March 25 – June 24, 2012
Let Reading Inspire
Volunteers pay their own airfare to Beijing. Besides airfare, each volunteer should prepare minimum 400USD (2500RMB) for one’s basic personal cost. The basic personal cost covers the cost of accommodations during training and the concluding forum, transportation to and from the program sites, lodging at the sites, travel health insurance, and training package. Dream Corps will not collect the cost upfront; the volunteers will directly pay for their own expenses during the program. Dream Corps will be responsible for the costs of the library and reading programs (i.e. costs for books, other equipment, and librarian training).
Most Universities in the US and Canada provide numerous funding opportunities to cover the costs (usually include air-fare) of their students summer volunteer-based activities. In the past, we have had volunteers that were funded by programs provided by Duke University, Harvard University, and University of Virginia. We strongly encourage all applicants to take advantage of such opportunities from their respective campuses. Our Recruitment Committee is more than happy to provide assistance with any paper work. Please note that most campus-based grants have deadlines that are weeks ahead of our application deadline, therefore your immediate action is strongly advised.
We welcome applicants of all age (18 years and older), nationality, ethnic and educational backgrounds. An ideal applicant is a senior undergraduate student, a graduate student or a young professional who demonstrates genuine interest in the educational development in China and strong desire to contribute to the non-profit sector. In addition, we strongly value an applicant’s leadership experiences, compassion, teamwork and the ability to adapt to harsh living environments and new cultures. Finally, reading and spoken Mandarin is a strong asset.
While Dream Corps deeply acknowledges the passion and ability in the high school student population, we encourage them to apply after they enter University or employment. If you are in the graduating year of high school, and will be of 18 years of age or older by the beginning of the summer program, you may be considered as in special cases.
Our Recruitment and Sites Committees will work together and strive to match the individual talents/skills of each successful applicant to the unique needs of each site. If you have a preferred site due to personal or academic reasons, please specify during your phone interview.
We will be selecting between 60-70 volunteers this year.
You will be notified by or before March 11, and we will strive to finalize selection as early as possible to allow time for everyone to make their traveling plans.
Once you confirm your acceptance in March, you will receive online training for approximately 3 weeks (see Q10 for more details). You will also receive a pre-departure training package from via email, which will include practical traveling information regarding obtaining your Visa, suggested vaccinations, what to bring etc. Also, an online platform will be set up for you to meet the other volunteers and begin your team discussions.
Online training is required for all accepted applicants and is an integral part of the summer volunteer program. We expect every accepted applicant to actively participate. Online training will begin soon after you confirm your acceptance to the volunteer program and will run for 3-4 weeks. You will be expected to complete weekly readings about international development in general and Dream Corps programs in particular, and to provide your responses to certain topic discussions. There will also be a chance for you to begin planning and discussing the summer project with your team members. The expected amount of time spent per week is about 2-4 hours.
Because of safety and logistical reasons, we usually do not accept applicants with other plans that present partial time conflict with our summer program. If unavoidable time conflict arises after the submission of your application, please notify us as soon as possible. Please feel free to communicate with us for special cases to be considered.
Please join our social media communities for relevant information.
If you have any questions regarding the application and volunteer selection process, please contact us.
download this page in PDF
