Cross-Cultural Solutions

  • About Cross-Cultural Solutions
    Cross-Cultural Solutions (CCS) is a nonprofit founded in 1995 working to address critical global issues by providing meaningful volunteer service to communities abroad, and contributing responsibly to local economies.

    Our Mission is to operate volunteer programs around the world in partnership with sustainable community initiatives, bringing people together to work side-by-side while sharing perspectives and fostering cultural understanding. Cross-Cultural Solutions is an international nonprofit organization with no political or religious affiliations. Over 35,000 people have participated in our 1-12 week volunteer programs in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. CCS has a world-wide staff of over 200 people in 10 countries, with administrative staff offices also located in the USA, UK, and Canada.

    Our Vision is of a world where people value cultures different from their own, are aware of global issues, and are empowered to effect positive change.

    Our Values are:

    Shared humanity
    When people of different cultures have an opportunity to connect, there comes an understanding of our shared humanity.

    Respect
    We accept, appreciate, and respect that people know and understand what is appropriate for their own communities.

    Integrity
    We commit to ensuring the safety, flexibility, professionalism, transparency, and excellence of our programs.

GROUPS (3)

  1. Cross-Cultural Solutions
  2. Summer High School Program
  3. Groups

Costa Rica HS Volunteers

 As a High School Volunteer Abroad in Costa Rica, you’ll be welcomed warmly into the rich relaxed ‘Pura Vida’ lifestyle. The color green is one of the first images you’ll see in Costa Rica and it’s a theme that will follow you throughout your experience. Costa Rica is a land of slow rhythms and hypnotically gorgeous vistas. Costa Rican’s, also known as Ticos, are generous and eager to please. They have been welcoming foreigners to their beaches, their volcanoes, and their eco-preserves for many years and they know that their country is a treasure to behold. As a high school volunteer in the Orosi Valley, you'll learn the slow pace of the country, where everyone has a moment to stop and chat with a neighbor, help an old friend with a task, or share a cafecito.

1 Members of this chapter

Peru HS Volunteers

 As a High School Volunteer Abroad in Peru, you’ll be welcomed warmly into the vibrant city of Lima to join your team of global change-makers. Peru is a fascinating mix of ancient and modern. Turn a corner in Lima, and you’ll see an indigenous woman in traditional clothing against a geometric mural done by a well-known street artist. Turn another and you’ll come across a centuries-old church with a popular coffee house across the street. Set on dramatic cliffs over the Pacific ocean, Lima has a picturesque coastal location. As for contrast, much of the work our volunteers do is in the Nobel-nominated community of Villa El Salvador, a neighborhood that is the definition of resilience. A community created out of necessity, during a tough period in Peru’s history, many services are under-resourced in this area, and our high school volunteers in Lima step in to fill in some of the gaps.

1 Members of this chapter

India HS Volunteers

 As a High School Volunteer Abroad in India, you’ll be welcomed warmly into the rich cultural fabric of the subcontinent and the Himalaya with your team of global change-makers. Dharamsala, a small city in the northern Indian province of Himachal Pradesh, literally means ‘spiritual dwelling’ or ‘rest house for travelers’. It’s famed for its large Tibetan community centered around the activities of the Dalai Lama and the exiled Tibetan Government. As a Cross-Cultural Solutions volunteer you’ll work with an Indian community that receives little outside help or attention-a powerful mission in one of the world’s most awe-inspiring and historically significant settings.

1 Members of this chapter