Volunteer Abroad&Experience World Cultures Overseas

As an international non-profit organization, United Planet (UP) strives to create a world in which all people understand, respect, and support one another. United Planet's global network of leaders and volunteers fosters cross-cultural understanding and addresses shared challenges to unite the world in a community beyond borders.

Check out our Early Fall Newsletter and the UP Blog!

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United Planet Special Projects

United Planet is always striving to make a more lasting impression in the communities in which we serve through innovative models like United Planet’ s “micro-empowerment” concept. Micro-empowerment brings together United Planet’s core competencies by combining volunteer abroad support with project funding and on-going mentoring.

In January 2008, United Planet opened Lavanderia Planeta Unido, a laundromat that provides services for both tourists and residents of Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. Funds from this project are creating sustainable revenue and providing valuable training to benefit a shelter for abused women and their children.

United Planet is extremely proud of our volunteers abroad. Volunteers like Lizzie Lee, a student at Columbia University, who has a strong interest in business and a passion for volunteering abroad, prepared a business plan to help boost the laundromat's revenues by an estimated 200 percent. Lizzie describes her volunteer abroad Quest experience as “one of the most rewarding things I have ever done.”

We believe that these projects are immensely beneficial not only to the local communities that they serve, but also to the greater global community. If you would like to support these projects or volunteer abroad, please contact us or visit the Special Projects section of our website.

United Planet Day 2008 - Writing & Photo Contest

United Planet is proud to announce the winners of our 2008 Writing and Photo/Video Contest! Each year we host this event to celebrate United Planet Day 2008, the one day during the Fall Equinox when the sun shines on every location on earth for an equal amount of time.

We are pleased to announce that the United Planet team selected two photography/video and writing winners that best demonstrated the promotion of cross-cultural understanding, friendship, and support in a community abroad. So, please join us in congratulating Bruce Mann (photo) and Octavia McBride-Ahebee (writing) our Grand Prize winners and Sarah Miller (photo) and Emma Mc Mahon (writing) our Honorable Mention winners for 2008. Two of our winners were Quest volunteers abroad. Bruce volunteered abroad in Peru and Sarah volunteered abroad in Ghana.

Please visit our United Planet Day page to view more of this year’s incredibly moving photo and writing submissions.

Bruce Mann - United Planet Day Photo Contest 2008 Grand Prize Winner (Taken during a volunteer abroad Quest in Peru)

Sarah Miller - United Planet Day Photo Contest 2008 Honorable Mention Winner (Taken during a volunteer abroad Quest in Ghana)

"Real like a monsoon

blown in from India by way of Korea,

landing on the coast of Ivory,

a dynamo buoyed by the prudence of yin/yang

but whose zeal is unleashed,

laying claim to all.

A girl storm with Seoul,

whose not afraid to open doors

even for ancestors

or walk through them

bearing gifts of kimbob and Vanessa Mae."

Exerpt from Oasis by Octavia Mc Bride-Ahebee

United Planet Day Writing Contest 2008 Grand Prize Winner

" We follow Ann up to the rooftop and I see about 15 children; boys and girls of different ages, the oldest no more than about six years. Those not preoccupied with plastic cups of water or coloured rubber balls came rushing over to us, with wide smiles and arms outstretched.

I'm immediately taken in by their delight in seeing us. A small boy, about two years old, presses himself against my shin, stretching on tip-toes and reaching to be picked up. His eyes are deep brown, imploring me to reach down and bring him up.

I rest him on my hip, his legs dangling. He holds on with an arm around the back of my neck, while he sucks on the fingers of his free hand. I spin around and he giggles delightedly. I stop and he squeals something sounding like “Oopa! Oopa!” which I took to mean “Again! Again!”

Exerpt from Egyptian Sunshine by Emma Mc Mahon

United Planet Day Writing Contest 2008 Honorable Mention

Wear what you believe

It feels great inside and out. Wear the UP T-shirt with pride. By wearing the UP t-shirt, you make an invaluable contribution to our educational, humanitarian, peace-building, and volunteer abroad projects worldwide.

Who says you can't carry the world on your shoulders?