Adventures abroad
Worlds away, teens help themselves by helping others
By Brendan Rogak

The world often seems too big, complex and frightening to even contemplate. But the fact savvy teens understand is that the world is shrinking, and as a result, all of our actions have an increasingly significant impact on the Earth and its people.

Rather than merely sitting back and letting things happen, more and more young women and men are acting on the impulse to make a direct difference in the world by volunteering in foreign lands. To meet the demand, there are now dozens of organizations offering opportunities to high-school students looking to donate their time and energy toward the improvement of underprivileged people abroad, and the environments in which they live.

Founded in 1994 by a former engineer with AT&T, Cross-Cultural Solutions (www.crossculturalsolutions.org) offers teens a comprehensive volunteer experience centered on community service work like child-care, English instruction, and medical assistance. But there's much more on the agenda than labor. Personal development is strongly emphasized, and teens are supplied with language lessons, guided tours, and plenty of free time to explore on their own.  Cross-Cultural Solutions arranges volunteer trips of two to twelve weeks in duration to several locations in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe. Applicants under 18 must submit to a review by program directors, and if you're under 16 you have to be accompanied by a parent.

Cosmic Volunteers (www.cosmicvolunteers.org), is another option, with a wider array of locales and concentrations for teens wanting to serve abroad. Opportunities are available in places and areas as diverse as wildlife hospitals in Kenya and newsrooms in Ecuador.

Both organizations list the safety of their volunteers as a primary concern. They that the programs aren't for everyone, but require advanced maturity and awareness. At Cross-Cultural Solutions, teens
are given supervision and structure that interferes minimally with the authenticity of the cultural experience. Cosmic Volunteers screens most families and workplaces and has safety personnel on call, all day, every day, but lets teens do their own thing for the most part.

Volunteering can be a life-changing adventure. Learning the ways and customs of another people gives kids a broader perspective and teaches lessons they can apply when they return home. Molly, age 17, who volunteered in Thailand, called her trip "the best thing I've ever done." Sandra went to Kenya to work in a wildlife preserve, and was struck not only by the up-close exposure to animals she'd previously only seen in zoos, but also at how easily she adapted from the lifestyle she was used to.

If you can make yourself comfortable in a place with limited access to running water and electricity, and live and work among people whose lifestyles and language are completely different from yours, you are
better prepared for any challenges you may face once you return. Seeing first-hand how your hard work lifts up people in need gets you into the habit of helping.

The bottom line is that after a few short weeks of volunteering in a foreign country, there's a good chance you will be instilled with the virtues and values that enhance your confidence, self-esteem, and
worth as a citizen of the world.