Events Calendar

YASC and Global Volunteers are Thrilled to Announce YASC's Inaugural Service Program to Peru! For 41 years, Global Volunteers has mobilized short-term volunteers in hands-on service to local people on long-term community development projects to help children and families reach their full potential. At the invitation of the community partners, Global Volunteers work hand-in-hand with the local people and under the direction of local leaders to ensure that the work projects are meaningful and sustainable.

There is a children's home on the outskirts of Lima, Peru that has invited volunteers of all backgrounds into their community and their need our help:

“Sagrada Familia” (Sacred Family) is a shelter for vulnerable children who otherwise have nowhere to go. The goal of this community is to care for and protect children who have been left homeless or neglected by giving them the love, care and individualized attention that all children need and deserve. The shelter feeds, nurtures, and educates over 1,200 children aged from birth to seventeen who have been abandoned, orphaned, or who have faced abusive or otherwise dangerous family environments. Many of these children come from the most destitute parts of Peru, such as the bursting settlements that sprawl into the hills along the city’s edges. 

Sagrada Familia functions as a small village or community in Ventanilla for the children in need. In addition to the facilities, one would expect to see at a children’s home (dormitories, dining halls, sports courts, etc.), the community provides education for all children (preschool to high school), a trade school (bakery, carpentry, music and sewing), workshops, and a health clinic. For more than 25 years, thousands of children have called Sagrada Familia home, and have benefited from the life-changing care they have received there. While many former students continue to support Sagrada Familia after they leave, the community needs help in all areas. This is a wonderful opportunity for you to help provide the essential services every child needs to thrive. Volunteers from all backgrounds are welcome. We anticipate offering the following projects:

• Care for, nurture, and teach preschool children.
• Work on labor projects to improve living and learning spaces.
• Teach conversational English to children from kindergarten through high school.
• Conduct interactive workshops for parents on health, nutrition, early childhood development, education, psychology, or related topics.
• Accompany caregiver staff on family home visits to reinforce workshop lessons.
• Nurtures and offer psychosocial support to infants and toddlers.
• Help with health care projects at the on-campus clinic, when requested. The clinic serves all of the 1,300 children of the community and people from the surrounding community. 

Depending on interest from the community and volunteer skills, we may be able to offer projects in the following areas:

• Athletics
• Artistic painting
• Baking
• Carpentry
• Sewing

Review program policies, trip itinerary, and terms and conditions (YASC and Global Volunteers). For questions or further information feel free to contact trip producer Andrew Burgie '87 or João Aleixo at the YAA.

Click here for trip itinerary

YASC is excited to offer Yale alumni and friends a service and learning opportunity on the Pine Ridge Reservation, home to the Oglala Sioux Tribe. One of the largest reservations in the United States, Pine Ridge Reservation was the historic home of leaders such as Black Elk, Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull and, despite many challenges, is a place where the Lakota traditions, language and culture are alive and flourishing.

YASC will be working with the Pine Ridge Girls’ School– Anpo Wicahpi in Lakota – an independent, tuition-free day school that provides girls on the Pine Ridge Reservation with an academically rigorous college-prep education that is immersed in Lakota culture, language and values. The school was founded to empower Lakota girls to find their voices and become community and national leaders. 

Participants on the trip will have the opportunity to learn about Lakota culture and the Lakota way of life, while providing vital support to the school and its students. Participants will be able to work on a range of potential projects (indoors and outdoors), such as

• Advising students on education and career opportunities and life skills

• Offering arts and education classes

• Leading athletics and wellness programs

• Organizing a library

• Improving the school campus (including painting a mural and developing areas for athletics and gardening)

• Assisting school leaders and students with harvesting and preparing traditional foods for the coming school year

We welcome volunteers with all skill levels!

Volunteers will be staying on the reservation, at the Lakota Prairie Ranch Resort.  Please be aware that alcoholic beverages are prohibited on the reservation.

Review program policies and terms and conditions. For questions or further information feel free to contact trip producer Perry Sayles '88 at perry.sayles@gmail.com or João Aleixo at the Yale Alumni Association at joao.aleixo@yale.edu.

Discover the power of service to transform lives - especially your own.

Join fellow Yale alumni and friends for a unique opportunity to serve with YASC and Global Volunteers in the beautiful Siedlce region of eastern Poland. You'll work directly with local leaders and youth—both Polish and Ukrainian—offering your time, energy, and talents to support language learning and build lasting connections.

Whether you're an experienced educator or simply someone who loves kids and wants to make a difference, this program invites you to step into a role of meaningful impact and intercultural exchange.

Why Poland? Why Now?

After the collapse of communism in Poland, the county government of Siedlce asked Global Volunteers for help teaching conversational English. Reading in the classroom was a focus, but they did not have any native English speakers to listen to and practice pronunciation, idioms, and fluency to communicate effectively in English - the language of the world's marketplace. Volunteers have played a vital role in Poland's progress through teaching in classrooms and planning summer camps that engage children in the historical Siedlce county area, an area that still does not have the same access to resources as the larger cities. This program aims to serve both Polish and Ukrainian youth in the summer camps. The war in Ukraine has brought an influx of displaced families into the region but given the evolving nature of the war in Ukraine, we recognize that the circumstances may change by 2026. We are committed to supporting the community as it exists at the time and will adapt our efforts accordingly.

Your presence will be a message of hope and solidarity.

You'll lead small-group activities designed to help students practice spoken English in fun, creative ways, including:

• Games and storytelling
• Art and music
• Sports and movement
• Science and hands-on projects
• Film and photography
• Dance and cultural exchange

Review program policies, trip itinerary, and terms and conditions (YASC and Global Volunteers). For questions or further information feel free to contact trip producer Julia Bailey '93 MPhil, ’96 PhD or João Aleixo at the YAA.