Placements
Common projects include: trail maintenance, fencing and revegetation (planting and transplanting native species). There are also projects to help protect local endangered species (e.g. the Desert Tortoise and Apache Trout).
Volunteers work in teams of between 6 and 11 volunteers. The teams will normally work for periods of 4 days followed by 3 days off. Projects are rotated every 2 – 4 weeks to provide a variety of experiences. The work is physically demanding, normally in remote areas. Days are long (10 hours) sometimes in extreme weather conditions. However, the camaraderie and sense of achievement is immeasurable.
The volunteers will have the chance to work in some of the most magnificent parks of America including the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Arches National Park, Prescott National Forest, Yosemite and King’s Canyon. Project locations are remote and may involve a long hike - just to get to the base camp!
Orientation
Projects are supervised and training is provided where appropriate.
Project placement and local support services are provided by ACE (American Conservation Experience) BUNAC's partner in America. They have offices in Flagstaff and Santa Cruz.
Accommodation
Most volunteers will camp whilst working on a project (equipment provided). While some projects have developed campgrounds with warm showers, many are in remote locations without any facilities. Food is prepared at the campsite and all volunteers take turns to cook, clean etc.
On their days off volunteers stay at the regional accommodation in Flagstaff, Arizona or Santa Cruz, California in shared houses with dormitory style rooms. The accommodation is in continual use with one team moving in as another heads off to a project. This accommodation is also used for relatively local projects.
Food is included whilst volunteers are at their project. They are responsible for their own food at other times.
Cost
The programme cost includes:
- Full pre-departure advice and support from BUNAC
- Programme, administration and literature and BUNAC’s Moneywise Guide to North America
- Accommodation
- Project placements
- Trained professional supervision
- Project-related transport and transfer from arrival airport
- Food whilst working on a project
- 24/7 support from our local partner and from BUNAC’s UK and US offices for the duration of your programme.
Programme Costs
| 12 weeks |
£250 |
| 10 weeks |
£250 |
| 8 weeks |
See below* |
Additional Costs
| BUNAC membership |
£5 |
| Insurance |
£128 (3 months) |
| Flights |
£500 (approx.) |
| Spending/travel money |
£175 per month |
*An 8 week programme option is also available for £475; this includes a US$400 (approx. £225) short-programme administration supplement imposed by the placement provider, ACE.
Eligibility
To apply to Volunteer USA, you must be:
- A British or Irish passport holder, resident in the UK or Ireland
- Aged at least 18
- Eligible for the US Visa Waiver Scheme
- Positive, proactive, adventurous, flexible, a good communicator, confident and outgoing with a sense of responsibility and a sense of humour.
Flights
BUNAC will arrange your group flight to coincide with your first project. Flexible homeward tickets will allow date changes whilst away (subject to airline availability and an administration fee). If you prefer to arrange your travel independently, you may do so. However, please discuss your plans with BUNAC before booking any flight.
Meet and greet at the arriving airport and transfer are included unless otherwise indicated.
| Departure Date |
Closing Date |
| 2nd August 2008 |
23rd May 2008 |
| 30th August 2008 |
20th June 2008 |
| 27th September 2008 |
18th July 2008 |
| 25th October 2008 |
15th August 2008 |
* No meet and greet or transfer |
This programme operates year-round with monthly departures. Dates for 2009 will be confirmed during summer 2008. Please check back later in the year for specific details.
Insurance
BUNAC will arrange insurance for participants. Full details will be sent following acceptance on to the programme. Currently a three month policy costs from £128.
Visa
Participants will travel on the US Visa Waiver programme. This is because they are placed in unpaid voluntary projects and are staying in the US for no more than 90 days. Full information will be provided by BUNAC on acceptance to the programme.
Fundraising
Raising extra funds for your trip needn’t be difficult as there are loads of things you can do to raise money. For further information go to www.bunac.org/fundraising for some ideas to get you started.
To apply to
Volunteer USA, please follow these simple steps:
Application process
- Written application: Download the Application Pack which consists of the
Application Form, two Reference Forms and the Terms and Conditions. Send your completed
Application Form to BUNAC with the following:
- Programme cost including £5 BUNAC membership fee
- Your current CV
- Two completed References Forms (see below)
- Copy of your passport and birth certificate
- Two passport photos.
