Our Volunteers are Heading to Taiwan

Our Volunteers are Heading to Taiwan

A total of eight service teams will be in Taiwan this summer. If you are interested in what daily life is like for our volunteers, you may follow their daily blog posts at blog.connexpedition.com. At the end of each day, each service team will upload a short written update accompanied by the day’s photos. They will also keep their photo albums up to date as well. Take a look and feel free to share with your friends and families!

blog.connexpedition.com

Volunteer at WCEO Summer Camps

Volunteer at WCEO Summer Camps

Wisdom Culture and Education Organization (WCEO), the non-profit organization that hosts Connexpedition, also organizes annual Chinese folk arts summer camps in numerous San Francisco Bay Area cities. Children currently enrolled in grades K-6 are welcome to attend to be immersed in a week of traditional Chinese culture! Additionally, hundreds of high school students volunteer as camp counselors each year.

We welcome any students in grades 8 and up to apply to be a volunteer. Earn up to 60 hours and complete your high school’s service hour requirement in just one week. Space is extremely limited and volunteer roles are given on a first-come, first-served basis. This year, there are camps in Fremont, Cupertino, San Jose, Palo Alto, San Mateo, Saratoga, and San Ramon.

Camp counselor (TA) registration opens this Sunday, March 10th at 10am. Learn more and apply at www.wceoprogram.org.

Thank You For Applying

Thank you for applying

The team at Wisdom Culture and Education Organization would like to extend to you our greatest appreciation and gratitude for your interest in our Connexpedition program. As we mentioned to our SF Bay Area applicants, we have extremely limited space on our service trips, and we also have an extremely large pool of bright and talented applicants. As much as we would love to allow everyone the opportunity to travel to Taiwan with us, there simply just isn’t enough space.

With that said, decisions will be sent via email during the week of February 18th. We will be accepting a greater number of participants than we require as we do every year. We do this for two reasons:

1. Some members voluntarily drop from the program due to other summer commitments. We accept more applicants than we need to fill this gap.

2. We continue to evaluate participants during our training period to identify low performance indicators not present during the application process. The schools in Taiwan expect these young high school students to be English teachers, a leader in the classroom, not a simple classroom assistant. Unfortunately, participants who are deemed unfit for service in this role will be cut from the program.

Please note that not everyone will be placed in their first service location choice and not all returning applicants will be offered a position due to space limitations. With the exception of Vox Nativa participants, we will inform you of your team assignments/service locations no sooner than the third training in April. In other words, applicants who applied to NTPC, Fengzhu, or Lanyu will first be conditionally accepted as members of the Connexpedition program. Then, based on observations and evaluations made by our staff members during trainings, we will then assign participants to specific schools and service locations in April.

As always, if you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us at connexpedition@wceo.org.

Applications for SF Bay Area Programs Due Today

Applications for SF Bay Area Programs Due Today

The deadline for all applicants in the San Francisco Bay Area is today, January 26th. The online registration platform for Step 1 of the application process will close at 11:59PM tonight. The mailed application forms for Step 2 and 3 of the application process must be postmarked no later than today, January 26th. Application forms received in the mail postmarked later than the 26th or applications delivered in person to our office next week will not be considered.

Every year we receive hundreds of applications. The deadline is strictly enforced so greater attention can be given to the interview process. If you have already applied, you will receive an email with instructions to schedule your interview when we receive your mailed application forms. Please schedule your interview as soon as you receive the email to prevent any delays in the application process.

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to email us at connexpedition@wceo.org.

The application period for Seattle Area programs ends on February 10th.

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.