Program Overview

As a program participant, you will spend approximately 12 weeks traveling, studying the local languages, and volunteering with local non-profit organizations while making a difference in the communities throughout Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand. Cambodia's capital city of Phnom Penh offers local markets, Cambodia's form of Buddhism, the infamous past of the Khmer Rouge and the Killing Fields, and the local customs and travel nuances of Southeast Asia. Laos offers wilderness preserves and environmental projects that work with elephants and gibbons along with numerous villages in the rural Laotian countryside. In the city of Chiang Mai there are substantial opportunities to learn about Thai Buddhism and sustainable practices. Finally, the Thai coast offers volunteer service with coastal refugees, SCUBA training, recreation, and relaxation.

Program Focus

This program is ideal for Freshman and Sophomore-level students looking to gain international experience in Southeast Asia. Volunteer service in various locations throughout Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore a part of the world that is rich with history and tradition. Teaching, village construction projects, working with elephants and gibbons in wilderness protection projects, promoting peace and green agricultural practices with local organizations, and working with coastal refugees are likely to be among of the many types of volunteering that take place.