Your volunteering teen can feel like a real captain on the Hudson River, or as part of a great family team in other volunteer programs designed for all ages.

When the 2005-2006 wave of hurricanes swept America's Gulf Coast, they touched many travelers who had vacationed in the region and wanted to help rebuild these communities. Several organizations and hotels opened up programs for the volunteer-minded vacationer and the seeds of a wonderful trend took hold. Just a few years' later, Travelocity's annual forecast poll found that 11% of respondents planned to volunteer during their vacations -- almost double the previous year.

From community outreach such as building homes and schools to environment-related projects, people are simply looking for ways to give back and get more involved in important causes. The concept of mixing volunteerism with tourism dates back several centuries to the work of Missionaries and took hold in the 1960s with the development of John F Kennedy's Peace Corps, yet these new programs focus on volunteering vacations for the entire family to participate in.

Family-Together Volunteering

The Generations Touring Company (888/415-9100) is a family-oriented tour operator that has developed many multi-generational trips for families interested in learning more about American culture. Their New Orleans Volunteer Vacation is a six-day trip that includes two mornings of community service, a tour of the areas devastated by hurricanes Katrina and Wilma, a $50 donation to the community service organization as well as free time to explore and enjoy New Orleans' French Quarter. New Orleans is such a fascinating city that your teens will likely be interested in this itinerary, and of course, ready to pitch in and help those less fortunate.

Since "An Inconvenient Truth" hit the screens, environmental programs have become more popular than ever. The American Hiking Society (301/565-6704) runs cheap, week-long camping trips with small, friendly groups who are interested in trail-clearing and trail-blazing projects. Participants must be able to hike at least five miles/day and must be accompanied by a parent or guardian unless over 18-years of age.

An operator of worthwhile tours called i-to-i (800/985-4864) has offices in the US, UK, Ireland and Australia. Since 1994 they have organized volunteer adventures and TEFL (teaching English as a foreign language) training opportunities for travelers. From their selection of family-appropriate volunteer vacations, there are one-week to multi-week trips to Bolivia, Costa Rica, Honduras, India, China, Kenya and Sri Lanka, often focusing on environmental issues, local conservation or building projects, or other community service. Each trip has minimum age requirements for participants (ranging from age 10-16), and each has minimum age requirements for children (ages 3-15) who accompany volunteering adults and may need supervision. Rates vary by age of participants.

Global Volunteers (800/487-1074) is a non-profit, non-sectarian, international organization based in St. Paul, Minnesota which has been running short-term human and economic development projects throughout the world for over a dozen years. Global Volunteers began welcoming families to join their special Millennium Service Projects in December 1999, to help "at risk" children and families in the rural U.S. Since then, they have expanded the projects open to families with children from 12 to 17-years throughout America. Typical ongoing projects (many of which are open to families during the summer months) include teaching conversational English, light construction and building maintenance, assisting with health care, and natural resource conservation. According to a spokesperson, "We've had more and more interest from families every year." This year's US project goals include work with Native Americans, health groups, and environment and landscaping projects; locations of family projects range from Appalachia to Hawai'i. By the way, Global Volunteers' already minimal participation fees are reduced for children under 17.  

GlobeAware.com (877/588-4562) is another resource for teens as well as entire families, founded by Kimberly Haley Coleman, herself a mother of two toddlers. Designed for anyone interested in volunteering, it organizes and offers a variety of one-week international service vacations whose mission is to "encourage people to immerse themselves in a unique way of giving back." Families can review upcoming service projects on the Globe Aware website, and get in touch with them to find out if they are appropriate for different age children. Ms. Coleman notes that many young families want their children volunteering at younger ages. Global Aware is committed to developing opportunities where even the very young can participate (such as helping to build a clay stove in a Latin village), and notes that foreign languages and cultures can be easily embraced by family volunteers.

Elevate Destinations is a company that has recently been featured on our site and many others. Recently, their trip to Haiti was advertized in National Geographic Traveler's 2011 "Tours of a Lifetime" segment. They are offering two "Build Out" trips for the month of August - one team builds a Boys Home in Port-au-Prince while another builds classrooms and a computer room for a community school in Jacmel. According to the program's coordinator, their "guideline" age limit is 18, but they are also prepared to accept mature, younger teenagers who are willing to work. Your mileage may vary! If you do end up going, there's two travel packages to choose from. One is a "basic" package, for $800, which means that you and your family will be given two small, simple meals a day and will sleep on pads on the floor. The other, at $2000, is an upgraded package which includes nighttime accommodation and dinner at a local hotel.

Volunteer Opportunites in Commercial Settings

Voluntourism has been good for the travel industry as well.  Among the many hotel and resort-based volunteer opportunities, some follow a mantra of sustainable tourism: "give back to the community." The Ritz-Carlton chain offers organized "Give Back Getaways" at many of its properties.  These programs, run in conjunction with local non-profits or charities, allow short stay guests to participate for a half or full day in some age-appropriate do-good project. 

