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Native Planet: Volunteer to Help Preserve Cultures

When Jean-Philippe Soule lived with the Mentawai people in Indonesia, he learned to how to live in a way that had previously been unknown to him: the people in his adopted community gave him the ability to live in "harmonious relationship with the rainforest," and they shared their culture's traditional wisdom. His life, as he recounts it, would never be the same.


By Flickr user Jungle_Boy Upon realizing the community's assimilation into the broader cultures of Indonesia and its potential extinction, Soule made a lifelong commitment to the preservation of indigenous lifestyles around the world. He founded Native Planet, a non-governmental organization dedicated to the self-empowerment of indigenous peoples and the preservation of world ethnic cultures.

By providing global education and active on-site humanitarian projects, Native Planet assists indigenous groups in their own cultural preservation and self-empowerment. With input from knowledgeable members of the communities, Native Planet plans and implements projects tailored to the unique needs of each individual culture. Helping these groups speak for themselves to a global audience is crucial to their protection, and Native Planet's documentation of indigenous lifestyles gives traditional peoples a voice the world can hear.

Native Planet is staffed entirely by volunteers—which means you can get involved! Or, if you're looking for less of a time commitment, you might consider traveling sustainably with the organization, or even go with them on a bicycling tour!

For tons of other volunteer opportunities in communities around the world, check out our volunteer listings.