Cross-Cultural Solutions, Embarking on a Summer of Service

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., June 21, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- It's the official first day of summer, and Cross-Cultural Solutions (CCS) volunteers from around the world are embarking on another summer of service.

This summer, volunteers from more than 20 countries — including interns, 50-plus participants, families, and ambassadors from Eli Lilly and Company's Connecting Hearts Abroad program — will contribute to sustainable community initiatives with CCS in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America.  

"Summer is a very popular season to volunteer abroad," CCS Founder and Executive Director, Steve Rosenthal, said. "Students are out from school and looking for interesting educational opportunities, people are planning their family vacations, and everyone is looking for something meaningful to do with their time."

Many groups, specifically college and university groups, also choose the summer to participate on CCS programs — approximately 600 people will volunteer or intern abroad with CCS as a part of a group in 2011, many of them traveling this summer. One such school, the Adler School of Professional Psychology, will send a student group to Costa Rica with CCS as a part of a cultural immersion class.

The summer season has always been a busy one for CCS. Last summer, over 1500 CCS volunteers served on more than 300 local community initiatives in communities around the world, logging over 117,000 hours of service. During summer 2010, CCS saw 124 teen volunteers, 133 interns, and 50 families that volunteered together.

CCS volunteers were on the scene for several important worldwide events in summer 2010. During the World Cup in South Africa from July 11-August 11, over 50 CCS volunteers worked in townships, schools, and other community-led initiatives in Cape Town and Robertson. Over 40 CCS volunteers served in Morocco during Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, from August 11th to September 10th.

Many volunteers choose to volunteer abroad over their vacations, and the summer months tend to be a popular time for vacationing. CCS' Insight Abroad program is a popular option for these volunteers because it fits the entire volunteering abroad experience into one week. Just under 200 people volunteered on an Insight Abroad program in summer 2010 to complete over 20 group projects including painting school yards, planting vegetable gardens at elderly centers, planning and carrying out recreational weeks for day care centers, and more.

Summers are always a busy time for CCS, but the organization is committed to operating volunteer programs year-round.

"The organizations that we work with in-country strive to improve the quality of life for their residents year-round, and so do we," Rosenthal said. "Being in the community year-round is what helps our volunteers to have a sustainable, positive impact in the communities we serve."

About CCS

CCS (http://www.crossculturalsolutions.org) was founded in 1995 and now operates volunteer programs in 12 countries across the world in partnership with sustainable community initiatives. As a not-for-profit organization with no political or religious affiliations, CCS brings people together to work side-by-side while sharing perspectives and fostering cultural understanding.

SOURCE Cross-Cultural Solutions