How to Live Your Dream of Volunteering Overseas | 
| Authors: Joseph Collins, Stefano Dezerega, Zahara Heckscher
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Category: Book
List Price: $20.00
Buy New: $13.60
You Save: $6.40 (32%)
Rating:  22 reviews
Sales Rank: 160353
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 496
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 7.4 x 1.2
ISBN: 014200071X
Dewey Decimal Number: 361.37
EAN: 9780142000717
Publication Date: December 31, 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
More than 100,000 people contact the Peace Corps every year, but only 3,000 are placed overseas. To help more Americans find volunteer opportunities abroad Joseph Collins, Stefano DeZerega, and Zahara Heckscher-all founders of respected volunteer organizations-have written a guide that provides all the necessary information on volunteering in Latin America, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe. Presented in a user-friendly format that includes case studies, worksheets, and quotes from international volunteers, How to Live Your Dream of Volunteering Overseas provides college students, senior citizens, and everyone in between with information on:
* How to decide if volunteering overseas is for you
* How to choose the right program
* What to do before and after you go abroad
* Fundraising and financing
* How to be an effective volunteer
* Political and social contexts of Americans volunteering abroad
* The Peace Corps
* More than one hundred volunteer organizations
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| Customer Reviews: Read 17 more reviews...
 Fun to Volunteer November 3, 2008
I got this book before I went on a trip with Habitat for Humanity. I'm glad I did. If you are considering volunteering overseas, please buy this book. If you are volunteering with a child or young person, please buy: The Ultimate Volunteer Guidebook for Young People . Both books are great and will teach you alot about Humanity.
Objective and realistic March 26, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Very objective. The book helps to drop some myths and show you the real true behind poor countries and why volunteering by itself is unable to change this reality.
 Great overview except for Peace Corps bias July 22, 2007
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
I am a former PC volunteer (RPCV) so my review may be considered jaded but the overview of the PC I found to be detailed and full of useful information but with many negative comments. A good example is the statement that, "the Peace Corps is overwhelmingly made up of young, inexperienced people fresh out of college." This struck me as odd since, for example, the authors load praise on WorldTeach for placing "volunteers with little or no teaching experience (and) WorldTeach succeeds in getting its volunteers started as teachers." So, it's okay for WT but not for PC?
I know as one of those who was "fresh out of college" that the Peace Corps did an outstanding job of teacher training and our group had many retired teachers who acted as mentors. Yes, my experience is just in one program and the Peace Corps is big so the situations can vary, for sure, but I would like people considering overseas opportunities to consider all programs. Now having worked in a variety of work situations in my adult life, I realize: bad bosses and inadequate training and, on the reverse, fantastic working conditions and fabulous perks exist and these programs are not immune to any of that.
Good luck to anyone seeking such an experience and, good, bad, or otherwise, it will change your perception of your host country, American culture, and, most profoundly, yourself.
Very Informative March 15, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
There are so many volunteer opportunities available that I really didn't know where to start my search. This book is a terrific resource. It goes into exactly the detail I was looking for: nature of the work, country, cost, what type of volunteer a particular group suits and how to get started. My daughter, who is in college, loved it as well ... and has begun exploring volunteer opportunities, too. I highly recommend this book.
 Excellent Guide, but kind of dry for everyday reading. December 15, 2006
3 out of 6 found this review helpful
This guide is very informative, but I was hoping it give me a better idea of what it's like to volunteer overseas, and how I could get involved. It's got good references, but I didn't really learn anything that I didn't already know before.
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