Why United Planet is Different

Holly Hornbeck is our Campus Outreach Intern at Bowdoin College and a previous United Planet volunteer. Below, she shares her United Planet journey – and what, in her eyes, set it apart from other programs she’s done.

I went on my first volunteer abroad trip the summer after my junior year in high school: the United Planet China Summer Quest. Considering this was my first trip, my family and friends were confused by my decision to go to a place so far away, with a language I didn’t speak and a culture with which I wasn’t very familiar. Since then I’ve also had experiences with other volunteer abroad programs, but I can confidently say that my experience with United Planet will remain my most valued and memorable.

United Planet provided me with more pre-departure preparation than any other program I have done thus far, so much so that arriving by myself in Beijing was far from scary. The wonderful Quest leader as well as another volunteer greeted me. The volunteer group was around ten high school students. We started with a two-day tour of Beijing which helped us become acclimated to the environment and accustomed to each other. By the time we made it to the rural area of the Hunan Province where we would be working, I felt extremely comfortable.

Although United Planet provided me with a remarkable amount of support, what I truly valued the most was the service project they arranged for me. It isn’t easy to make a group of ten teenagers, half of whom do not speak any Mandarin, be of use in rural China. Volunteer programs have recently been under scrutiny for sending under-qualified people to foreign countries, often causing more trouble than aid.

United Planet is not one of those programs. On the China Summer Quest, we were split into groups of two, and then paired with two Chinese, English-major college students. We taught at a summer school that was optional for children to attend. As volunteers that did not speak Mandarin, we were there to help the children practice communicating in English. However, the Chinese college students were crucial to maintaining a common level of understanding. We worked with them to come up with lesson plans, switching between styles of teaching and topics.

Throughout the project, I became increasingly aware that we were all benefiting by being with each other; the kids, the volunteers, and the college students. The environment was structured so that we were able to provide help and still have a fulfilling individual experience.

As I look for a program to volunteer with this year, I am struck by the ease and reliability United Planet guarantees. I have yet to find another organization that strikes the perfect balance between giving volunteers freedom to make decisions about how they help the community and providing a structure that makes sure the volunteers are helpful. I met amazing people through United Planet and I had an unforgettable experience.