You can also improve your professional abilities and grow as a person. While the experience alone makes international service worthwhile, having something tangible to take home is always wonderful. This enables you to say, “This is what I accomplished while volunteering.” After all, your contributions are worthy of acknowledgment. That recognition will not only act as a memento of your time overseas, but it may also impress potential employers or colleges. This article will teach you everything you need to know about international volunteering credentials.
What is a Volunteering Certificate?
A volunteer certificate is presented to someone who is willing to accomplish a specific activity or participate in an event on their own time and without expecting to be compensated. These volunteers become a member of a program to ensure its success without expecting anything in return. As a result, presenting a certificate for such volunteer services is a wonderful gesture. A volunteer certificate is also known as an appreciation certificate. Use the best wordings while designing this certificate so that the volunteer feels truly appreciated by your remarks. CVA (Certified Volunteer Administrators) give volunteer support to businesses in several cities.
Why Do You Need a Volunteering Certificate?
Volunteer acknowledgment recognizes achievement, reinforces efforts, and expresses gratitude. It could be as simple as a smile and the words “thank you.” It is not uncommon for children to express their gratitude to an adult volunteer. Recognition, in whatever form it takes, is an essential component of any program. All humans need to be meaningfully honored for their contributions. This promotes self-esteem and confidence. Volunteer retention relies heavily on recognition. Volunteers are more likely to stay involved in a program if they feel appreciated and valuable. There are several approaches to recognize volunteers, they could include a token or certificate for participating for a year, a year-end celebration, or other efforts to acknowledge those who made and kept their commitment. A well-balanced recognition plan will recognize participation and effort, as well as progress toward goals and excellence. The use of volunteering certificates to recognize involvement is a double-edged sword, in the sense that it not only proves that volunteers are valuable to the cause, but can add value to the resume of such volunteers when they are in search of other opportunities.
What are the Types of International Volunteering Certificates?
Types of certificates include:
Certificate in International Volunteering: Most courses teach the importance of responsible volunteering and sustainable tourism.TEFL Certification: When you volunteer abroad to teach English, you can get certified to “Teach English as a Foreign Language” (TEFL).Certificates for Medical Volunteering: Many medical associations, institutions, and schools recognize international volunteer service.Scuba Diving Certification and Other Certificates for Conservation Volunteers: PADI scuba certification is your passport to join marine conservation initiatives. Organizations like Global Vision International have plenty of programs that provide PADI certification courses, like this marine conservation initiative in Mexico.Recognition of Volunteer Service: Your organization may hand you a certificate showing you completed a volunteer program and made a positive contribution to a local community. You can also get certificates of completion for internships abroad.Awards and Distinctions: Your contributions can earn you an award in your home country and from an international organization. Some examples include the Queen’s Award for Volunteer Service in the United Kingdom and the Jefferson Awards for Public Service in the United States.
How Do I Get a Volunteer Certificate?
To obtain a volunteer certificate, you must participate in a program or event without expecting anything in return. He or she should volunteer with all of his or her heart and soul. A student, for example, can volunteer for a cultural program at his school even if he is not participating in it. He can ensure that the program runs smoothly and that each member of the audience receives adequate attention. They should ensure that discipline is maintained throughout the program and that no trouble is made to the guest. If you want to be a volunteer, bear the following points in mind:
Make a decision on which programme you wish to volunteer for.Recognize the skills and knowledge you have to give.Create a volunteer résumé.Decide how frequently you can chip in.Exploration volunteers help to open doors in their community.Consider using a volunteer site.Gather all of the important details for the volunteer role.
Top 15 Organizations that Give Volunteering Certificates in 2022
#1. Global Travel Academy and IVHQ-Certificate in International Volunteering
This is the ultimate resource for international volunteer training. It covers all aspects of the volunteer journey, educating you on the best practices for volunteering responsibly and effectively internationally, and is highly recommended for all IVHQ volunteers. Written by volunteer travel industry experts with over 30 combined years of experience, the course consists of video content, interactive activities, and takes approximately 3 hours to complete. The curriculum is broken up into modules, giving you the freedom to control how and when you learn.
#2. Plan My Gap Year
Plan My Gap Year (PMGY) is a trusted organization that places more than 4,000 volunteers per year. It has an accredited 60-hour course that covers the core principles of teaching English, as well as plenty of teaching tips. For PMGY volunteers, the course costs just $150!
#3. Love Volunteers
When you volunteer abroad in a hospital or clinic through a volunteer program provider, such as Love Volunteers, you can earn a Certificate of Completion upon finishing the program. Love Volunteers is an affordable volunteer abroad organization that’s known for its commitment to creating lasting change in local communities. Through Love Volunteers, you could earn a medical volunteering certificate.
#4. GoEco
GoEco, a leading ecotourism company that runs many marine preservation initiatives that involve getting PADI certified. Through their Great Barrier Reef Conservation project in Australia ($2,390 for 12 days), you can get PADI Project AWARE Specialty certified and PADI Open Water certified. If you sign up for GoEco’s Diving and Marine Research project in Madagascar (from $1,650 for one week), you can become PADI Coral Reef Research Diver certified and PADI Advanced Open Water certified.
