Best Volunteer Abroad Programs

Company Policies

In this page you can find all documentation and policies of uVolunteer.

1. Terms and Conditions
2. Code of Conduct
3. Privacy Policy
4. Travel Insurance Policy

 

Code of Conduct

uVolunteer operates its programs with the safety and security of our volunteers in mind. In order to ensure the best possible experience for our volunteers and those they may come in contact with, we expect all participants to follow and obey our universal uVolunteer policies. These policies have been designed to provide a rewarding opportunity for everyone.

Accommodation

uVolunteer accommodations consist of Volunteer Dormitories, multiple & single person Host Families, Guest Houses or other housing provided by uVolunteer for volunteers during their stay. These accommodations are provided to uVolunteer participants and shall be used only by those having permission from Program Country Directors.

Basic security precautions should always be taken, regardless of any "safe reputation" a community may have. For your security, we ask you to please adhere to the following accommodation guidelines:

• Shared Housing

• Keep doors locked at all times (especially when away from your accommodation and when sleeping during the night).
• Keep your keys in a safe location when inside and outside of our accommodation. Losing your keys will result in the loss of your deposit, if appropriate, as well as being charged for any other costs incurred in changing locks and issuing new keys to the other volunteers and staff of the local program. (We must assume the keys were stolen for malicious reasons.)
• Do not make public the location of your accommodations.
• Under no circumstances are uVolunteer participants to bring anybody not affiliated with the operation of the organization back to their accommodations.
• Daily and Weekly upkeep in any group-living area is essential to maintain proper hygienic conditions - our accommodations are no exception. Although cleaning staff is provided, participants will be expected to help maintain their living areas. Cleaning supplies can be provided upon request. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
• - Sweeping of communal and private sleeping quarters
• - Mopping of communal and private sleeping quarters
• - Cleaning of the volunteer refrigerator both in and out
• - Helping with the cleaning of dishes and meal preparation
• - Depositing wet, damp, or dirty clothes in the baskets provided and not on the floor

• Host Families

• As a house guest it is of paramount importance that you stay informed and respectful of your host family's house rules as well as local cultural norms. If at any time you are uncomfortable with some aspect of your home stay it is your responsibility to report this to uVolunteer administrative staff in the interest of facilitating agreement on all sides as soon as possible.
• Our host families understand that you will come and go as you please, but expect you to communicate with them when your arrivals or departures are unusually late-night or early-morning, and even more importantly, when you will be away overnight. You are a guest in their home and your host families will worry. They are likely to call uVolunteer administrative staff and may go as far as notifying local authorities if you are absent from their home without letting them know.
• If you have been away and plans change so that you will be away even longer, it is your responsibility to call your host family in addition to notifying uVolunteer staff if this will in any way affect your project availability.

Gift Giving

In some cases group donations are acceptable, depending on the project, usually in the form of material goods that can benefit your project as a whole. We ask that volunteers consult with uVolunteer administrative staff before taking gifts or donations to projects, since in many cases we have already been given guidelines by project managers as to what is or is not acceptable. Over time, uVolunteer has acquired some materials which we oversee, and which volunteers are welcome to utilize in their projects. Many times it is advisable that volunteers contribute to this cache as opposed to donating directly to the project which may not be able to ensure that the donated items are well cared for.

Dress Code

uVolunteer strictly enforces a dress code while participants are within project hours or on the project sites. Our objective is to allow our volunteers to work comfortably in our programs while projecting a professional and respectful image to the partner projects we work with. Please keep in mind that all volunteers and especially those working as a role model to children are held to a high standard -sometimes even higher than local staff they work alongside. It is important to remember that office and dorm staff do pay close attention, as do Home Stay families and project site personnel who frequently report back.

Clothing that reveals cleavage, shoulders, back, chest, upper leg (above knee), stomach or underwear is not appropriate. Torn, dirty, or frayed clothing is unacceptable. Any clothing that has words, terms, or pictures that may be offensive to your colleagues is deemed inappropriate for participation within your uVolunteer program.

Volunteers participating in our Community Development, Teaching or Child Care programs are asked to maintain a 'smart casual' code of dress while on duty.

Volunteers participating in our Media, Graphic Design or office based programs are asked to maintain a 'business casual' dress code while on duty.

Volunteers participating in our Indigenous Community Development, Environmental Conservation, Wildlife Conservation or Ecological Farm programs are asked to dress comfortably while wearing clothes that are light and easily washed and dried, as they are likely to become soiled or even damaged while on duty.

In particular, volunteers participating in our Turtle Conservation programs are asked to wear dark clothes while on duty in order to blend in with the night scene and not disrupt the turtles' behaviour. Beach wear is allowed during the daytime.

No dress code can cover all contingencies so volunteers must exert a certain amount of judgment in their choice of clothing to wear while representing uVolunteer. If you experience uncertainty about acceptable attire for your program, please consult a uVolunteer staff member.

If clothing fails to meet standards, as determined by a uVolunteer staff or representatives or project staff members, the volunteer may be sent to their prospective lodging to modify their attire and/or asked not to wear the inappropriate item again while on duty.