- Reference Forms: Please send the Reference Forms to your chosen referees (for example a former employer and university course tutor). They may send the forms to BUNAC directly or return them to you.
- Closing date: Applications must be made to BUNAC no less than ten
weeks before the intended date of departure from the UK.
-
Interview: Before you are accepted on to the programme you will need to have a telephone interview during which we will discuss all aspects of the programme to ensure that you are fully prepared. This is also an opportunity for you to ask us any further questions.
- Acceptance: Following a satisfactory interview, BUNAC will formally accept you onto the programme and provide you with details of the next stage of the application process.
- Pre-departure: Your flights and insurance will be arranged by BUNAC and detailed to you in the lead up to your departure. Specific projects rotas are issued on arrival.
Terms and conditions
Full terms and conditions for the programme are included with the application form.
Regional Profile
Arizona
Arizona’s works of nature are among the grandest in the US, if not the world, beginning with the Grand Canyon and continuing through 21 other highly varied national parks, monuments and recreation areas. But the works of man range from banal to short-sightedly destructive: water-greedy cities, a borrowed London Bridge, and dam-drowned canyons. Even the upper portion of the Grand Canyon – the Marble Canyon – was threatened with a dam at one time!
A land of vast silences and arid beauty, the Grand Canyon State (its new moniker) also contains sharp and sometimes troubling contrasts. One-quarter of Arizona is Indian land, containing the incredibly ancient and artistically advanced cultures of the Hopis, Navajos and others and one in twenty inhabitants is a Native American. Yet Native Americans in the state were not allowed to vote until 1948.
California
California has the natural beauty of several states combined: rich redwood groves containing the tallest trees on earth; the stark superlatives of Death Valley; and the dizzying glacier-carved heights of Yosemite Valley. Like Shangri-La, California is cut off from the rest of the world by uninviting terrain: the volatile Trinity Alps in the north and the Sierras in the east; the Mojave Desert in the south; and to the west, over 1200 kilometres of coastline and rocky precipices on the Pacific Ocean Coast.
Nevada
Nevada is a stark monochrome universe of sagebush, raked with north-south mountain ranges that rise like angry cat scratches from the dry desert floor. Five territories exist in the state and the two smallest seem to have the most to offer: Las Vegas Territory in the south with bright lights and bold attractions and Reno-Tahoe Territory, bordering California in the west with a more scenic, historic colouring.
Las Vegas and the surrounding area has been logged as the fastest growing city in America for a number of years and has 70% of the state’s population.
Nevada’s trade marks may be glitter, fallout, prostitution and quickie marriage; but it’s also a land of ranches, Native American pow-wows, Basque and Mormon communities and natural wonders like the Valley of Fire, weirdly beautiful Pyramid Lake, and the world’s oldest tree, in Nevada’s only National Park, Great Basin.
Utah
All of Utah’s five National Parks are in the south, an area studded with magnificent monuments of the greatest historical, geological and scenic importance. Must see destinations include Monument Valley, the Navajo reservation and the north rim of the Grand Canyon. Other National Parks include: Zion, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol and Reef Arches.
Utah has always supported the arts; it is home not only to the world-famous Tabernacle Choir but galleries, museums, opera, theatre and the Sundance Film Festival.
Courtesy of BUNAC’s Moneywise Guide to North America.
FAQs
| What kind of visa is needed? |
| Volunteers travel on the US Visa Waiver programme. Subject to meeting the terms and conditions of entry participants will be granted a total, non-extendable stay of 90 days on arrival in to America. Check that you qualify using the US Embassy Visa Wizard.
|
| Can I select which project I work on? |
| Project needs change frequently. Therefore projects are allocated on arrival and will change every 2 to 4 weeks to ensure volunteers get a varied experience.
|
| Why is the 8 week programme more expensive than the 10 or 12 week programme? |
| The programme is geared to 10 or 12 weeks projects. Whilst it is possible to cater for those who wish to volunteer for only 8 weeks, the on-site administration and logistics are more complicated. Our local partner therefore makes an additional charge to short-term participants to cover these extra overheads.
|
| How many days per week are the projects? |
| Projects typically last for 4 days a week, up to 10 hours a day. This schedule allows for 3 days off per week for exploration of the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas (approximately 4 hours away by bus), Lake Mead, Lake Powell, San Francisco, relaxation and participation in cultural events. Some projects involve a great deal of travel, in which case volunteers will participate for 8 consecutive days and then enjoy 6 days off before the next project.
