What are some reputable programs for high school students?

What kinds of low-cost volunteer abroad programs are available to high school students?

• I have been looking online for possible volunteer abroad programs but I can't find any that fit my requirements. Can anyone help me? I want: - 4 weeks max, or less (preferably 2 weeks-ish) - under $3000 - programs that accept people under 18 years of age - programs that will allow me to make a difference while also providing an educational opportunity Anyone have any suggestions/ past experience with this? Thanks.

• Answer:

  There are a LOT of opportunities for under $3000. The biggest cost to worry about is airfare. How far abroad are you willing to go? Cultural and Academic Travel Organization (CATO) has a variety of programs that put you to work with children (primarily orphans) in Ghana, Africa. I've been looking into volunteer abroad programs like these for about a year now, and CATO charges the least of anyone (by FAR). They offer a lot of programs for just $500! That doesn't include airfare, of course. i-to-i is a well-known and respected travel organizations that specializes in a variety of "meaningful trips." They're probably the best single organization for you to look into. They've got so many different types of trips all around the world, from coaching kids sports camps to conserving wildlife to building homes to helping orphans to painting murals to teaching English. Ask them to send you their catalogue. I did, and I was surprised to see that it's full-color and almost a centimeter thick. volunteerabroad.com is also a really good search engine for looking up opportunities like this.