In the rush to get to Haiti, volunteers from churches and student and community groups may forget one important truth: helping others means I have to help myself. If I get sick or hurt and have no means to help myself, then what good am I to the group I work with and to the […]
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Four Tips for a Successful Short Term Trip
A Princeton University study in 2005 found that 1.6 million people took short-term mission trips for an average of eight days. The cost? About $2.5 billion a year. If we fast forward and include non-mission short term trips, the amount today would be closer to $4 billion. If you are planning a short term trip […]
Four Things Short Term Trips Offer Seniors
When planning Short Term trips, most people’s hopes are for teens and young people to get fired up about living their purposefully. After all, that’s when a person lays a foundation for the rest of their life. But what about those who already have a foundation and maybe have some wisdom to go with it? Seniors […]
Five Aids to Effective Short Term Trip Planning
1. Research. Find out what the people on the ground need. Plan to make a difference “over there,” not just in the lives of your short term volunteers. Many short term trip planners make the mistake of first asking for volunteers and then trying to find a project. Rather, find the project first and then […]
Five Tips for Debriefing a Short Term Team
As the saying goes, “Hindsight is 20/20.” Good debriefing can help planners turn hindsight into foresight for next year’s summer trips. So here are five things to consider when debriefing your team. 1. Keep it laid back. Have you ever noticed that mountain-top experiences are exhausting? Most teams are ready for a “vacation” when they […]
Four Ways Short Term Trips Can Help Teens
The teen years are full of questions, or at least they should be. It’s a time for learning what life is really about and finding purpose and direction to last for years to come. But many teens find the affluence of American life too small a challenge. I mean, is obtaining the latest gadget or […]