Spring Break
International student volunteers form RSO
Maiko Michishita
Issue date: 11/7/08 Section: News
Taking out the weeds, cleaning up the beach, surfing in a beachside town, rappelling down cliffs in the mountains, interacting with indigenous people and doing conservation projects on an island where there is no electricity and no heat - these volunteer projects were what University of Arkansas students experienced in Australia as part of the international travel programs supported by the International Student Volunteers.
Based on their experiences, three UA students plan to create and serve as officers of a new Registered Student Organization - the ISV organization at UA.
"I can't think of any negative thing [about the ISV programs]. ... Everyone is just happy and energetic to be there." said Alex Kelch, a senior sociology major. She went to Australia through the ISV as a volunteer two summers ago and went back again last summer as a tour leader.
The ISV is a non-profit public corporation that offers volunteer travels every summer in Australia, Eastern Europe, Ecuador, Thailand and five other different countries outside the US. The organization's four-week travel contains two weeks of conservation volunteer programs and two weeks of adventure tours.
If people go to different countries as tourists, they will just go and look around to see what they can see, said David Robertson, junior criminal justice major, who also went to Australia as a volunteer in 2007 summer. But by helping local residents as volunteers, however, students can feel that the local people really appreciate all of their help.
Kelch and Robertson heard of the ISV by the recruiters who visited their classes and promoted the ISV to their classrooms. The recruiter who came to Kelch's chemistry class was from Australia.
"He talked really fast with a weird accent … I didn't even know that he was speaking English," Kelch said. She didn't have any idea what he was talking about until they got brochures.
Robertson said, "I have been involved in a lot of conservation work and community service, and I always wanted to go to Australia…[because] I have always like the scenery and accent of Australia."
Even though he has been involved in conservation programs and community service before, Robertson said he had never seen how he helped people. Through his volunteer work in Australia, he saw how people appreciated his help physically and emotionally.
"It shows how one person can make a difference," Robertson said.
"[This program] goes beyond the volunteer work; it's literally making connections across the world," Kelch said.
The ISV at the UA is ready to be registered as an RSO. So far, the ISV has three officers and 10 members. Robertson is drafting a constitution, and he expects the organization to be registered by the end of month.
For more information about the International Student Volunteers, go to the Web site at Isvonline.com.
Based on their experiences, three UA students plan to create and serve as officers of a new Registered Student Organization - the ISV organization at UA.
"I can't think of any negative thing [about the ISV programs]. ... Everyone is just happy and energetic to be there." said Alex Kelch, a senior sociology major. She went to Australia through the ISV as a volunteer two summers ago and went back again last summer as a tour leader.
The ISV is a non-profit public corporation that offers volunteer travels every summer in Australia, Eastern Europe, Ecuador, Thailand and five other different countries outside the US. The organization's four-week travel contains two weeks of conservation volunteer programs and two weeks of adventure tours.
If people go to different countries as tourists, they will just go and look around to see what they can see, said David Robertson, junior criminal justice major, who also went to Australia as a volunteer in 2007 summer. But by helping local residents as volunteers, however, students can feel that the local people really appreciate all of their help.
Kelch and Robertson heard of the ISV by the recruiters who visited their classes and promoted the ISV to their classrooms. The recruiter who came to Kelch's chemistry class was from Australia.
"He talked really fast with a weird accent … I didn't even know that he was speaking English," Kelch said. She didn't have any idea what he was talking about until they got brochures.
Robertson said, "I have been involved in a lot of conservation work and community service, and I always wanted to go to Australia…[because] I have always like the scenery and accent of Australia."
Even though he has been involved in conservation programs and community service before, Robertson said he had never seen how he helped people. Through his volunteer work in Australia, he saw how people appreciated his help physically and emotionally.
"It shows how one person can make a difference," Robertson said.
"[This program] goes beyond the volunteer work; it's literally making connections across the world," Kelch said.
The ISV at the UA is ready to be registered as an RSO. So far, the ISV has three officers and 10 members. Robertson is drafting a constitution, and he expects the organization to be registered by the end of month.
For more information about the International Student Volunteers, go to the Web site at Isvonline.com.
Be the first to comment on this story