If you’re a teen looking for the best way to volunteer abroad, service trips for high school students offer opportunities to travel, volunteer, learn and even prepare for your future.  

You may already know which career you want to get into after high school, or perhaps you haven’t thought about it much yet. 

No matter where you’re at with your plans for the future, you can benefit from teen volunteer opportunities that offer you the chance to experience the world while adding to your high school education in a meaningful way.

How are service-learning trips and volunteer abroad programs different?

GVI’s award-winning service-learning trips have structured learning opportunities built into them. They’re an excellent high school volunteer opportunity for you to travel abroad with your classmates, and these types of teen volunteer opportunities can even help to amp up your university application.

You’ll gain real-world experience and find out what it’s like working in a range of different fields like:

• marine and wildlife conservation
• teaching
• global health
• sports education and management
• sustainable agriculture
• women’s empowerment.

Throughout your service-learning trip, you’ll work with the local community, local partner organisations, and receive ongoing support from GVI staff members in the field. 

You’ll gain tons of experience no matter which of these service trips for high school students you choose, but it’s best to pick a service-learning trip that offers the type of professional and personal growth you hope to achieve. 

If you’re looking to improve on your people skills you could choose a community development service-learning trip where you’ll work with people every day. If you want to better your biological survey skills then getting involved in marine or wildlife conservation teen volunteer opportunities might be best. 

High school volunteer opportunities like service-learning trips can be done at any of GVI’s global hubs. They can heighten your learning experience and allow you to gain a broader perspective, not only of the learning material but of the world. 

Take a look at these three service trips for high school students that offer some of the best ways to volunteer abroad, while also allowing you to add to your education in a meaningful way.

1) South African wildlife service-learning program

Our service-learning programs in Limpopo, South Africa, offer teen volunteer opportunities that place you in a remote part of the grassy plains of the African savannah. 

With the African sun lighting up the scene in front of you, you’ll get a deeper insight into biological and environmental sciences and gain practical experience in:

• wildlife monitoring techniques and species identification
• the management and removal of invasive plant species
• planning and delivering environmental awareness workshops.

You’ll find your feet in the field of wildlife conservation and get closer to African animals than you’ve ever been before.

But if you’re looking for more of a beach vibe, you could try a service-learning trip on an island in the Indian Ocean.

2) Seychelles marine conservation service-learning program

Take your marine conservation know-how to new heights when you participate in a service-learning trip on the islands of Curieuse or Mahe in Seychelles.

Find out what types of marine creatures call these island waters home and get involved in marine conservation efforts including:

• surveying hawksbill turtle nesting areas during the nesting season
• monitoring mangrove trees 
• assisting in tagging sickle-fin lemon sharks 
• planning and delivering eco-tourism workshops.

Get filled in on the field of marine biology while working in one of the top travel destinations in the world.

And if you want to contribute towards a positive impact in community development, there are volunteer abroad opportunities that offer the perfect service-learning experience for high school volunteers.

3) Nepal community development service-learning program

Find out how community development is done in the field by taking a service-learning trip to Pokhara in Nepal. Here you’ll get a taste of what it’s like to work in women’s empowerment, education, and global public health.

Put what you’ve learnt into practice by:

• planning and delivering English lessons, preventative health and skills workshops
• facilitating first aid training sessions for community members
• assisting in tutoring school-children in language studies, science, social studies, and maths.

In Nepal, service trips for high school students also offer ample opportunity for cultural immersion. This means being surrounded by and participating in cultural activities in an ethical way. 

Service-learning high school volunteer opportunities offer some of the best ways to volunteer abroad. Get ready for a service-learning trip to take you on an adventure, and even put a shine on your university application. 

Take a look at GVI’s service trips for high school students that can take your learning experience out of the classroom and push it to amazing new heights.

Tasneem Johnson-Dollie is a contributor for GVI, and an alum of the GVI Writing Academy. The Writing Academy is a skills-development program that pairs development editors with budding travel writers. Learn more about the program here.