GCN - Global Citizens Network

I've done two trips with GCN and have been very happy with both of my experiences. GCN organizes delegations that travel to project locations on specific dates, so this is a good organization to work with if you want a team dynamic as part of your experience. They also emphasize cultural exchange as an important component of the projects, and they tend to work with marginalized and indigenous communities. Their philosophy is that the host communities are the ones who drive the projects, rather than GCN, so there is a great deal of a spirit of partnership as part of the mission of GCN. My first trip was to a remote part of Mexico, where our team worked with a Nahua women's cooperative to help them build a community center. The building project was ongoing and had begun before we arrived and continued after we left. They hired some professional masons for some of the work, but meanwhile we joined in with many volunteer members of the local community to help with the project as well. It was a very satisfying experience to participate in a bi-national volunteer effort, so much so that I wanted to do another trip. My second trip was to Guatemala, to work with the Mayan Center for Peace in a small village not far from the city of Xela, as the local community strove to record, preserve, and expand upon traditional Mayan weaving practices. I was very happy with the service I received from GCN. For the Guatemalan trip, for example, I had a certain health issue which GCN went out of its way to accommodate. I would definitely recommend GCN.