USAC students and staff volunteering to help in their communities
University Studies Abroad Consortium (USAC) participated in global volunteer activities this month in celebration of April 22’s Earth Day. USAC’s Worldwide Volunteer Day efforts spanned from providing humanitarian aid packages to people in need, opening access to clean water resources to remote populations, and even supporting local pollinators to improve the environment.
Take a moment to see a few examples of what our students and staff accomplished worldwide below.
Chiang Mai, Thailand
In Chiang Mai, students and staff helped provide water resources for the Mae Kampong village. By cleaning up waterfalls, volunteers opened the flow of water for people living in the remote part of the mountains. The excursion required a lot of hard physical labor, but it was a rewarding experience for everyone involved.
“It was a very hot day but the joint effort of the students, staff, and community members made the sweaty activity possible and completed,” USAC Resident Director Jum Tippawan said.
Heredia, Costa Rica
USAC Heredia students and staff lent a hand at the Braulio Carrillo National Park. Together, 20 volunteers painted the ranch and ranger station, fortified against the rain, and tended to the gardens and trails.
Lyon, France
To demonstrate that fun and sustainability go hand in hand, a quartet of USAC Lyon students — the Four Musketeers, you could say — set out on a mission to clean up the city under the motto, “One for all, and all for one … sustainable cause.” Armed with garbage bags, gloves, and unwavering enthusiasm, the students set on a Centres Sociaux de la Croix-Rousse clean-up walk that coincided with the joyful chaos of a family-friendly carnival activity that day. Not only did they make a tangible difference in the efforts, but they had a lot of fun, too.
Reggio Emilia, Italy
Students in the Reggio Emilia program volunteered to help at the Dora – Emporio Solidale. Similar to farmer’s markets, solidarity markets offer discounts in order to improve resident’s access to fresh, local, affordable food.
Reno, Nevada, United States
The majority of the staff members in the USAC Central Office in Reno, Nevada, ventured out to the Rancho San Rafael Park for their volunteering event. The team grabbed rakes and other tools to clean up the pollinator garden in the Nevada Farms and Families area of the park. Featuring hundreds of native plants to support beneficial bees and butterflies, the pollinator garden must be kept healthy and clean to have a long-lasting effect on the local ecology.
Santiago, Chile
In Santiago, cleaning up debris and recycling found waste was the focus of the volunteer day. USAC students and other volunteers cleaned up approximately 150 pounds of plastic, glass, and paper materials that could be recycled around the campus and city.
Torino, Italy
About 10 students participating in the USAC Torino program volunteered at SERMIG, a nonprofit organization dedicated to receiving and sending donations, humanitarian aid, food and clothing to people in need in Torino — and around the world. Everyone in the group brought clothing and non-perishable food items to donate. After learning about the organization, the students helped prepare humanitarian packages to send to Ukraine.
“Students were very happy to get to know this place in Torino and felt very good to be able to help the underprivileged and people leaving in harder circumstances,” USAC Resident Director Eliana Silvestro said. “It was also a very nice reminder on how fortunate we are.”
Viterbo, Italy
The USAC Viterbo program partnered with Viterbo Clean Up for Worldwide Volunteer Day. It’s an association that collaborates with local citizens and schools to clean up the area. Students hailing from Grand Canyon University and Louisiana State University to Elisabethtown College and University of New Hampshire took time to clean up rubbish along the Via Francigena, an ancient road and pilgrimage route from England to Italy.
The “I care, Emporio solidale” supports over 250 families in need (approximately 700 people). Staffed by volunteers, this unique supermarket helps people in the area by providing food. USAC students brought some of their own resources to contribute to the cause and helped in the store. The association also offers a variety of services that span from helping kids with homework to providing free medical assistance.
These are just a small sample of all the events held around the world. USAC students and staff in the Czech Republic collected, packaged, and sent clothing with the Refugees Relief Fund to help children fleeing Ukraine. Clothing, books, and DVDs were gathered on campus in Pau, France. Hiking trails and painting needs were taken care of in Barva Volcano National Park in Heredia, Costa Rica. In Montevideo, Uruguay, an urban tree planting took place at Urban Farm Parque Charrua.
Clean-up efforts mentioned above are just one of the many ways USAC is committed to focusing on sustainability and improving community impact practices abroad. Read the USAC Green Pact section of usac.edu for more information.