Another example are the South Florida Marriott group's Doral Golf Resort and Spa and the Marco Island Resort, Golf Club and Spa. In the past, both joined local non-profit and charity organizations to create "voluntourism" programs. At the Marco Island Resort and Spa, guests were able to help out at the local Marco Island YMCA in landscaping and beautification projects. In return, the resort offered a 15% discount at their spa to volunteers. Guests at the Doral Golf Resort and Spa participated in morning beach clean-ups at the Biscayne Nature Center or helped paint a mural with the Hands on Miami organization, and were rewarded with a sense of accomplishment and -- complimentary breakfasts.

Discounted room rates apply for volun-tourists at many hotels; ask before making your reservation. Additionally, travel agency sites such as Travelocity.com have special affiliations with charitable groups (their program is called Travel For Good) in which they encourage customers booking trips to sign up for a half day or full day program working with a local non-profit volunteer group.

And in a move that is sure to boost volunteer numbers, the Walt Disney company recently announced that in 2010, they will reward one million people who volunteer in their communities with a free, one-day admission to the parks at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida or Disneyland in Southern California. Families can go to www.DisneyParks.com to search for volunteer opportunities through the HandsOn Network and sign up for a day of volunteer service. Many of the opportunities will be for projects in which entire families can participate, according to Disney, but no announcement has been made as to whether or not Disney will reward families involved in other types of volunteer activities with other organizations.

Teen Volunteer Opportunities

Is your teen interested in "learning the ropes" on their own? When the weather permits (generally mid-April until mid-November), the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater welcomes up to six volunteers for week-long overnight stints to sail along, assist and learn from the permanent crew. Participants must be at least 16-years-old. (Volunteers who are under 18-years must have written permission from a parent.)

Since 1969, the Clearwater has offered environmental education and organized music festivals along the Hudson, while working towards the restoration and protection of the river. Once aboard, volunteers may get a taste of everything from boat maintenance and daily chores to sleeping below decks. As a teaching organization, the Clearwater crew reiterate, "Our educators and sailing crew provide training in areas of volunteer involvement ranging from taking the helm to guiding an eager group of 5th graders through simple water chemistry tests. As representatives of Clearwater, volunteers are often called upon to answer questions and explain our mission to our many visitors." Volunteers must be members of the Clearwater organization; an additional $75 donation is required to cover food expenses. Call 845/454-7673 for more information; applications should be submitted eight to 10 weeks prior to your desired sailing date. Sailing experience is not a requirement, and this is a great way to learn.

GlobeAware.com (877/588-4562) is another resource for entire families that welcomes older teens, on their own, into many programs. They offer a variety of one-week international service vacations and say "Every activity in which we engage is intended to accomplish one of two things: promote cultural awareness and/or promote sustainability."  Teens ages 16 to 17 may join programs alone with consent from parents; those 15 and under must be accompanied by a guardian.

With over 35 years' experience and the endorsement of National Geographic, Earthwatch (800/776-0188) is respected around the world. Their Teen Team Expeditions are hands-on trips that aren't only educational, but a way for teens to make a real difference and truly help the places they visit instead of just 'seeing' them as a passive bystander. The organization also offers all the tools, training, and experiences their volunteers need to make an impact. Activities range from collecting field samples that will shed light on climate changes in the Arctic, to studying rare animals like the Carnivores of Madagascar, and experiencing the world's largest freshwater wetland in the Pantanal of Brazil. While Teen Teams are exclusive to 16- to 17-year-olds, Family Teams are also available for children as young as 10. The cost of contribution ranges from about $500 to $5,000; not cheap. However, Earthwatch does offer competitive grants for high-school students 16-years and older and teachers, as well as special offers to college students.

As noted above, i-to-i (800/985-4864), sends approximately 5,000 volunteers to 500 projects in more than 30 countries each year. Students ages 16-19 can participate in a variety of supervised volunteer/community service trips. Typically, they are two-week projects that give students a way to make new friends, work together and make a real difference at worthwhile projects. While the company promotes a summer camp experience in Borneo ("You'll learn how to survive in the jungle..."), there are other itineraries that take voluntouring teens to China, Costa Rica, Ecuador and India.

Projects Abroad offers tailor-made group trips for students, sports teams, or simply groups of friends who want to travel abroad to help others. Projects Abroad gives volunteers the option to custom-design a placement to suit their goals and interests. These programs can range in length from a couple of weeks to several months, depending on the time you have available. Groups can focus on teaching things like English and math, sports, business, culture and communications, and many other subjects. Programs are offered in over 20 countries for anyone looking to gain some work-experience, help others less fortunate, or simply experience a new culture.

For more information on other volunteer opportunities, and an easy-to-use site packed with useful information on how to find the right volunteer vacation to suit your family's interests, visit Voluntourism.org (619/434-6230).