#5. Angloville
Want to get your TEFL certificate and travel to Europe on the cheap? Angloville, who provides English-language immersion programs throughout Europe, has a wonderful program for doing just that. They offer a 120-hour TEFL certification course plus a real-life teaching experience in a destination like Hungary, Poland, or Czechia. The TEFL training is partly sponsored by Angloville through their TEFL Scholarship initiative. And your volunteer experience is completely free, including your stay in a local hotel. How amazing is that?
#6. Naturally African Volunteers
More interested in land conservation? Some projects offer field guide training and certifications for volunteers interested in a career in environment and wildlife conservation. Naturally, Africa Volunteers, a top service organization in Africa, runs a Field Guide program in South Africa where you can obtain FGSA Level 1 Certification. Completing the course and getting FGSA Level 1 Certification provides you with an excellent foundation for a career as a field guide and wildlife educator. Note that FGSA is an accredited training provider for tourism guiding in South Africa. That means your qualifications and certificates are highly valued by parks and reserves around the country.
#7. GVI (Global Vision International (GVI)
Get your PADI Advanced Open Water and PADI Coral Reef Research Diver qualifications as a member of an expedition team working on critical marine conservation projects in the pristine islands of Seychelles. Your participation in marine species research will contribute towards providing data to the local government on various conservation initiatives.
#8. OneWorld 365
You will be working within the reserve five days a week from Monday to Friday. The game reserve is home to all of Africa’s Big Five animals (the lion, the African Elephant, the Cape Buffalo, the leopard, and the rhinoceros) as well as many others. You may get to help out with the reserve’s animal rehabilitation work. During your stay, you will follow a fully accredited FGASA field guide training course, led by qualified and experienced assessors. The FGASA field guide course is an entry-level qualification, involving a theoretical and a practical component. Your successful completion of this course will qualify you for an FGASA Level 1 certificate and First Aid Certificate. The course objective is to train and qualify highly competent and skilled nature guides in all aspects of field guiding and to provide an experience for all participants to develop a greater appreciation of our natural environment and be able to effectively communicate that knowledge.
#9. UCLA HEALTH
Volunteers are usually needed in two facilities, one at Westwood and the other at Santa Monica. Volunteer opportunities are open to students of UCLA and non-students. Volunteer opportunities in Westwood facility include: Chase Child Life/Child Development Program(must be over 16 years of age), Surgical Waiting Area/Maddie’s Room, Information Desk, Patient Escort/Transport, Floater Volunteer, Peter Morton 200 Medical Plaza, Recovery Room Volunteer opportunities in Santa Monica facility include Welcome Ambassador (Information Desk), Creative Arts Program, Surgical Waiting Area, Floater, Patient Liaison, Special Services, Companion Care – Geriatrics, Materials Management. UCLA Health hands out award pins for every 100 hours of community service you complete as a recognition of service. They also give certificates of program completion to volunteers.
#10. Raleigh International
Raleigh’s work focuses on creating lasting change through youth in four key areas: Livelihoods, Natural Resource Management, Water, sanitation and hygiene, and Youth in civil society. Volunteers have grouped into age-grades; 17-24-year-olds and over 25-year-olds. Certificates of completion are offered to volunteers on completion of expeditions, which will usually take several weeks.
#11. Agape Volunteers
Agape Volunteers supports humanitarian work and conservation efforts through high-quality volunteer abroad experiences in Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, and Ghana. Founded in 2011, Agape Volunteers is a registered UK charity that aims to create real and positive change in Africa through education, conservation, and healthcare initiatives. Note: To join these programs, you’ll need to have completed at least one year of medical school, or be a qualified nurse or doctor.
#12. Cross-Cultural Solutions
As their name suggests, Cross-Cultural Solutions focuses on immersive cultural experiences. They aim to transform lives through not only practical service initiatives, but also by building strong relationships. In their first 24 years, Cross-Cultural Solutions placed more than 35,000 volunteers abroad, including many healthcare volunteers. As a healthcare volunteer, you’ll support the public health needs of young students, assisting with vision and dental projects, hygiene education, and other services.
#13. Fronteering
#14. Project Abroad
Founded in 1992, Projects Abroad sends more than 10,000 volunteers overseas each year. Projects Abroad have a variety of service programs in Samoa, from community health and nutrition initiatives to childcare programs. Meant to encourage exercise and fitness, and combat non-communicable diseases that are too common in Samoa, like diabetes and high blood pressure, the sports program enables you to teach rugby, volleyball, and soccer to local children. Not only is it fun, you can also help them improve teamwork and communication skills. Projects Abroad may just be your go-to choice to volunteer in Mongolia. You can volunteer with children, teach English, or serve as a medical volunteer/intern at a hospital. Perhaps the most unique experience is the chance to live and work with nomads stay with a nomad family in the serene Töv Province and immerse yourself in the traditional nomadic way of life as you help with day-to-day tasks, like milking cows. How amazing does that sound?
#15. The Governor General of Canada
Passion, dedication, and a commitment to community are the driving forces behind the volunteers who receive the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers. The medal recognizes the exceptional volunteer achievements of Canadians from across the country in a wide range of fields and pays tribute to the dedication and commitment of volunteers. They embody the caring country we aspire to build.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
When we reward excellence, we are recognizing volunteer actions that go above and above the call of duty. We can nominate a long-term volunteer for the Governor’s Service Award, Volunteer of the Year Award, Presidential Service Award, or another award to recognize years of service or exceptional accomplishments. Tokens or certificates representing the number of years or hours served can also be used to demonstrate service.
