The USA is large in size, and each state has its own unique culture, people, landscape, and opportunities, making it one of the best places to volunteer—for both locals and foreigners. Here are the best volunteer programs for 2024.

	It is designed for foreigners who love the great outdoors, and want to reconnect with nature. It is one of the best volunteer programs for animal lovers, with opportunities to work in forests, and learn about endangered animals and wildlife. Every volunteer trip is both picturesque and wildly adventurous.
	It combines outdoor adventure travel with volunteering, with opportunities in environmental and wildlife protection in some of the most beautiful landscapes. Volunteers from American can travel to Alaska where they’ll spend their free time hiking through tundra(苔原)and boating down rivers surrounded by snowy mountain peaks.
	All Hands and Hearts It is designed for disaster relief and community development, whether you’re helping with earthquake destruction in California, hurricane relief in Texas, or medical response everywhere in between. As the program relies on donations alone, you won’t be troubled by an expensive program fee.
	Bike &Build It combines volunteer work with travel, education, and most of all—biking! Volunteers can jump on three different routes to hit cities across Florida, Virginia, California, and more. In each destination, you’ll participate in hands-on building projects for affordable housing, making a huge impact in local communities.

Pick your program, pack your bags, and get ready for a life-changing adventure volunteering in the US! Explore ALL programs on GAbroad. com.

When disaster strikes a community, it is often critical that assistance be provided right away. The best first responders are the people who call that area home. The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program teaches civilians how to prepare themselves for dangers that might affect their communities. Teams of volunteers are trained in basic skills such as fire safety and prevention, search and rescue, and first aid. After training, these volunteers can begin to provide immediate assistance in the consequence of disasters before professional rescuers arrive.

A CERT team can make a huge difference to a community. During the early stages of a disastrous event, citizens will likely face extreme challenges on their own. Emergency services are usually overwhelmed, and communities may be isolated because of blocked roads. A CERT team can size up the situation in their neighborhood and provide help right away. In 1986, untrained volunteers saved more than 800 lives in the Mexico City earthquake. Unfortunately, at least 100 volunteers also died in the process. To ensure their community was better prepared in events like this, Los Angeles piloted the first CERT program in 1986, and many cities followed their lead.

People of all ages can participate in a CERT program-there is even a teen program for adolescents. Local CERT trainers hold an annual training class and provide subsequent classes throughout the year to consolidate skills.

CERT programs are useful on many different levels. Volunteers are trained to act as eyes and ears, locating trapped victims for uniformed emergency responders who arrive later. They learn to put out small fires, shut off equipment, rescue survivors and provide basic medical treatment. Volunteers also create disaster plans to evacuate families as well as collect and store disaster supplies such as water, food and first-aid kits. Working with professionals, a CERT team can help reduce injuries, loss of life and property damage.

There are now CERT programs throughout the United States, and more than 600,000 people have trained as volunteers. Brazil, New Zealand and Turkey have similar programs. Citizens participate because they believe that everyone in a community has a role in disaster preparedness. By working competently as a team, CERT volunteers protect not only themselves but also the people around them when disasters occur.

Four Volunteer Abroad Programs

This program offers volunteer projects in English teaching, the environment, community development, etc, in a dozen countries. It has a mission to inspire individuals to become global citizens and take an interest in the world around them. Therefore, it provides trips focusing on volunteer opportunities for high school students that actively engage travelers in global communities.

On this project, you are invited to Arusha, Tanzania to develop dance workshops for local schools and orphanages (孤儿院). Dance is just one of the many amazing aspects of the primary education system and culture that you’ll learn about in Tanzania, and you’ll have a wonderful opportunity to volunteer with local children, learn about their culture and dances, and teach them about your culture and background as well.

Through this program, you’ll support children who are facing challenges in nutrition, healthcare, and education. In partnership with local schools and community organizations, you’ll provide maternal and infant (母婴) support, present childcare workshops to parents, help with early childhood education, teach health and hygiene (卫生) lessons, and many more.

This program prides itself on personal attention and tailored experiences for all participants, as well as high-quality service and positions that actively engage scientists, doctors, teachers, and community leaders. Right now, Volunteering Journeys is offering many different opportunities to teen and high school travelers, including family volunteer holidays, summer volunteer programs, and teen-friendly positions on many different projects in Africa and Asia.