L.I.V.E. (at UCLA)

Our mission is to create globally conscious, service-oriented citizens who are committed to a lifetime of service. We do this by sending teams of 11 or 12 to volunteer in countries across the globe. Our teams are made up primarily of undergraduate students, but we also have positions available for UCLA alumni, faculty and graduate students (one per trip). will be partnering with various non-govern

mental organizations in each country run by locals of the host country. These 1 to 4 week, immersive volunteer experiences will take place during the summer. They will not only challenge participants to grow as globally conscious, active individuals, but also to commit to a lifetime of service while giving them the opportunity to explore different parts of the world and have a great time! If you are interested in becoming a member of L.I.V.E., we are accepting applications now!. We recruit members early in the Fall Quarter because participants will meet regularly throughout Fall, Winter and Spring Quarters to discuss logistics, engage in training and reflection activities, and coordinate fundraising. This summer, we are going to spend two weeks volunteering in southeast Asia. We also spend the weekends participating in tourist activities or trips. The first week we will be in Surin, Thailand to volunteer in an elephant nature park and work on an elephant conservation project. This project looks to improve the conditions and challenges faced by mahouts, elephant keepers, and their elephants in the Surin province in North-Eastern Thailand. Currently Asian elephants are endangered and misused in the logging industry. This project is committed to improving the living conditions of Asian elephants and providing sustainable economic revenue for their mahouts in the local community. The second week or our trip, we will be in Siem Reap, Cambodia to volunteer in an orphanage called The Cambodian Children’s House of Peace to teach English and help with every day activities. Cambodia is a country still rebuilding after a two decades long civil war, the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge rule, and the following long civil unrest. This legacy has lead to 30 percent of the population living below the national poverty line and 80 percent of the people still leaving in the countryside, sustained mostly only through farming. Those conditions worked together to leave many children vulnerable. The Cambodian Children's House of Peace sends local children to public school and provides a place for them outside of school to continue their learning. The house also strives to keep any contact between children and whatever relatives they may have.