There may occasionally be projects that last from 3-6 weeks, where you will enjoy your days off in a location other than Flagstaff or Santa Cruz. ACE, BUNAC's US partner will help organise outings, lead group hikes and organise cultural and educational events in order to help participants make the most of their time off.
|
| What are the accommodation arrangements during projects? |
| Most projects are in remote locations and virtually all involve camping. Volunteers should bring warm sleeping bags and sleeping mats to use during projects. Some projects have developed campgrounds with warm showers while many are in remote locations without any facilities.
|
| What are the accommodation arrangements between projects? |
| On days when volunteers are not taking part in projects they stay in either student apartments or one of the volunteer houses in Flagstaff. The apartments have a washer/dryer, and the houses have a laundromat just a few blocks away. Housing is communal, with dormitory style bedrooms and shared kitchen and bathroom facilities. This is where volunteers store luggage that isn’t needed on projects, such as suitcases and sport bags. There's also a safe in the office for passports, tickets and other smaller valuables.
|
| Is food provided? |
| Food is provided at each project. Volunteers shop and cook with their teams, taking turns preparing meals for the group. On their days off, volunteers are responsible for buying their own food.
|
| Can I choose my projects?
|
| No. Projects are dependent on among other things, the weather, nesting and migrating seasons of native wildlife, and immediate needs of project partners; they are therefore allocated on arrival. Volunteers will be rotated every 2 – 4 weeks to provide a variety of experiences. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee the availability of any one project or location. |
| Are all of the projects outdoors? |
| Yes, all volunteer projects are outdoors and the weather can be unpredictable at any time of the year. Project descriptions are always subject to change.
|
| Will I be placed with my friend/partner?
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| Where possible we will do our best to place you with your friend or partner. However, this is not always possible and cannot be guaranteed. If you are travelling with a friend you should be prepared to work on different projects and have different days off.
|
| Are there any physical requirements?
|
| Projects will be in the outdoors in all types of weather. Extensive hiking is often involved, sometimes in extreme conditions such as elevations above 9,000 feet (c3,000 meters), 100 degree heat, freezing temperatures, steep terrain, rainstorms, high winds, etc. While it is not necessary to be superhuman, volunteers should be generally fit, comfortable with living outdoors and flexible enough to enjoy the challenges presented by fickle weather conditions.
There is no upper age limit for volunteers although a reasonable level of fitness is definitely a necessity. Due to the high elevations and the rigor of the tasks involved, this programme is not recommended for individuals with respiratory problems such as asthma. If you are in any doubt about your ability to take part in this programme, consult your doctor for advice.
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| Do I need any previous conservation experience?
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| Volunteers do not need any conservation experience. The only requirements are a sense of adventure, a desire to make a difference, and a willingness to remain flexible and positive through ever changing project work, locations, and weather conditions.
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| Who will I volunteer with?
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| Our American partner recruits volunteers within the USA and internationally. You can expect to be volunteering within a very international group. The common language is English.
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| Can I travel after the programme?
|
| Yes, within the restrictions of the visa. The visa allows a maximum stay of 90 days. The 12 week (84 days) programme is arranged so that participants complete their last project and then have between 3 and 6 days off taking them up to the total 12 week programme period. This will allow between 9 and 12 days in total for travel. The 8 week and 10 week programmes provide a greater opportunity for travel. Most volunteers will also travel during their days off whilst on the programme.
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| Can I stay in America more than 90 days?
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| If you want to stay in America for longer than 90 days you will need to apply for a specific US Tourist Visa prior to travel. This will require attendance at the US Embassy and will therefore add time and expense to the processing of your application. If this applies to you, please contact BUNAC.
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| Can I transfer to another job in America?
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| No. The Visa Waiver is only appropriate when undertaking volunteer projects through a recognised partner. For alternative opportunities in America please refer to BUNAC's Work America, Summer Camp USA and KAMP USA programmes.
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If you have any further questions on Volunteer USA, please call us on 020 7251 3472 or e-mail: enquiries@bunac.org.uk