Global to Local:
Local to Global
Resources for Community Engagement
with an International Focus

Brought to you by
The Office of Community-University Partnerships and Service-Learning (CUPS),
in cooperation with the Office of International Education

Every cause for which you have a passion has a local, national, and international angle.  This guide presents ways you can engage
with international issues and populations on a local and global scale: make a true impact by doing both!

Think Global Through Local Action
Are you looking to volunteer with an international population right here in Burlington? Perhaps you've returned from studying abroad and are looking for cross-cultural interaction.  Burlington offers many volunteer opportunities with an international focus...here are a few examples:

Champlain Valley Head Start:
Do you want to practice speaking or writing in your second language? Are you interested in working with children and families who are immigrants or refugees?
Champlain Valley Head Start looks for volunteers who are excited about working with children and families that are learning English.

Chittenden Community Action
Chittenden Community Action seeks to address issues of economic, social and racial justice and to work with low-income people to achieve economic independence.

EF Foundation for Foreign Study
EF Foundation for Foreign Study is a non-profit high school exchange program dedicated to breaking down barriers of language, culture and geography.

King Street Youth
This is an opportunity to help refugee women in the Burlington community learn English. The women, many of them mothers of young children, come to King Street Youth Center
three mornings each week to a Vermont Adult Learning program. Volunteers care for their young children while the mothers are in class.

Peace & Justice Center
Peace & Justice Center’s mission is to create a just and peaceful world. They work on the issues of economic and racial justice, peace, and human rights through education,
advocacy, training and non-violent activism and community organizing.

Sara Holbrook Community Center (SHCC)
For 70 years, the Sara Holbrook Community Center (SHCC) has been an integral part of Burlington. Annually, 4,000 individuals, including immigrant and refugee populations,
use the center's programs: pre-school, after-school care, summer camps, teen programming, English classes for adults and children, and basic need assistance.

The Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program
The Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program’s mission is to bring hope and opportunity to the lives of refugees and immigrants. They act to defend human rights, promote
self-sufficiency and education and to forge community partnerships through a full range of programs & services.

FOR MORE PROGRAM LISTINGS, visit the United Way of Chittenden County's Volunteer Center

Think Global Through Campus Organizations
Check out these campus-based programs that offer an opportunity to address itnernational issues
and become engaged in the community, both locally and internationally, with a group of other students....

Community Service Programs:. Connects students to the community through group and individual service events. Look for international connections in their annual community events: Serv-A-Thon and Community Works...

Volunteers in Action (VIA): Student led organization that matches students with volunteer opportunities. Numerous internationally focused opportunities for students: Alternative Spring Breaks, Alternative Winter Breaks, and English As A Second Language.

Community University Partnerships and Service-Learning: Find out more about service-learning courses and community-based research at UVM. A multitude of local programs with an international focus and international programs with a local component exist.

Service-Learning Internship Program, Career Services:.Students have the opportunity to do community oriented work and earch academic credit for personal reflection, essay writing, and group discussion. Students can focus on international issues in self-designed internships.

Think Local While Study Abroad
Looking to travel abroad and engage with local communities? Look for international and
study abroad programs that offer community engagement opportunities:

UVM Programs

External Programs (a few examples)
 For links to more external programs, visit The Office of International Education!

Online Directories
Use these guides to find hundreds of international travel and volunteer opportunities!