monthly online publication includes articles on current events in VFP and the International Voluntary Service Network.

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Volunteer Reports ~ Share Your Story

We will renew your membership for 2011 if you submit any report (even a postcard or blog!) on your project experience, postmarked no later than October 1st, 2010 or within 30 days after your project ends.

Please send VFP (email or post) a few paragraphs or more with your candid opinion about the experiences you had. Information about the work, accommodation, level of organization, and how you got along with the other volunteers are particularly interesting to us. There is no special form to complete. Any photographs, particularly of the volunteers working are welcome. We are grateful for whatever you can share about your experience.

Also, for many of the projects where there is an extra fee, we will renew your membership AND refund $50 or more of your registration fee for any project report.

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Volunteer Reports ~ Photos & Video

Not only do project reports help us understand conditions at the idea variety of locations we send volunteers to but your report and any photos/video/webalbums or blogs's you send to us may be used in future VFP promotional items including the VFP website, videos, annual brochure or monthly email newsletter. We will renew your membership for the next year if we receive any photos/video or links to webalbums or blogs.

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Become a VFP Project Co-leader

As a Co-leader, you will enjoy the full voluntary service project experience while taking a more active role in the organization of a project within the United States.  You will have an opportunity to practice communication and leadership skills, and it can be a great addition to a resume.  Co-leaders must have participated in an international voluntary service project , be outgoing, enthusiastic people who are capable of providing fun, effective leadership.

To receive additional information on Co-leading within the United States please email Jane Skakel, US Programs Coordinator (incoming@vfp.org)

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Inspire Others to Volunteer

Share Your Story
Join the VFP Alumni Reference List
Become a Regional Advocate
Become a Campus Representative
Give a Presentation About Your Experience

Share Your Story

These websites provide a great platform to share your story and inspire others to volunteers abroad with VFP.

FACEBOOK: You can stay in touch with hundreds of VFP Alumni and inspire others to volunteer by joining the VFP Group on Facebook. Link your Facebook webalbums and videos to the group to share your experience with VFP.

YOUTUBE: If you have any video, you can either send it to Emma at VFP OR you can link your video to the VFP YouTube Webpage.

GLIMPSE.ORG: is a website about real life abroad that features stories by Americans living or volunteering overseas—interesting stories, surprising stories, stories that make you think. 

Their mission is to share stories that encourage readers to understand and care about other cultures, changing the way young Americans think about the overseas experience and challenging them to explore real life abroad. Interested? Get involved. Click here to find out how you can share your experiences and join a growing community of people who think, act, and live globally.

SocialDocumentary.net ~ is a new website for VFP volunteers to increase awareness about critical issues facing the world today. SocialDocumentary.net uses the power of photography to raise awareness about critical issues facing the world today—issues that VFP volunteers face every day in their work. You can upload images from your field work with descriptive text, captions, and resources to raise awareness, encourage action, and increase support for the issues you address as a volunteer.

Recent exhibits on SocialDocumentary.net have explored oil workers in the Niger Delta, the lives of women and migrants in Mexico, reconciliation in Rwanda, refugees from Iraq, Afghanistan and Chechnya and the spirituality of Tibet. The site also covers issues related to the United States such as gang violence, suburban and rural life, homelessness, steel workers, and aging.  To date, there are more than 120  documentary exhibits from around the world on SocialDocumentary.net. Photographers range from world-renowned professionals to committed amateurs. The common thread is good quality images, a compelling story,  and a desire to use photography as a tool to change the world.

All exhibits need to be approved before going live to ensure minimum standards of documentary quality and integrity. Once live, you can use these exhibits in your own outreach, fundraising, and advocacy work.

SocialDocumentary.net is offering a 20% discount to VFP volunteers off the normal rate of $1.40-$2.00 per image per year to maintain an exhibit. To access the discount, enter the promotion code VFP909 when creating an exhibit. This offer is good through September 2009.

Visit SocialDocumentary.net today to begin a free membership and to see how other global citizens are using the website to increase awareness about critical issues facing our world today.

