ISV currently offers high school students the opportunity travel to Costa Rica, Thailand, the Dominican Republic (Caribbean) or New Zealand.

For more information on volunteer projects and adventure tour activities please click the country links on the menu bar on the right hand side.

Students must be at least 15 years of age at the time of departure. Please realise that places are limited for each volunteer project in each particular country and all students must apply and be accepted before they may participate in a program. We look for students who desire to make a difference by volunteering in conservation or community development work, are open to enlightening encounters with other likeminded individuals, and thrive on exciting outdoor adventure activities!

Students are lead by dedicated and trained ISV staff and a High School Leader for the duration of the program. This is also further supported with ISV having its own offices and staff employed in each of the host countries.

Program Components

Volunteer Project:

As part of a project team of approximately 10 students, a High School Leader and an ISV Project Leader, students may volunteer in either conservation (New Zealand, Thailand and Costa Rica) or community development (Costa Rica, Thailand and The Dominican Republic).

Conservation
ISV Conservation Projects are designed to broaden awareness of environmental issues worldwide and to introduce students to the challenges of balancing human needs with the need to conserve biological diversity. The projects provide a framework for students from various backgrounds to address topics in conservation and sustainable resource management through supervised field experiences in habitat restoration, public education, data collection, scientific investigation and endangered species management.

Community Development
ISV Community Development Projects work directly with local communities and organisations and offer students a challenging hands-on experience where they learn what it’s like to help build a home for a needy family side by side with the people who will get to live in it, teach English and take part in recreational and social programs with children. Many of these programs involve homestays with local families. Being immersed within local communities allows you to see life from a different perspective, where the culture, values and priorities of your hosts may differ considerably from your own. Participants also learn the importance of working co-operatively within a community in order to maximise results.

Educational Adventure Tour:

The ISV Educational Adventure Tour will allow students to do more things in two weeks than most people would dream about doing in a lifetime! Here, guided by an amazing ISV Tour Leader and High School Leader, students will continue learning about their host country by experiencing a variety of locations, environments and the best adventure and cultural activities possible. It is a great way for students to discover more of your host country with likeminded students after spending two weeks making a difference through volunteering.