Before departure to the country of service

Before you begin your volunteering experience, it is helpful to pause and explore your motivations, expectations, and the values that guide you. This phase invites you to reflect on why you chose to volunteer, what you hope to discover about yourself, and what hopes or fears you are carrying into the journey. It also helps you think about how you would like to contribute during your project, consider how you usually respond to cultural differences, and identify the skills you want to develop.

Use the guiding questions below to start this process. They are here to help you ask yourself what truly matters to you at this stage.

  • Why did I choose to volunteer?
  • What do I hope to discover about myself during this time?
  • What are my biggest hopes and fears for this experience?
  • How do I want to contribute through this project, and why does it matter to me?
  • What experiences do I have with people from other cultures and how do I usually respond to cultural differences?
  • What do I know about the country I’m going to and what interests me most about this country?
  • How do I learn best and how can I get most of this experience?
  • What skills do I want to develop in my project?

You may answer them in your own way and follow the thoughts, images, or emotions that come up. If a question feels important or you want to explore a topic more deeply, you can choose one of the below suggested reflection methods for this phase. The methods are not meant to replace your own inquiry - they simply offer structure, creativity, or extra depth to help you look more closely at what you discover.

Ask yourself “What do I need right now?”  and choose a method if you want to explore deeper:

Purpose Method You will need:
To understand my motivation or purpose Vision Board  or 
My Spark Statement or 
To explore my cultural expectations Me & Culture Wheel or 
To map which skills I want to grow Skill Map or or 
To capture my feelings or expectations quickly Private Voice Note
To understand how I learn and how to use it during volunteering My Learning Style