ABOUT
Mission & Values
Our Mission
The mission of Bright Light Volunteers is to make the world a brighter place by providing educational service opportunities that foster the development of global leaders and citizens.
Our Vision
The vision of Bright Light Volunteers is to make the world a brighter place by creating a more peaceful, just, interconnected world where global challenges and opportunities are met by educated, compassionate, global citizens and leaders.
Quality
We are a high-quality provider of educational global service opportunities.
Compassion & Respect
We are committed to building and promoting educational community service programs that foster mutual respect and compassion between peoples across cultures.
Integrity & Trust
We are committed to being an honest, transparent, and credible provider to program participants and global community partners.
Sustainability
We are dedicated to the idea that global service projects should solve real-world problems, identified by our host community partners. We are careful to prevent dependency on outside resources, conserve the environment, and ensure the communities’ natural resources are not depleted by our work.
Education
We believe global service is best experienced when participants are sufficiently prepared for their encounters in new cultural environments through education.
Cross-Cultural Collaboration
We believe education and service facilitates cross-cultural awareness and understanding which promotes positive change in our global community.
Personal Empowerment
We are invested in the personal and professional development of all our program participants and staff. We make every effort to foster an environment for participants to safely explore the world, experience other cultures, and grow as global leaders and citizens.
Cross-Cultural Awareness
We believe global service is best experienced when participants are sufficiently prepared for their encounters in new cultural environments through education.
Approach- “Why Global Service Learning?”
Our award-winning Global Service-Learning (GSL) and Citizenship Programs are intentionally designed to help students understand the connection between local action and global impact.
Grounded in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, our programs challenge participants to explore real-world issues — from sustainability and public health to equity and community resilience — while developing the knowledge, skills, and mindset required to engage responsibly with complex global challenges.
Through structured preparation, meaningful community partnership, and guided reflection, students learn that global citizenship is not abstract — it is practiced through humility, collaboration, and informed action.
Our programs are designed to encourage:
Quality
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Curiosity
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Responsibility
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Empowerment
Integrity & Trust
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Observation
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Communication
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Collaboration
Education
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Humanity
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Planet
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Wildlife
Our core principles are:
EXPLORE
Bright Light Volunteers creates opportunities for educators and students to experience the world as travelers, not tourists. All of our programs are designed to provide transformative, culturally immersive, experiences abroad. Our alumni return home with stories of pickup baseball games in Cuba, learning Mayan cooking techniques in Guatemala, and hugging llamas in Peru! Our programs in Latin America, South America, Southeast Asia, Europe, and Africa include exemplary itineraries, experiential learning opportunities, community-led service projects, and highly qualified program directors to accompany you on your GSLC experience.
LEARN
Bright Light Volunteers create opportunities to learn through experiential cultural immersion. Upon arrival in the host community, students explore historic and natural landmarks, tour museums, enjoy local cuisine, enroll in dance lessons, visit markets, and participate in cooking lessons with the local people. These are just a few examples of the immersive learning experiences enjoyed by Bright Light Volunteers program participants.
SERVE
Bright Light Volunteers creates opportunities to serve by working side by side with our local partners on community-led, service projects. Community service allows students to develop a deeper understanding of the host community and culture. Bright Light Volunteers can expect to serve between 42-110 hours, depending on the length and location of the program.
LEAD
Bright Light Volunteers creates opportunities to lead by providing life-altering experiences that cultivate a global perspective and open-mindedness in students that will ultimately inspire them to become global leaders and critical thinkers who create solutions to global social problems. Here, at Bright Light Volunteers, we believe that the most effective global leaders begin as global citizens.
Safety
Quality
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Bright Light Volunteers are housed in safe, clean, secure accommodations.
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While traveling, students should either be with BLV coordinators, in groups, or assigned to a buddy, never alone. Our student-staff ratio is 5:1.
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Students are provided access to unlimited, safe, drinking water.
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We have highly-trained, coordinators that travel with the group every step of the way.
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All BLV program coordinators are CPR and First Aid Certified.
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Our in-country coordinators have expansive knowledge of the host community. They have established relationships in the area with medical professionals and facilities.
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Each participant is covered by supplemental, international, medical insurance and emergency evacuation insurance.
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Students are transported in safe, well-maintained vehicles by experienced, licensed drivers.
Pandemic Protocols and updates:
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2020 GENERAL PANDEMIC RESPONSE PLANNING & POLICY
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2020 COVID-19 PANDEMIC FAQ.
Latest News
Contact Us
Contact:
Mailing Address:
9540 Garland Rd.
Suite 381, Box 116
Dallas, TX 75218
Awards and Recognition
Bright Light Volunteers is a nationally recognized nonprofit organization with a long history of making the world a brighter place for all! Stay up to date and learn more about the organization from the people who help make every program happen, as well as stories from former volunteers!
