top

Highschool Volunteering

  • Unbeatable price and value
  • Over 99% satisfaction rating
  • Unforgettable historic sites
  • Give back to the world

Is your high school group eager to explore nature’s splendor and historic sites abroad, but at the same time bring small yet significant contribution to the community they visit? Are they enthusiastic on embarking on a safe, life changing volunteer program? Then you have come across the right program, that students and schools around the world trust. Helping Abroad’s high school group projects are extraordinary educational and learning opportunities for students. The program attributes service to disadvantaged communities and immersion into spectacular cultures, customs and history.

At Helping Abroad, the group will travel, live and volunteer together. They will receive orientations as a group, practice their leadership skills in the projects and bond with fellow students, sharpening their ability to work in teams. Helping Abroad selects projects carefully so that the effort of the group is ensured to be directed towards the welfare of the community, whilst the group savoring a safe, life altering journey of service and self development. It is, in addition, a good opportunity for the group to hone their language skills, as they can practice languages like Spanish or Portuguese when interacting with the locals and during sightseeing.

Contact Helping Abroad to customize your group program and dates.

A customized itinerary

Helping Abroad will create your group’s volunteer and travel itinerary carefully to match your unique goals and preferences. Tell us what interests your group most. Possibilities range from cultural immersion to travel and charitable services to education. Our experienced staffs and coordinators will customize your itinerary with great care.

Your group’s specific program planning process begins with a group representative emailing or calling Helping Abroad. Whether you’re a teacher, professional organization member or group leader, we coordinate with you, to pick a project area, set goals and draft an initial itinerary. According to your feedback, our experienced guides and in-country coordinators finalize a schedule that complements your group’s vision and interests.

Most group itineraries contain 3 phases ranging from 1 to 3 weeks.

Orientation phase (1-3 days): Orientation may take 1 to 2 days depending on your group's available time. If it's limited, we cover just local culture, religions, society, ways of life, safety issues and your project in our orientation. Then your group goes to the volunteer site. But if this portion is more than 2 days, we add language, cultural immersion and travel options.

Volunteer phase (4 days–3 weeks): Service is your group's main function. Depending on your available time, the volunteering portion ranges from 4 days to 3 weeks. To meet your group's interests, we can arrange a variety of projects such as helping orphans, teaching, construction, HIV/AIDS, women, etc. One project usually cannot host over 4-5 volunteers. So we typically divide larger groups into small subgroups of 4-5 members each. Our goal is to keep all groups in nearby areas so everyone can share their experiences in the evenings. Based on your location(s), most volunteers live in host family homes, hostels or hotels. Helping Abroad also arranges vehicles for daily transportation.

Travel phase (2-5 days): Exploring other locales is an important segment of your rewarding volunteer journey. Depending on your particular interests, the travel phase can last 2 to 5 days or possibly longer. During this time, your group will be able to explore your chosen country's landscape, forests, wildlife and historic sites. Experience the beauty and tranquility of foreign lands first hand and on foot as you travel and hike through the wilderness.

Does your group include over 3 people? Are you interested in creating your own volunteer and travel itinerary? We'll work with you to assure your affordable, unique, small-group volunteer journey in delightful global destinations is unforgettable.

Safety and supervision

Our first priority is your group's safety, so we assure it in four ways. Your group leader, accessible around the clock, is responsible for all students and their safety. Helping Abroad also assigns one or two local support leaders or in-country coordinators to help oversee students. Dedicated to your group exclusively, they're on call 24/7. Our experts know the area, culture and language well. So they're invaluable at facilitating communication and suggesting safe after-hours activities and sites.

We arrange group accommodations to keep your party together. Everyone may live in the same hostel. When smaller subgroups stay with multiple host families, their homes will be near your home base so everyone can meet up during your spare time. Helping Abroad screens and selects every volunteer project, hostel and host family very carefully to ensure a pleasant travel experience. Our trustworthy English-speaking host families passed background checks and have worked with us for many years. We pride ourselves on keeping everyone in trusted hands.

