I want to take a year off before college to do charity work in south america. what programs are out there?

Question

I am a student with a 4.38 weighted GPA, a 3.66 unweighted, have taken 5 AP classes, have held 2 jobs, and am a member of numerous honor societies, etc. point: I am a smart kid who works hard.
However, recently i have been thinking that i may want to take a year off before college to volunteer with impoverished children in South America.
The question is: what reliable, trustworthy organizations are out there that can use somebody without a college degree to teach/work with children for 6 months to a year in S. America?
Also, I would want an opportunity to make a living while there, because I would be coming home to go to college.
It's a tough question, but do you have any thoughts? links? know of any charities?

Answer 1

The Peace Corps is a 2 year commitment and it is not for everyone, but it is a life changing experience and you would make a real difference in the world. Most Peace Corps volunteers are recent college graduates, but that is not a requirement. You would earn a small living allowance while abroad, and would also have a small salary deposited into an account for you every month so that you would have some money saved up when you returned to the U.S. You can get more detailed information at their website:
http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn

Taking a year off between high school and college to travel or volunteer is very popular in Europe and is called a "gap year". Here is a link to a lot of Gap Year programs in South America:
http://www.realgap.co.uk/South%20America

Here is a good resource for volunteering in Ecuador:
http://www.ecuadorvolunteer.org/volunteer_projects_free/social_projects/index.html

And here is one for Argentina:
http://www.gicarg.org/Default.aspx?tabid=82

And Peru:
http://www.volunteeringinperu.org/

And Brasil:
http://www.kww-southamerica.org/content/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=23&Itemid=101

And here is are a bunch of links at About.com:
http://gosouthamerica.about.com/od/volunteerprograms/Volunteer_Programs.htm

Another idea is serving with a missionary church group abroad, since they often run clinics and schools too.

Answer 2

I took a 365 days off in between extreme college and school, and that i might say it is between the final judgements i've got ever made. on the time I graduated from extreme college, i replaced into already particularly 'burnt out' academically. i did not have a sparkling thought of what I enjoyed or what i had to do, and as a result I by no skill extremely centred on the matters i extremely enjoyed (math/physics) and replaced into commonly discouraged because of the fact of that. only having an entire 365 days to myself, wherein I have been given to return and forth, carry out a little volunteer paintings, or perhaps intern at a scientific institution for some month, extremely replaced into an spectacular time to step returned and re-examine my character/interests. i'm now a Physics important in college and that i'm liking college plenty extra useful than extreme college - not in common terms because of the fact i'm in common terms taking classes I relish, yet in addition because of the fact I got here in feeling particularly re-energized after a 365 days off. i might advise which you carry out a little psychological activities in case you do come to a call to take a 365 days off, nevertheless - I self-studied a sturdy little bit of calculus and physics previous to coming to college, and that helped me rather.

Answer 3

Look into the Peace Corps. A friend in college had been in the Corps, and thought it was one of the best things he had ever done. But it might be a longer commitment than you want.