Here’s some background information on the IVRC—everything from our goals and history to the advisory board of international volunteerism professionals who are guiding our work.
Goals of the IVRC
The primary goals of the International Volunteerism Resource Center are to (1) provide potential volunteers with the tools and resources needed to make informed decisions about meaningful, ethical, and sustainable international service, and (2) promote international volunteering as an opportunity to both do good with fellow global citizens and engage in invaluable personal and professional development.
History of the IVRC
Since 1995, Idealist.org has become one of the most comprehensive online resources for the global nonprofit and voluntary sectors, with more than 75,000 nonprofit organizations from 190 countries posting job openings, volunteer and internship opportunities, events, resources, and profiles on the site. Idealist.org attracts over 50,000 unique visitors each day, and over 500,000 people subscribe to our email alerts that match people with the opportunities they seek.
Beyond Idealist’s demonstrated ability to connect individuals with organizations (in English, French, and Spanish) and convene on-the-ground events internationally (including professional trainings and nonprofit career, graduate degree, and global volunteering fairs), Idealist.org hosts hundreds of Affinity Groups where individuals can develop new networks to connect around shared ideas and community action. Idealist.org also provides resources for job seekers of all ages, volunteers, young people, students, and nonprofit professionals.
Given that we know many of our users are interested in (and some have already participated in) international service, Idealist.org launched its International Volunteerism Initiative in 2008. This initiative seeks to increase the viability, quantity, and quality of global volunteer experiences as well as strengthen the capacity of international volunteer management professionals and NGOs to engage volunteers in effective, efficient, and meaningful ways.
Following the success of Idealist’s first ever Global Volunteering Fair in Boston in April 2008, the International Volunteerism Resource Center was launched in September of the same year.
Advisory Board
A diverse and highly skilled advisory board provides guidance and direction to all activities of the International Volunteerism Resource Center. Advisory Board Members, as of September 2008, include:
Andy Jellin
Andy Jellin recently spent time abroad as the voluntary volunteer coordinator for Project Why in New Delhi, India. He has organized volunteer work abroad (teaching through Insight Nepal) as well as self-arranged his own volunteer experiences (Project Why). Now in Seattle, WA, he continues to do volunteer work and has much to say about “the common joys and difficulties of being a volunteer, no matter where in the world you are.”
Dahm Choi WorldTeach
Dahm Choi is Director of Admissions & Recruiting for WorldTeach, an international education NGO based at the Center for International Development at Harvard University. He served as a volunteer and as in-country field staff in the rural Polish countryside, and now in the US office oversees communications strategy, domestic partnerships and recruitment, media relations, Harvard Center Fellowships, the volunteer application process, and information systems. In addition, he has managed the Namibia Summer and South Africa Summer programs, and presently manages the Bulgaria Summer and Poland Summer programs. Dahm received a BA in History from Harvard University and an MA in Central & Eastern European Studies from Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland.
Tracy Curtin United Planet
Tracy Curtin is the Director of Communications for United Planet, a Boston-based 501(c)3 NGO that is dedicated to sending people of all ages to volunteer abroad in more than 50 countries. Before joining United Planet, Tracy was a freelance writer and public relations consultant. She started off her career working on Capitol Hill as a legislative assistant to former New Jersey governor and U.S. Rep. James J. Florio (D-NJ). Over the years, Tracy has worked for numerous international PR agencies, non-profits and trade associations. In 2005, Tracy served as the captain of the Massachusetts Animal Coalition Rescue Team, an incredible group of 40 volunteers who traveled to New Orleans to rescue and revive animals and assist people who had been devastated by the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Joss Ellams Cross-Cultural Solutions
Joss Ellams—born in Chester, United Kingdom—volunteered in Brazil for four weeks with Cross-Cultural Solutions. She had such an amazing time the experience inspired her to move over to the United States to work for them. Joss works in the Partnerships Department working with enrolling special interest groups, alternative spring breaks, and corporate groups. She also works with building partnerships with universities, travel industry partners, and corporations. Joss believes that volunteering abroad is something everyone should do! It is an excellent way to see a different culture, empower local communities, and effect positive change.
Adam Hess VSO Canada
Adam Hess is the Marketing and Communications Advisory for VSO Canada, the Canadian partner of Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO), an international development agency that works through volunteers.
Robin Melavalin GEO Center
Robin Melavalin, Director of the Global Education Opportunities (GEO) Center, is an internal consultant to the six Colleges of the Fenway schools. She is involved in all aspects of internationalizing the campuses, which includes working with faculty and administrators as they prepare to take students abroad, streamlining procedures and policies, and working with the campuses to develop their strategic vision for internationalization. An anthropologist, photographer and teacher, she has been in the field of international education for over 20 years and has led student groups to Cuba, Cape Verde, and other countries. She has also traveled in Kenya, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Bali, Uzbekistan and China. In her spare time she leads outdoor adventure trips for the Appalachian Mountain Club.