VolunteerAbroad.com: Also known as GoAbroad.com is a great way to help promote VFP by sharing your volunteer testimonials. Simply visit the volunteerabroad.com website, find the country that you volunteered in and then post your Volunteer Testimonial.

USE THE MEDIA

Submit an article about your volunteer experience to your local newspaper. We have created a VFP Alumni Press Release to help you get started. Make minor modifications to customize the press release and submit it to your hometown newspaper. If the newspaper is interested in publishing an article, they will contact you or CCS. We also recommend a follow-up call to generate further attention and consideration of your story.

Using the press release is a very easy, yet incredibly powerful way to spread awareness about international voluntary service around the world. Follow these simple steps:

• Modify the sample press release.
  
• Identify three or more local publications.
  
• Send the press release to the editors of these publications.
  
• Follow up with a telephone call.

Email us for a copy of the VFP Press Release today!

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Join the VFP Alumni Reference List

Please let us know if you would be interested in being added to our reference list. Many prospective volunteers like to speak with or email someone who has done similar programs before, to get an idea of what to expect. Please inform us of your interest in serving as a reference for prospective volunteers by sending an email.

You will be contacted via phone or email and asked to share your impressions of the experience and candid feedback. This is an easy and important way to stay involved with VFP and encourage others to experience the benefits of international exchange and voluntary service.

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Become a Regional Advocate

Regional Advocates are alumni who have shown great enthusiasm about Volunteers For Peace and International Voluntary Service Projects, and have the ability to attend local events with the ultimate goal of promoting the overall mission of VFP. For more information, send us an email.

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Become a Campus Representative

Establish contacts with college faculty and students by delivering informational promotional items and telling them about your experience. Make a presentation about your experience to faculty members, student clubs and to your peers in class. College departments that would be interested in our programs include Study Abroad, Career Services, Undergraduate and Graduate Research, Civic Education, Community Service and Service-Learning.

Academic departments and student clubs that would be interested in our programs include Pre-Med, Med, Nursing, Public Health, Psychology, Sociology, Gerontology, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Anthropology, African American Studies, Asian American Studies, Latin American Studies, Language Departments, Social Services, Education, International Studies, Politics and Government, Women's Studies, and many more.

Let us know how many informational packets you need and your current mailing address. We will send you the packets to distribute to the appropriate departments you wish to contact. You can also put up posters in libraries, schools, or other public venues. Make sure to get proper permission for this when required. Send an email for information about how to obtain those flyers.

Additionally, we often need alumni to represent Volunteers For Peace at Career and Study Abroad fairs held at universities around the country. If you are interested in participating, please send us an email.

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Give a Presentation About Your Experience

Another great way to stay involved with VFP is to give a presentation about your experience!

This involves speaking about international voluntary service and sharing your experience with others in the community. Possible venues include your home, school, a local café, community centers, academic institutions, or places of employment. We have presentations that we can share with you to get you started. We are also happy to support you with promotional materia lthat you can distribute or a copy of a video on our volunteer programs. Send us an email to get started today.

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Donate to Volunteers For Peace

Many of us choose to donate financially to charities and causes we believe in. To support the mission and vision of Volunteers For Peace, and to help others participate in international voluntary service projects, we encourage you to consider making a donation to our organization.

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International Volunteer Day

Every year on December 5th, VFP celebrates International Volunteer Day - a day set aside by the United Nations since 1985 to celebrate volunteerism. On this day we pause to celebrate the many thousands of people who travel across the globe to serve the needs of their fellow man. International volunteers work side by side with local citizens in every corner of the world helping address every kind of need, including the UN Millennium Development Goals.

WHAT YOU CAN DO?

Help raise awareness by writing a phrase or two on December 5th about why or how your experience was meaningful to you. If you have a regular Facebook, Myspace or Blog presense, simply take 2 minutes and make your entry there. Or send an email to your friends, family and colleagues about the benefits to you and those your served. Consider including a link to the VFP Website to create further awareness. Together we can build a more peaceful world!

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