Consideration of Others

uVolunteer is committed to treating all persons with dignity and respect. The purpose of this policy is to enhance trust and cohesion by ensuring continual awareness of respect as a core organizational value. By asking our volunteers to embrace diversity we assume our participants understand and follow common duties associated with loyalty, respect, selflessness service, honor and integrity. Our hope is that each volunteer is able to trust and depend upon one another without reservation. In order to achieve this goal we expected our volunteers to treat others and their property with the same consideration and respect that is expected in return.

Free Time

During the duration of uVolunteer programs, our volunteers will experience 'free time.' 'Free time' is defined as the periods when no work is allotted to the volunteer. This time can be used as the volunteer wishes; provided it does not conflict with any rules or regulations previously mentioned and agreed upon between uVolunteer and the participant. Furthermore, the activities in which the volunteer chooses to participate are not to have a negative effect on your program, on the image, nor relationship uVolunteer has with its host country and community. When opportunities arise for surprise cancellation of program duties, (i.e. school days off) this does not allow volunteers unspecified free time, merely a chance to experience another aspect of volunteer work both social and public within the host communities.

Reporting

All uVolunteer participants are expected to complete "Program Arrival Questionnaire" and write weekly reports detailing their experience and time spent on their assigned project. Before receiving a completion certificate for programs, participants are additionally expected to submit an "Exit Survey" to their project manager. All feedback is used to continuously monitor and develop uVolunteer's programs.

Teaching Programs' Required Reports

Depending on the program, volunteer teachers and teacher's aides may be expected to prepare a lesson plan before entering the classroom, to ensure that you as a teacher are prepared for your lessons. Volunteers may also be asked, upon finishing each lesson, to provide a report detailing what was taught in the classroom and how the class reacted. When this is expected, it is not required that the information is positive, yet more important that it is accurate. These reports are to be used for personal reflection and improvement for future volunteers as well as to improve uVolunteer's teaching programs. Not all teaching programs have these requirements. You will be informed prior to starting your project, if yours is one that does.

Drugs

The use of illegal drugs is prohibited. Anyone who is found asking for, purchasing or using illegal drugs while enrolled in a uVolunteer Program will be expelled from the Program and may be reported to local authorities. Exchanging of prescription drugs without proper medical documentation is also forbidden. This policy is strictly enforced.

Alcohol

Any person under the age of 18 found consuming alcohol in any of our participating uVolunteer countries is subject to the laws of the participating country. All alcohol consumption policies of the participating country are in effect upon arriving in the country.

Persons with 18 years of age or more are allowed to drink alcohol as long as their drinking does not directly or indirectly put their safety or the safety of fellow participants in danger, nor presents a negative image of uVolunteer to the community in which we are affiliated. Binge drinking is highly discouraged and can result in termination from the Program.

Alcohol consumption in private areas of the provided accommodations is against regulations. Alcohol utilization in communal dormitory areas or private host-housing is to be agreed upon by all members housed in the participating lodging areas or by the home owner; provided the agreement does not go against any of the local laws or regulations of the host country or uVolunteer. Furthermore, peer pressure, devious behaviour, and other foul play to influence another member of uVolunteer to consume alcohol against their will is strictly prohibited and can result in termination from the program.

Alcohol consumption is not to coincide with nor affect the volunteer project, project site, project material, nor people involved with any uVolunteer project. uVolunteer reserves the right to modify its alcohol consumption policies at any time should it be deemed necessary by uVolunteer administrative staff - including but not restricted to, rules regarding places and times in which consumption is allowed.

Possible Reasons for Expulsion

uVolunteer encourages its volunteers to enjoy free time, whether close to their project site or while travelling. However, the conduct of volunteers does reflect on uVolunteer and its community programs, even when volunteers are not at the project site or actively engaged in the project. For this reason certain inappropriate behaviours will not be tolerated and will be evaluated on a case by case basis by the Country Director and other uVolunteer administrative staff, as possible reasons for a volunteer's expulsion from the program. Such behaviours include but are not limited to:

• Putting at risk one's own safety or the safety of fellow participants
• Jeopardizing uVolunteer's image or relationship within the community in which we work
• Drunkenness which results in inappropriate or disorderly conduct
• Aggression or violence expressed either verbally or physically
• Lewd behaviour especially of a sexual nature
• Lateness to projects or being absent without approval from uVolunteer administrative staff
• Repeated disregard of the Dress Code
• Breaking the rules set out in the Code of Conduct

Also likely to be considered grounds for immediate expulsion would be, for example, a volunteer being banned from the premises of a local establishment by that establishment's management for any combination of the above behaviours, or any other behaviour which violates local laws or cultural norms. With the initial orientation and ongoing routine communication uVolunteer staff will make every effort to educate volunteers about the local laws and cultural norms of the communities in which they are volunteering. A participant expelled from their placement, for whatever reason, will not receive any reimbursement of fees.

1. Terms and Conditions
2. Code of Conduct
3. Privacy Policy
4. Travel Insurance Policy