Study abroad scholarships and the value of intercultural skills: the latest news in work, study and volunteer abroad.
Volunteer Abroad News
• Should you volunteer overseas? This flowchart can help you decide—and determine the right type of volunteer experience.
• VOFAIR’s vision is “to bring and assure transparency in the world of international volunteering.” Unlike other certification systems, it has been launched by individuals in the global South. Adieu-Ark-B Marketing’s Q & A delves further into what this new standard is all about.
• This story is a must-read just for the headline alone. “Will the Jersey Shore be the voluntourism hot spot for Summer 2013?”
Study Abroad News
• “While the number of overseas students from other major Asian countries like China and India has boomed, there was a precipitous decline in the number of Japanese studying abroad. . .However, experts say the downward trend is reversing in Japan, partly because of demands by major employers, which are seeking to globalize.”
• How can universities become more ambitious—and creative—when it comes to the creation of study abroad programs? The thoughts of one conference presenter.
• “A semester abroad does not qualify as ‘going global,’” says the Dean of George Washington University School of Business in Washington, DC.
Work Abroad News
• The British council released their 2013 report on the value of intercultural skills in the workplace. Amongst the findings? Workplaces that employ intercultural employees enjoy greater workplace harmony.
• Expat children in the UAE find it hard to integrate as compared to other countries favoured by expats.
Required Reading
• Must watch: “TED Talks: The way we think about charity is dead wrong."
• “Google mines Frommer’s Travel for social data, then sells the name back.”
Contests & Opportunities
• Attend the first “food tourism” conference in September 2013.
• Win a trip to international travel blogger conference TBEX in Toronto this June. Contest ends April 30.
• Scholarships for Canadian graduate and undergraduate students to study in Japan are being offered by the Embassy of Japan in Canada. Applications are due May 2013.
• Win a volunteer vacation in Thailand, working with elephants and in partnership with Thai volunteers.
Got a news tip or opportunity that you’d like to see included in our biweekly “travel with purpose” news round-up? Send us an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..