Blog

This is a guest post by Mary Beth Gossman about how values don't dry up when international volunteer opportunities do. With the world and travel at a standstill, some of the volunteer work we would normally be engaged in may not be possible. Many people who take time...

This is a guest article by Learning Service Intern Kayley Gould, on how even large well-funded development projects can fail if they don't prioritize learning. This past spring, I took an Environmental Anthropology course focused on environmental justice and water...

This is a guest post written by Sushil Babu Chhetri, whose fascinating life story has been serialised on this blog (read Part One here). There are lots of things to be worried about in this era of coronavirus. I talked about some of the issues I have been witnessing...

This is a guest post by Sushil Babu Chhetri. I am writing to you from the western part of Nepal, one the most remote and most disadvantaged regions of the country, and also my birthplace. Since I saw the situation with the Covid-19 pandemic unfolding across the world,...

This is a guest post by student Grady Trexler. In late March, as I left my gap year in Indonesia early because of COVID-19, I remember being absolutely sure that I had discovered important insights into myself and the world around me, but absolutely unsure about what...

This is a guest post by educator and coach Jenny Wagner. I have no desire to be repatriated right now. I feel this with visceral certainty while watching my six month old daughter sitting on a rug in our bedroom, happily chewing on the limbs of a teddy bear. My...

This is a reflection from student Kayley Gould, on how volunteering in her local area has shaped her views on how volunteering can be done right. Last year, I explored in depth what it means to volunteer. I researched and wrote my senior thesis on the dangers of...

This is a reflection from guest writer Manju, who is currently on her gap year in Nepal. I’m a Nepali-German kid who grew up in the Bay Area in California. The diverse nature of my environment and international upbringing in my life deeply shaped my outlook on the...

This is a guest post from educator, volunteer coordinator and volunteer Jane Carpenter, on how she found the Learning Service book useful when reflecting on her own experience.   Learning Service is a brilliant, thought-provoking and practical book which gently guides...