A look at OG’s 2011 trips!
Check out our track record.
- 97%- Alumni that would recommend OG to a friend.
- 9.5/10 – Average overall score participants gave their programs
- 8.8/10 – Score our 2011 alumni gave our programs regarding “value versus cost”
- 9.2 - The average number of participants on our programs (although your program will probably have a round number!)
- $125,971 – Amount raised in 2011 by OG participants with which we: constructed a water system in Dandiganihalli, India, helped build a school out of recycled plastic bottles in Tzibal, Guatemala; created a compost centre in Palmira, Colombia; coordinated new pit latrines for a polytechnic school in Marigoli, Kenya, assembled amphitheatre benches in Pisco, Peru, ran girls leadership workshops in Sandema, Ghana; and facilitated leadership workshops for a breakdancing drop-in centre in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Here’s what our alumni say.
OG has allowed me to see parts of the world with an underlying purpose that has helped open my eyes to the truth of what actually goes on at the community level. Providing the opportunity to live, breathe, eat, play and work with locals offers an experience like no other. OG has stuck to its founding principals and is truly the best way to travel on a shoe-string budget.
"OG is so much more than your average overseas volunteering organization."- Pranavan (OG 09)
Volunteering with OG truly was the best way not only to learn about the world, but about myself. I met people, I made friends, and, through all this, I grew as a person. If you’ve been thinking about doing something like this, but aren’t quite sure: I say take the plunge and just do it. No matter what you think the experience will be like, I can promise you it will be a million times better. And who knows, you may even end up in Timbuktu.
- Taha (OG 09)
OG has given me the opportunity to experience things that I would have never been able to see otherwise. I was able to meet great people, try new things and learn about a new country. I loved being able to immerse myself in the culture and being able to really see the country for myself. It was unlike anything I've ever done before and it went beyond anything I ever could have imagined.
"It was unlike anything I've ever done before and it went beyond anything I ever could have imagined."- Caitlin (OG 10)
When I went abroad to travel and volunteer, I was ready for adventure. I was looking for direction in my studies and inspiration to keep me on the right track. What I was not ready for was to fall in love, reinvent who I thought I could be and to change the course of my future.
Sometimes it was hard, especially at the beginning, but it was overcoming and learning from all the challenges that strengthened me. With a new outlook, I became more persistent and determined in everything that I undertook. It was the push towards betterment on every level, a healthier community, a stronger group and a wiser traveler, that made the Operation Groundswell experience extraordinary.- Jo (OG 07)
My trip with Operation Groundswell was exactly the sort of adventure I was hoping it would be. It was tough, challenging, exciting, rewarding and absolutely foreign to me. The type of people that go on the trip are interesting and unique and are sure to teach you a lot. Also, the people that you meet and experiences that you have while abroad will undoubtedly be some of the most memorable of your life.
I am so glad to have gone on this trip because it was an opportunity to see a part of the world that I would have never traveled to, to experience some adventure and excitement, all while making a difference.
"I would definitely recommend Operation Groundswell to anyone who wants to learn more than they can imagine."- Keegan (OG 07)
