Virtual placements ideal for both students and professionals from around the globe.
Today’s challenges teach us that we are all interconnected. We have the opportunity to rise up in the face of these challenges, support each other, and build new levels of partnership across our world, while honing our own skills and competencies. When walls go up, we need to work that much harder to keep lines of communications open and build bridges.
I had an excellent experience with my United Planet virtual internship. I worked with a nonprofit organization from Mexico, creating an educational social media campaign about the importance of international volunteering. Through my experience, I learned a lot about international volunteering, intercultural communication, and peace.
I had a great time! I really enjoyed getting to know my supervisor, and learned a lot. I really liked the sessions that were provided and the whole experience was a lot of fun!
Being a virtual volunteer has given me opportunities I never had before. Aside from being able to interact with people from abroad and to create relationships with them, I was able to express my passion through my work. Helping my host organization produce educational materials about oral health benefited me too as I was able to further my interests. Additionally, I have gained and honed in on essential skills from this experience, one of which is teaching children. I have learned about the importance of civic engagement and educational and professional competence. All in all, I have had a wonderful experience with United Planet and my host organization.
I am interested in women’s issues and plan to study marketing. This internship allowed me to help an organization that aims to help women and children. I was able to gain marketing skills by making pages for the organization on social media and sharing the fundraising link
Support community organizations that focus on improving the lives of children and youth, such as schools, after school programs, as well as women’s shelters and more while learning about the unique challenges communities face around the world and gaining exposure to the local culture of the community.
Support organizations that aim to combat social issues like poverty, inequality, homelessness, economic development, women’s rights, and more. Volunteer to ensure the community has access to basic necessities, empower women, support displaced refugees, advocate for human rights, support sustainable development in rural and urban areas, and more.
Support community health professionals and organizations in research, proposal writing, crowdfunding, development of technology tools in public health, and more. You can also gain real insight into shared healthcare challenges through supporting organizations focused on facing mounting health challenges.
Support organizations that conserve the environment, address climate change, protect wildlife, and more through collaborating with local professionals to support their organizations and efforts to provide environmental education to surrounding communities.
Liberia – Public Health and Women’s Reproductive Health
Uses advocacy, education and empowerment to reduce sexual exploitation and gender-based violence for young women in Liberia. Great opportunity for anyone interested in international public health, women’s rights and international development.
Colombia – Education & Youth Development
Empower storytellers and community leaders in storytelling, life skills, sustainable tourism, and language learning, while creating impactful volunteer opportunities. Especially great for Spanish-speakers, creatives and those that want to engage with Colombian students through live Zoom calls.
Sierra Leone – Environmental Sustainability
Support climate action through fundraising, plastic recycling education, and community-based initiatives. All climate activists and educators are encouraged to pursue this option.
Angola – Community Empowerment and Education
Aid local entrepreneurs in providing free virtual courses in English and soft skills. Founded by young leaders from the community they serve, this is a great way to make a direct impact and engage with the students via real-time Zoom classes.
Virtual Spanish Immersion Week
Over the course of one week, students will “travel” virtually through countries such as Mexico, Peru, Colombia, and Costa Rica while developing Spanish language skills and gaining meaningful cultural insight. This program is ideal for students at beginner to intermediate Spanish levels and can be adapted for different age groups.
| 1 Month | 2 Months | 3 Months | 4 Months | 5 Months | 6 Months |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $800 | $1100 | $1400 | $1700 | $2000 | $2300 |
We want you to succeed. That means having in place the support our interns and volunteers need. We don’t just introduce your host project and hope for the best. We provide training before your program begins … trainings… ongoing support … and options for cultural activities and language lessons. The whole idea is to make the experience successful and productive for you and the host community, and we have found that these things are crucial. Remember that we are a non-profit, mission-driven organization – we wouldn’t spend money on something that wasn’t important.
*Payment Plan Details: A $300 deposit is due at the time of your enrollment to lock in your spot in our program. After your confirmation in a program, you can choose to pay the Quest Fee all at once or in installments. The total Quest Fee is due 2 weeks before your program begins.
