So I found a wonderful summer study abroad program - 1 month in New Zealand doing a combination of conservation work (this is an internship/workstudy program, in case you were wondering) and outdoorsy stuff like kayaking and hiking, sponsored by the organization that’s putting on the program, with an optional (well, not if I have anything to say about it) 5-day stay in Fiji on the way home. Yeah, I’m really excited.
However, money is a little tight for me this year, and while it’s not an obscene amount of money, I could use some help defraying the costs. The organization does let you offset the cost of the trip by soliciting donations from private individuals and businesses and organizations. They gave me a form letter and a bunch of paperwork for keeping track of the money.
So who do I take this thing to? I don’t have a church, I’m not in any organizations that aren’t also hurting for funds, my parents are the only employees of their business, and I’m about to be employed by the university. Also, am I correct in thinking that no one would sign this thing if I just mailed it in, and I’d have to come by and introduce myself and the project?
I don’t know if you’ve already tried this or not, but you should check with your university’s study abroad and financial aid offices. Sometimes there are grants and scholarships available for study abroad. (Most of them, unfortunately, apply to foreign language studies, and I’m not sure “‘Ow you goin’, mate?” counts as a foreign language, but you might be able to find some funding for volunteer programs abroad.)
Another option is to find a future employer. For example, people sign contracts that in return for so many future years of employment, the future employer will provide x funds for y programme(s).
Good luck.
Ooh, another thought – if you can’t find any “official” sources of funding, perhaps you could create a cute gimmick, like offering to take people’s (small) stuffed animals on an exotic vacation for only $15 each. You could send each animal’s owner a postcard and a photo of the animal in some scenic spot, and maybe even throw in a little souvenir like a New Zealand flag pin, and still make a tidy profit.
Of course, you might need an extra backpack for all those animals, but it would be a neat way to make people feel like they were getting something for their money.
In addition to the usual ‘education abroad’ sources of funding, because of the conservation aspects of the trip, you might try environmental groups for funding.
However, as the academic credits won’t apply to anything, as I’ve just found out, for various red tape reasons I’ll not go into, I may not be going at all.
Well, that sucks … but on the bright side, New Zealand is without question the most independent-travel-friendly country I’ve ever been to, especially on a student budget, so unless you desperately need to earn academic credits this summer, you may as well just take off and go. Check out BUNAC if you’d like to make some cash to defray expenses while you’re there.
