The United Nations General Assembly declared 2011 as the International Year of Forests to raise awareness on sustainable management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests.

The USDA Forest Service is working with the State Department, other federal and state agencies, and partner organizations to promote the International Year of Forests in the United States of America.
In a press notice released on November, 4th USDA Forest Service said:
“Volunteers work is important to the Forest Service and they perform many and varied
types of work, whether in a one-time project, several months, seasonally, part time, or full time ”

If you want to help out, volunteering opportunities can be found on Forest Service website and some of examples are listed here:

• Volunteer Management. They need managers to lead volunteer projects.
• Maintaining and hosting campgrounds. These volunteer positions generally require a minimum of two weeks.
• Answering phones, greeting visitors, and answering mail at Forest Service visitor centers and ranger stations.
• Monitoring wilderness use as a Wilderness Steward/Ranger.
• Join a group or work individually on trail maintenance and various building projects.
• Working with specialists in wildlife, botany, and fisheries/watershed research.
The volunteer program application can be made in different ways, as USDA Forest Service web page explains:
1. Download an application, fill it out, and mail it electronically to the email address listed with the volunteer position.
2. Fill out the application provided and mail it to the physical address listed with the volunteer position.
3. Mail the application to a volunteer coordinator.
4. Phone or email the person listed to ask questions or ask about local volunteer opportunities.

You cannot walk passed it, everywhere you go people are talking about the biggest football event that happens every four years. This year the World Cup is organised in South Africa and there are a lot of opportunities to do volunteer work in South Africa.

First of all you have the opportunity to experience the excitement of FIFA 2010 South Africa by volunteering for the FIFA itself. There are many volunteer opportunities available in major World Cup cities as Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town,…But there are some rules to take into account. First of all you have to be over 18 years old to participate, furthermore volunteers must reside in the host city where they will be working and you have to agree of course to the stipulated code of conduct before volunteering.

But there are also other opportunities given. Thanks to projects abroad for instance, you can work as a sports coach in South Africa. You will be giving children the opportunity to participate in sports, allows them to learn important lessons in working as a team, anger management and prioritizing a healthy lifestyle. The only thing you need to have is a real passion for sports and the drive to lead a group of children while executing a sports session.

Of course you can also volunteer for other projects like animals volunteer work. With Projects Abroad, you can choose your date of departure and the duration. This way you can make sure that you are volunteering in South Africa during the World Cup.

We all consider volunteering abroad as a noble cause and recognise that it’s a win win situation for everyone. Students learn things they would never learn in school and they become an important part of a local society who really needs the help. But the following story goes far beyond all of this.

A Palo Alto High School senior called Tess Pang is going to execute one of the noblest causes I’ve ever seen. The youngster will pass her next year 5.000 miles away and travel to the Philippines and Malaysia. These are two countries which are suffering from a crisis at the moment.

In doing so, the young girl wants to help her homeland but of course there are some concerns that have to be kept in mind. Although the fact that she will be at risk in these countries, the brave girl says that this is the least of her concerns. She says that she is more worried about the possibility that she wouldn’t even be possible to help just one person.

Pang will work for the Presidential Advisor for the Peace Process in the region of Mindanao, with an uncle of hers, for the organization Philippine Projects and more. She says that when she goes to college, she wants to be able to argue with her professor and challenge her peers by talking about subjects that they have never experienced before.

This is a brave girl who is willing to make a difference and give a meaning to her life at a very young age. She is on a mission and this mission is helping the people of her homeland. She gets the opportunity to travel abroad, explore, see the world, learn new things and help a local community by going on this volunteer travel.

You are a dynamic person that is eager to give something back. But you are still not convinced that volunteer work abroad is the right thing to do for you and you are searching for that last ‘push’ that tells you why you should volunteer abroad. Well, the following text is a guide through the positive aspects of working voluntarily. Maybe this is just what you need to make up your mind.

First of all there is the fact that during the financial crisis, there is a hard competition on the job market. Adding on your CV that you worked as a volunteer, can just be the tipping point in your advantage. It shows that you are dynamic, adventurous, generous and that you have a good morality. It can be a way of standing out from your competitors.

Another advantage is that during the volunteer program, you meet new people from all around the world with different points of view and different qualities. You will be able to learn a lot from them and you expand your international professional network which is very important in the modern world we live in considering the expanding globalisation.

Furthermore, it gives you a feeling of self-satisfaction, you are helping a local community in need and become a part of their culture and daily life, you see things that no one else will ever see, you learn new skills, do things that you never thought you were capable of doing and you will learn much about yourself.

In conclusion, working as a volunteer enriches both your personal and professional life in a way you could never imagine.

