5 Of Our Favorite Connexpedition Moments

5 Of Our Favorite Connexpedition Moments

Five days left to apply! Here are five unforgettable Connexpedition moments from our previous participants.

Learning to ride a motorcycle with Vox Nativa students

Puppy-sitting at Fengzhu Junior High School

Writing wishes and releasing them into the sky at Pingxi.

Receiving 120 bowls of instant noodles before the typhoon hits.

Celebrating successes, birthdays, and more during the trip.

10 Reasons to Volunteer and Apply to Connexpedition

10 Reasons to Volunteer and Apply to Connexpedition

There are only ten days left to apply for San Francisco Bay Area applicants! Still on the fence? Here are our top ten reasons to apply to Connexpedition today:

1. Finish your service learning requirement while making a real life impact.
Receive over 250 hours of service and earn the President’s Volunteer Service Award.

2. You’ll develop skills applicable throughout your entire life.
Hone your public speaking skills, use your creativity in a classroom, lead a team and solve insurmountable challenges, or all of the above.

3. Become a leader.
Working together in a team is the best way to put those leadership skills to the test. What impact will you make in your team?

4. Make new friends and discover a second family.
Your teammates will be there for you through thick and thin.

5. See a side of Taiwan you’ve never experienced before.
From the gorgeous scenery to the bustling night markets, there won’t be a dull moment on your trip.

6. The food.
No explanation needed.

7. Practice your Mandarin Chinese.
What better way to build your language proficiency than teaching in a Taiwanese classroom?

8. Gain a new mentor and receive advice from a new perspective.
Need recommendation letters, academic guidance, or just advice in general? Your team supervisor will continue to support you even after the service trip.

9. Change some lives.
Motivating students to learn English today can help them gain access to better opportunities tomorrow. Two weeks of camp can make a world of difference in their lives.

10. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
You won’t regret it.

Ready to apply? Click the button below to begin the application process. Applications are due on January 26, 2019 for San Francisco Bay Area residents. More information can be found when you visit the Application Procedures page and download the application packet in Step 2. If you have any questions, you may always email us at connexpedition@wceo.org.

Seattle, Welcome to Connexpedition

Seattle, Welcome to Connexpedition

Today we are opening applications for the New Taipei City program to Seattle area FASCA members. As we plan to have eight service teams in New Taipei City this year, the need for passionate volunteers expands. We are happy to expand our volunteer network into the Pacific Northwest.

One team of volunteers from Seattle will join seven teams from California in Taiwan. These teams will be assigned to middle schools in the New Taipei City school district and host a two-week long English summer camp for 4th and 7th grade students.

The deadline to apply is February 10, 2019.

Here are some links to help get you started if you are a current or previous FASCA member in the Seattle area and you are interested in joining Connexpedition this summer:

• The History of Connexpedition

• About the New Taipei City Program

• New Taipei City 2019 Program Information

• Start your application here: Seattle Application Procedures

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email us at connexpedition@wceo.org or reach out to us on any of our social channels! We can’t wait for you to join our family of volunteers.

Connexpedition 2019 Application Update

Connexpedition 2019 Application Update

Thank you for your interest in Connexpedition 2019! We have been overwhelmed by the number of applicants this early into the application period and we are sincerely humbled by your support of and interest in our 2019 service trips.

As originally stated in our application packet, we have a total of seven meeting times. The second meeting (March 16th to the 17th) was earmarked for an overnight training, or Leadership Development Weekend. Due to the overwhelming amount of applicants, we now plan to extend acceptances to a greater than anticipated number of participants. This means the original venue we chose for the overnight training is unable to accommodate the new number of participants.

What does this mean for you? If you have read this far and you are unsure about what we are talking about, then you have nothing to worry about. Just go to the Application Procedures page to begin your application.

If you have already seen our application packet, please review the new version with the updated training dates on the Application Procedures page. The March 16th-17th weekend is now a single training date on March 17th. This means the $150 cost is no longer necessary. Because we have not yet collected this fee, a refund will be unnecessary if you have already applied.

Please contact us if you have any questions by emailing connexpedition@wceo.org. We look forward to reviewing everyone’s applications!

Connexpedition 2019: Apply Today!

Connexpedition 2019: Apply Today!

We are beyond excited to release application and program information for Connexpedition 2019. As you may know, Connexpedition was initiated by Wisdom Culture and Education Organization in 2011. In just seven years, our program that started with two small volunteer teams of ten has now grown to eleven volunteer teams comprised of 120 volunteers! This year will be the largest year of Connexpedition and we hope you can join us on this incredible journey.

Next summer, we will offer service opportunities in five different locations: New Taipei City, Fengzhu, Vox Nativa, Lanyu (New), and Sri Lanka (New). You can learn more about each of these program by clicking their images.

New Taipei City

Fengzhu

Vox Nativa

Lanyu

Sri Lanka

Applications for all Connexpedition 2019 programs are open now through January 26, 2019. Click here to get started. Please read all application information carefully before submitting any documents. If you have any questions, contact us via email.

Please share this information with any friends or family who would be interested. If you have any questions, feel free to email or call us. We look forward to seeing your application!

The History of Our Program

The History of Our Program

Before 2019 program details are released and applications go live, we’d like to take a moment to share the history of our program. Next year’s Connexpedition participants will be our eighth and largest class of volunteers.

2011 - 2012: NEW OPPORTUNITIES

Connexpedition began in the fall of 2011. The goal was to provide Bay Area high school students more international service opportunities hosted by a local community organization. While there are many other volunteer programs like Connexpedition, very few of them allow high school students to participate at the roles we present: teachers in a classroom. Our trips are successful because of the amount of training our volunteers undergo and their personal willingness to serve our world.

The 2012 program consisted of one trip in August with two service teams. Team A spent time with the children of Taoyuan SOS Children's Orphanage while Team B embarked on a trip to central Taiwan to teach English at Vox Nativa Music School.

2012 - 2013: WORKING TOGETHER

The summer of 2013 was a very special year for our Vox Nativa volunteers. In early July, a group of thirty children from Vox Nativa Music School traveled to the Bay Area as a part of their inaugural US concert series. As some of our volunteers served as host families for the children, the Vox Nativa community welcomed us to Taiwan with a delicious aboriginal feast paired with a night of celebration, dance, and song. A total of fifteen volunteers taught for two weeks at the school using the unique lesson plans and projects they developed during their training.

2013 - 2014: CONSISTENCY

Once again, Vox Nativa invited WCEO's volunteers to return for another summer. Building upon the curricula created for the past two years, our volunteers ensured the students at Vox Nativa had another fun and English-filled summer. Similar to previous years, the school's administration planned a weekend trip around Luona Village, allowing our volunteers to experience first-hand the Bunun tribe’s lifestyle. From farms in the valley to vistas in the mountains, the scenery was incredible and unlike anything familiar to the participants.

2015 - 2018: BIGGER AND BETTER

Following three successful years of international service trips, Wisdom Culture and Education Organization received a special request from the New Taipei City Department of Education. During the summer of 2015, in addition to hosting the Vox Nativa program, WCEO would send six other volunteer teams to various middle schools in New Taipei City (NTPC).

The volunteers in the NTPC program, also known as the Easy Leap English Program, host a summer English enrichment camp for underperforming students and continue mentorship and tutoring throughout the following school year using an online platform.

Each summer our volunteers teach over four-hundred elementary and middle school students from thirty different schools in New Taipei City. With 65 US members aided by 35 high school volunteers from Taiwan, the NTPC program is our largest yet.