Katie Mulembe Catholic Network of Volunteer Service
Katie Mulembe earned her B.A. in Religious Studies from the University of Dayton in 2003. Soon after graduation she joined the Franciscan Mission Service for a three-year volunteer experience in Zambia. There she participated in the work of local grassroots organizations, preventing the spread of HIV and caring for those infected or affected by the disease. Currently, she is working in Takoma Park, MD with the Catholic Network of Volunteer Service as the Membership and Recruitment Coordinator. CNVS is a national membership organization of nearly 200 full-time, faith-based volunteer programs with over 10,000 volunteers serving domestically and internationally.
William Nolting University of Michigan International Center
William Nolting directs the Education Abroad Office (which includes a Peace Corps office) at the University of Michigan International Center, a position he has held since 1989. At U-M he initiated an annual series on “International Career Pathways” that involves ten campus units. He also co-chairs the University’s Travel Abroad Health Insurance committee. Around 800 U-M students annually participate in a volunteer, internship, work, or research experience abroad, and over 2,000 students study abroad each year. Nolting has been a leader in NAFSA: Association of International Educators, and was NAFSA’s national chair for education abroad in 2001-02. He founded NAFSA’s
Education Abroad Subcommittee on Work, Internships, and Volunteering Abroad, which he co-chairs with Cheryl Matherly. He, Matherly, and Martha Johnson contributed a chapter, “Work Abroad and International Careers,” to NAFSA’s Guide to Education Abroad for Advisers and Administrators. He is also a contributing editor to the publications Transitions Abroad and Abroad View.
Sherry Schwarz Educational Travel Community and Conference / Abroad View Foundation
Sherry Schwarz is founder and director of the nonprofit Abroad View Foundation, which publishes Abroad View, the global education magazine for students. She also works for the Educational Travel Community and Conference as its website and publications editor and as the responsible travel programming coordinator. Previously, Sherry served as Editor and Publisher of Transitions Abroad, the magazine for learning, living, working, and volunteering overseas (2003-2007). Sherry graduated from Middlebury College, in 1999, with a B.A. in English literature.
Nicole Sheldon-Desjardins Hostelling International
Nicole Sheldon-Desjardins has lived, worked, studied, volunteered, and traveled in 19 countries on six continents. She currently serves as the Director of Programs and Education for Hostelling International USA, Eastern New England Council, where she oversees and creates intercultural education programs, including film and discussion series, travel workshops, special events, and travel scholarships for students and youth groups. From 2003-2005, she served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Cameroon and upon her return, worked with a group of Returned Volunteers to create a nonprofit organization, Education Fights AIDS International, to continue their work with HIV positive youth in West Africa. Nicole spends her summers leading international service learning programs for high school students and enjoys facilitating experiences for young people to discover the world and their places in it.
Margaret Sherrard Sherraden University of Missouri in St Louis / Washington University in St Louis
Margaret Sherrard Sherraden is a professor at the School of Social Work, University of Missouri in St. Louis, and a research professor at the Center for Social Development, Washington University in St. Louis. She earned a doctorate in sociology (Washington University), an M.A. in social work (University of Chicago), and a B.A. in Sociology and Spanish (Beloit College). Her research, publishing, and teaching focus on access and equity in domestic and international social policy. Currently, she is studying supported savings policy for children and adults, and international volunteering and service. She and her husband, Michael Sherraden, have two children, and have lived in the United States, Mexico, and Singapore.
Jim Stone CouchSurfing
Among his many roles with CouchSurfing—an online network of people providing free accommodations to fellow travelers in the interest of creating opportunities for cultural exchange—Jim Stone organizes projects and activities for the organization’s worldwide volunteers.
Jay Wilson IC Volunteers
Jay Wilson currently serves as the Cybervolunteer Programme Manager for ICVolunteers (ICV), an international non-profit organization specialized in the field of communications, conference support and cybervolunteerism. ICVolunteers promotes volunteerism and its recognition, by enhancing civic commitment and involvement, and by providing leadership and links between organizations, individuals and communities. With headquarters in Geneva (Switzerland), ICVolunteers has offices and permanent representation in a number of other countries, including France, Spain, South Africa, Mali, Japan and Brazil. The CyberVolunteers Program recruits, trains and coordinates volunteers with skills in information and communication technology (ICT) for development. Volunteers participate in local, regional and international projects for a period of several weeks or months, offering their skills in areas such as web or software development, system administration and content generation. Jay facilitates contract negotiations with partner associations and the recruitment and placement of cybervolunteers to ensure the association’s requirements and the volunteer expectations are met. Additionally, Jay is part of the management team that defines the association’s strategy and implements revenue generating programs.
Samantha Wolthuis American Jewish World Service
Samantha (Sam) Wolthuis is the Associate Director of Service at American Jewish World Service for Individual Service Programs. She is responsible for managing World Partners Fellowship and AJWS Volunteer Corps. Prior to joining AJWS, Sam worked for Family & Children’s Services in Tulsa, OK and with Princeton in Africa in Princeton, NJ. Sam holds a masters degree in international studies and has lived in Belgium, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore.