‘Voluntour’ trips give the opportunity to people in feeling satisfied by offering them volunteer vacations all over the world. There are hundreds of trips where people can go to be part of a community and experience a different culture but still having the feeling of a vacation.

These trips are usually traditional travel trips combined with volunteer working. You can participate for 3 weeks or longer and choose activities like teaching English, help the healthcare services, work in a wildlife conservation,…The trips are really getting to win popularity and more people take their children with them.

Currently 10% of gap adventures are voluntour trips. travelers are getting more and more interested in the matter and there is a big rise of new possibilities for these trips in 2010. We all want to give something back, and the voluntour trips are just a great opportunity in doing so.
If you are interested in going on a voluntour trip, maybe you can contact Globalvolunteers.org, Amizade.org, Volunteersforpeace.org or Projectsabroad.org. And feel good about your vacation.

Volunteering is a unique way to share whatever blessings that you get. It is as well the best way to help others who were in need. There are in fact various definitions about volunteering but basically it means lending a hand to others with no pays at all. It is a self-fulfilling feeling that you can share something in return after what you have got. Despite that you don’t get something from volunteering with regards to financial matter, but definitely there are benefits that you can get from the program itself emotionally.

If you join the volunteer program you will have the chance to make new friends. There are many volunteers from the different countries that you could mingle; from them you will learn various cultures, language and ways of life. Volunteering is the key for you to explore many careers and personal interests because within the volunteering operation various opportunities will come out. For students, volunteering is a great key to get college applications or earn immense recommendations for employment purposes. If you were looking for a job opportunity and if you include your experience of volunteering in your resume you will have the chance to easily get hired.

Believe it or not, but the other thing that volunteer work could give to the volunteers is it helps enhance if you have marketable skills, and definitely increase your self-confidence. Though volunteering does not typically involve money, but if you use your experience from it and the benefits that you get you will surely be successful in whatever goals you have in life. The hidden talent that you have could be developed when you immerse yourself from volunteering. Volunteering therefore is not about sharing alone but you will also get something from it, something meaningful and worthy to remember. If you were confused of yourself and want to do something beneficial, volunteering could be a good way.

Why Volunteer? What benefits that I can get from volunteering? Would it help me in the Future? Some questions particularly asked before doing so.

According to Albert Einstein, Not Everything that Counts can be counted and not everything can be counted that counts.

The value is people volunteer for reasons that they want to meet other individuals who are in need and contribute largely to community. Some people would want to gain experience, develop skills, enhance confidence and increase the network of contacts for a future job. One thing also why volunteer is to be part of the community because we sometimes take it for granted and our traditional values was being rejected. Volunteering is eventually about serving others and giving an impact on other people well-being. Volunteering is a sense of achievement and motivates us to give our time and share your skills.

There are some volunteer activities such as teaching to Cambodia that you’ll going to be a part of an international program to offer English teaching to local students in raising money in working the local organization to improve the livelihoods with the rural communities.

Volunteer in America which is the most top of the nation’s human service provider emphasizing the needs of the children and teaches children some values. America provides a Youth volunteer programs wherein encourages in providing an opportunities of service-learning. It is designed for the youth those ages 11-17 years of age. The goal of this program is to help to learn the human service field and building up careers in the future.

There are also Volunteer programs in Africa that concentrates more on volunteering or giving service to African people. Africa is known as crowded developing countries with a poor quality healthcare. Africa is the top of the issues of the worst healthcare such as malaria, STDs and AIDS pandemic. One of their wish is to volunteer in providing accessible and affordable healthcare to some poor communities in Africa. What they are mostly needed is a volunteer nurse, midwife, doctor or any public health administrator.

Every year, thousands and thousands of volunteers are flocking abroad to experience volunteer work abroad. Though there are various countries that are fortunate and rich, however there are more countries that are less fortunate and needs help from other countries. Literally, volunteering is not about heroism but it is about sincerity to help the others and making difference from the other international programs. Since volunteering is considered as a vacation, it is advice for the volunteers to follow some tips on how to take an international volunteering vacation.

These are some helpful tips how to take a volunteering vacation abroad.

• Take some advices in booking—some of the international volunteer work requires the volunteers to pay, in cases like these always assure that the amount you give is paid to the right pockets. Don’t rush yourself and be wise enough to ask the hotel you were staying how much percentage of your money will going to your targeted community.

• Always depend for responsible operators—before flocking abroad to participate in an international volunteering you should check first if the tour operators that will hold you are responsible enough to take you into their account. The first thing that you can do is ask some things about the company. Such like the company’s practices, if the company gives some portion of their profit to charities, and more significant activities regarding the program.

• Having a target for your donation—though you only have small amount of something in your pocket for the various charities, it is good to donate in one or two organizations to make sure that it has a high impact. Having a targeted organization for your donation is a good idea so that you will know what they do with the donation you share.