Bright Light Volunteers aims to provide travel in the most authentic way possible. Rather than people being the typical tourist, the goal is to give travelers a more “real” experience by immersing them in the traditions and culture of their destination. Additionally, and more importantly, through this organization, all travelers are also volunteers, and throughout their trip, they help locals with various tasks and community projects. The citizens get help on their projects, and the volunteers are fully immersed in local cultures.
Learning is an essential aspect of Bright Light. When the volunteers get to their destination, they are taken to educational places like historical landmarks and museums. They also have the opportunity to participate in classes with the locals. The trip tends to provide a more open-minded and diverse perspective on life. The countries that Bright Light Volunteers experience include Latin America, South America, Southeast Asia, and other places that benefit from the help.
The mission statement of Bright Light Volunteers is “to make the world a brighter place by providing educational service opportunities that foster the development of global leaders and citizens.” Furthermore, their vision is “to make the world a brighter place by creating a more peaceful, just, interconnected world where global challenges and opportunities are met by educated, compassionate, global citizens and leaders.”
They have eight core values: quality, education, integrity and trust, education, sustainability, cross-cultural collaboration, and cross-culture awareness.
Bright Light Volunteers believes that the key to understanding culture is fully immersing yourself in it. For this reason, the organization always makes sure its volunteers are fully prepared to be respectable, compassionate, non-judgmental, and helpful.
Working with students of all ages and their teachers, volunteers educate an understanding and empathetic youth while reevaluating beliefs. They put a focus on raising global leaders, starting by letting them explore the world around them.
Taking trips to foreign countries can teach children more than history class, and Bright Light makes that opportunity a reality for students.
Their statistics total 7,802 total students, 624,160 volunteer hours, $11,215,111 worth of economic impact, and they have provided $82,400 in scholarship assistance.
A contribution page on their website enables you to donate any amount of money. You can also sign up for an email newsletter to keep up to date on all news about Bright Light Volunteers.