Virtual Volunteer Quests are a great opportunity for individuals to get matched with a global project to assist with daily operations and projects according to volunteers’ skills, experiences, and community needs. Virtual Internship Quests go the next step and allow interns to outline learning objectives and goals as it relates to the project work, complete mid and final reflection assignments, and work collaboratively with direct project supervisors on mid and final internship evaluations.
There are a variety of tasks that you can do depending on your areas of interest and the needs of your hosting organization. Tasks will also depend on the area of focus of your hosting organization, such as health services, environmental sustainability, children and education, or community development. Your Project Coordinator will work closely with you and your host organization to develop a success plan for your scope of work.
Sample roles include: Program/Project Support (Research, Project Design, Project Management, Monitoring & Evaluation); Marketing & Communications (Digital Marketing, Social Media, Content Management, SEO, Graphic Design, Public Relations); Virtual Office Assistance/Support Technical Support (Webmaster, WordPress, Programming); Strategy; Finance/Accounting; Grant Writing; Fundraising; and Teaching/Mentoring (Language, Music, Art, Business Skills, STEM) just to name a few.
Projects are open to a range of candidates from high school students (16+), university students, and graduate students to working professionals and retirees. Some projects require special skills and experiences and others are open. Please inquire directly for more information!
Absolutely. You can gain “real-life” global experience in your current field or explore a new field of interest. If you are a student, this “real-world” global experience can complement your in-person or online classes. If you are working full or part-time, you can have global experience and expand your skills in new areas.
We are looking for reliable and committed volunteers and interns with a genuine interest to support global organizations while working collaboratively in partnership.
You are almost there! If you have further questions, just give us a call or send us a note, then enroll online. We’ll be in touch to set up a time for you to talk to your Program Coordinator. Then we begin to set up the project for you. We’ll review your application together with your potential hosting organization, complete references check, and confirm your placement. You’ll meet your project and a success work plan will be developed for your scope of work. We’ll schedule your trainings and weekly reflections. You’ll be sharing your work throughout your program, but you will provide a success presentation to your host organization summarizing your contributions!
We work closely with your schedule to determine how many hours you have available. Most virtual interns and volunteers commit 5 to 40 hours per week.
As long as you have email and access to the Internet, you can participate in the Virtual Quest as a virtual intern or virtual volunteer. In some cases, you might need to have live Zoom sessions with your host project.
Yes, it is possible for you to gain credit for your Virtual Internship if you would like to do so! In collaboration with Portland State University and Dr. Christine Cress, interns may receive undergraduate or graduate-level credit for their virtual experience. Upon consulting with a United Planet Program Coordinator, interns will receive a personalized project placement based on their learning objectives. Interns are responsible for registering as a PSU Non-Degree Applicant ($25 registration fee) for undergraduate (409) or graduate (509) level credit. The number of actual credits earned is contingent upon the duration of the internship and intensity of the academic learning outcomes to be arranged in advance with Dr. Cress. Normally, one credit is equivalent to 30 hours of serving and learning engagement per academic term. Interns are responsible for paying PSU Tuition and Fees: $550 for 1 undergraduate (409) credit or $605 for 1 (509) graduate credit. Please contact us for more details.
Yes there is! The scholarship grant is up to $350. All you need to do is head to our Service Scholarship page and send in your application for us to review.
It takes a large network of people and organizations to provide a quality program experience and unique access to diverse and trusted global projects. Since 2001, United Planet has developed an extensive global network of diverse host organizations as well as a global team of country coordinators. United Planet also has program and administrative staff that helps support the program to ensure positive experiences for volunteers and a meaningful experience for host organizations. The program fees help cover all these program development and support costs which go on behind the scenes to make the experience a positive one for all. The program also includes pre-program training for volunteers and host organizations, ongoing check-ins and support, as well as monitoring and evaluation. A portion of your fee also goes to support in-country partners, host organizations, and projects directly. United Planet is a nonprofit and we make sure that program fees are as affordable as possible while ensuring that there are enough resources to maintain a quality program. We also offer scholarships for Virtual Quests to help defray costs as possible. We look forward to inviting you into the United Planet community!
