How Does Volunteering Abroad Benefit High School Students?

With so much to learn and so little time to spend outside of school, volunteering abroad might feel like a distant dream for many high school students. However, some skills simply cannot be taught in schools. Volunteering provides a once-in-a-lifetime experience and a plethora of benefits for young minds. 

Volunteering abroad can be a life-changing opportunity that shapes your future forever. Today, we’ll explore the benefits of volunteering for high school students and why you should consider spending your school breaks abroad. 

What Volunteering Opportunities Can High School Students Apply For?

From protecting stray dogs in Sri Lanka to rebuilding communities in India, you’ll be able to immerse yourself in a brand new culture and experience the world like never before. 

At Volunteering Solutions, we’re passionate about helping as many people who want to volunteer achieve their dream, regardless of their age. We currently offer over 20 opportunities for high school students, including: 

• Environmental conservation

Conservation is a wonderful opportunity for you to learn more about global issues and leave the environment better than you found it. Restore coral reefs and protect sea turtles in Tanzania, or protect mangroves from deforestation in Sri Lanka.

• Teaching and childcare

Develop valuable skills to enhance your future prospects and create lasting memories through teaching and childcare. We have plenty of amazing opportunities for high school students, including kindergarten and teaching in Ghana, slum education in Jaipur, and early years support in Nepal. 

• Women’s empowerment

Women’s charities always require new volunteers and fresh perspectives. You can provide this while spreading awareness of important global issues. We currently offer women’s empowerment opportunities for students in India, Tanzania, Ghana and Nepal.  

• Sports coaching

Nothing brings communities together more than sports, making this the perfect opportunity for high school students who love playing and coaching. Travel to Tamale, Ghana, and create meaningful experiences for school children to remember forever. 

• Community development

Community development opportunities offer you exciting, practical and interpersonal skills to improve your future. Renovate and construct buildings in Jaipur, support youth programs in South Africa, and engage with local communities in Ghana. 

• Two-week specials

High school is a busy time for students, which is why our two-week specials often work well in between semesters. Along with gaining valuable experience during your volunteer work, our specials also often involve once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, such as African safaris, camel riding in Peru’s desert, and getting up close and personal with elephants in India. 

Check out our two-week specials for high school students here.

What Can I Gain from Volunteering Abroad?

There are many benefits to volunteering abroad for teenagers, especially when you let a trusted organisation handle the stress and logistics. Treat this as an adventure from the very beginning, and you’ll develop invaluable skills such as: 

• Professional competence

While volunteering, you’ll get the opportunity to develop new skills, gain real-world experience, and expand your professional network. It’s never too early to start developing skills and personal attributes that employers look for, and volunteering provides a safe and enjoyable way to ensure you stand out from the crowd. 

• Language ability

There’s no better way to learn a new language than immersing yourself in real-world practice with native speakers. During your time volunteering, you’ll be able to build your confidence through simple conversations with locals, experiencing the natural language, slang and cultural nuances not found in textbooks. 

• Social skills

Volunteering gives you a natural setting to meet a diverse group of people, fostering teamwork, building confidence through new experiences, and developing empathy and effective communication. You’ll return home with revitalised interacting, listening and collaborating skills. 

• Global perspective

Volunteering abroad helps improve your perspective of the world by immersing you in diverse cultural contexts. This helps break down stereotypes, foster empathy and understanding, and provide a firsthand look into complex global issues. 

• Cultural understanding

During your time abroad, you’ll earn hands-on experience that fosters empathy and appreciation for cultural differences. Volunteering can also help break down biases and teach you practical cross-cultural communication skills, allowing you to return home with a much better understanding of the world and its people. 

• Compassion

Volunteering builds compassion by increasing empathy through direct exposure to diverse people and challenges, shifting focus from yourself to others. You can develop skills such as active listening and humility, which can lead to creating meaningful, lifelong friendships. 

• Deeper relationships

When volunteering abroad, you can develop deeper relationships through fostering emotional intimacy, building shared purpose, and enhancing vital interpersonal skills through collective action. You’ll meet new people with whom you can develop strong bonds of trust and shared values. 

How Can Volunteering Abroad Make a Difference to Students' Lives? 

Volunteering is an invaluable experience for people of all ages, but high school students can deeply benefit by nurturing their skills and independence. You’ll develop unique beliefs and capabilities to carry through life, long after your volunteer experience has ended. Everything you’ll learn is transferable to help with college applications, your future career and personal life. 

Here are just a few of the ways volunteering can help shape your future:

• Help your resume stand out

Volunteering experience looks amazing on your resume, hopefully giving you an edge in your future college or workplace applications. If you’re hoping to enter a particularly competitive field, such as medicine, volunteering abroad may help you secure your dream position! 

• Build real transferable skills 

During your time abroad, you’ll get plenty of opportunities to build real skills through shadowing professionals, learning from locals and other volunteers, and attending workshops. 

You may be able to develop industry-specific skills if you know what you want to do after high school, or you could focus on more generalised skills such as teamwork and communication. 

• Exposure to unique experiences

Volunteering offers incredible experiences and adventures that are simply not available at home. Whether you’re protecting sea turtles in Bali during hatching season or teaching English in Sri Lanka, you’ll get invaluable opportunities and memories. 

• Develop confidence and independence

International travel is a wonderful way to develop confidence, independence and a global perspective.  Perspective is a difficult skill to learn at home, especially when your view of the world is sheltered to one place. 

Volunteering abroad can broaden your horizons and help you appreciate the things and people in your life.  

• Improve interview skills

The skills you learn through volunteering can be invaluable in the future, especially during interviews. Your experiences provide excellent anecdotes to share with the interviewer, and you’ll be able to offer practical examples of what you've learned through travel and helping others. 

Most volunteering abroad opportunities will help you with your language skills, which are becoming increasingly useful and desired in the workplace. 

• Ignite your passion for work, travel or change

Volunteering can give you the drive and passion to create new dreams, follow exciting leads, and shape your entire future. Networking with people from all over the world and developing new skills may even lead you to incredible job opportunities and personal experiences. 

Why Work with Volunteering Solutions? 

Volunteering as a high school student can be daunting to you and your parents, especially if you’ve never solo-travelled before. Working with a reputable organization, like Volunteering Solutions, can help calm your nerves and help you achieve your goals. 

We take pride in our dedication to all our volunteers. Here are a few reasons why working with us is an excellent way to gain unique experience and benefits:

• We take care of the important things: Included in your program fee is accommodation, transportation, airport transfer, meals, orientation and more, so you can focus on getting excited for your adventure! 
• 24/7 in-country support: All our locations feature experienced program managers who can provide support as needed, ensuring the safety and reassurance of our volunteers. 
• Over 25,000 happy volunteers: We’ve worked with countless volunteers to help them fulfil their personal goals, many of whom were high school students. 
• Pre-departure assistance: Got questions or worries before your flight? One of our advisors is available to help with whatever’s on your mind. 
• Live in a safe house with friendly volunteers: We ensure all of our accommodation options are safe and protected, and you’ll get to live with like-minded people who you can befriend and explore your chosen country with.

Ready to Plan Your Volunteering Experience? 

Volunteering is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many. The older we get, the less time we may have to dedicate to helping others abroad. High school is the perfect time to develop personal and professional skills, setting yourself up for a successful future. 

Ready to join us on a meaningful and exciting journey? Check out our teen and high school volunteer abroad programs to find the perfect opportunity for you today.