Popular group destinations/projects

Destinations:   Helping Abroad offers group volunteer programs in 20 countries. Our most-requested destinations are Costa Rica, Peru, Guatemala, Ecuador, Mexico, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Ghana, Kenya and Tanzania.

Favorite projects

Groups are welcome to select any program they prefer. In many counties, they may select multiple projects like teaching, orphanages and community development. Previous students like the following volunteer services best.

Costa Rica—Construction and repair

Build a school/orphanage

Sadly many trendy tourist spots include thousands of Costa Rica’s children and families who have a hard time keeping a roof over their heads. Orphanages and homes await major repairs while others are need volunteers like you to build them. Even if your group has little or no construction experience, your team effort is welcome. Eagerness to lend a hand makes a big difference.

Costa Rica—Work in an orphanage

Bring hope to underprivileged children

The kindness of positive role models means so much to orphaned, abused and abandoned children and those born to addicts. Donating a few hours a day can make a real impact. Besides teaching basic English, your group will involve these children in art, games, singing and other fun activities. Leaving Costa Rica and these precious youngsters behind may be hard, but they’ll remember your care and concern.

Peru—Help orphans

Improve deprived kids' lives

Orphaned and abandoned children rely on volunteers’ attention and affection. Helping Abroad’s orphan projects in Peru offer a large family atmosphere with full-time care and support. Volunteering just a few hours a day is a big help. Teach English, play with the kids and help them learn basic education and life skills. A little time, concern for needy children and eagerness to improve their situation are all you need to brighten their outlook.

Guatemala—Work with orphans

Bring a smile to poor children

Without parents to love and provide for them, Guatemalan orphans’ lives are lacking. Personnel and resources for orphanages are meager. But your group can provide much-needed enrichment. Teach English, supervise games, play and laugh. If you enjoy encouraging worthy children, this is the project for you.

Mexico—Encourage orphans

Make a difference at a children's home

Orphaned and abused children find refuge in a home in the busy Pacific port of Manzanillo. Your group can assist the devoted local staff. Help with homework, share your passion for sports or music and teach important skills for future success. Leaving them behind may be difficult, but your concern will make a positive impact on these needy youngsters.

Teach English

Help locals learn a new language

Work with children or adults who want to learn or improve their English language skills. What comes naturally to your group can really help non-native speakers with limited if any formal English education. Sharing the basics will expand their communication capabilities, confidence, socialization and success.

Mexico—Turtle conservation

Save endangered sea turtles

Anglers and traveling volunteers rescue around 4000 Olive Ridley turtle nests annually. But people still slaughter these endangered turtles for meat and eggs while others perish in illegal trawl nets. In Campamento Majahaus’ beachside camp, conservation efforts need assistance. Your group will count hatchlings as they reach the sand’s surface as well as collect and relocate nests to a protective incubation corral. Data collection and education support this project while also ensuring these beautiful animals’ future.

Fees and dates

Dates year round. Helping Abroad tailors your group volunteer experience to coincide with the dates you choose.

Costs

If you’ve looked at other high school volunteer programs, you must have already known that Helping Abroad offers the lowest price of any US-based company. We are a 501 (C) 3 non-profit organization committed to providing safe, affordable volunteer opportunities to individuals and groups alike. Your price for a one-week program starts at $599 and varies by your destination/project/itinerary choice.

Find project details, what’s included and what’s not at http://www.helpingabroad.org/program-fee-date.php

Sample prices—Nepal

One week: $590
Two weeks: $705
Three weeks: $820

Group discounts

Volunteers often expect group discounts. This is natural. But our experience tells us that running a group program costs more. We need extra funds to coordinate the program (cost of group leader, group transports, daily transportation to projects and logistical support for group). But we still consider discounts depending on the size of your group.

Contact us

Contact us for further details, samples of past program itineraries and references by emailing info@helpingabroad.org