Traveling abroad to take part in a volunteer experience is an adventure that transforms. You not only change the place you arrive at or contribute with your help, but something within you also changes forever.
The emotional impact of the volunteer experience is one of the most powerful and valuable parts of the whole process: what you feel, what you learn, and the way your worldview expands.
It is also a process of self-discovery, of stepping out of our comfort zone, and of valuing the things that truly matter.
At Cooperating Volunteers, we organize purpose-driven trips, where the human aspect is the main focus.
- Beyond helping: connecting from the heart
When you decide to embark on a volunteer trip, you often think about everything you are going to give: your time, your energy, your willingness to help, your knowledge, or even your tools.
But what we rarely imagine is everything we receive in return.
The volunteer experience is a profound human exchange. It is listening to stories that move you, sharing meals with people who open the doors of their home to you, laughing with children who do not speak your language but teach you to communicate in a different way, and living a reality that exists elsewhere in the world.
In these encounters, a genuine connection arises, an empathy that knows no borders or cultural differences. You learn that solidarity is not just about giving, but about being present, understanding, accompanying, and learning.
- Personal growth and self-discovery
Every day in a volunteer project is an opportunity to get to know yourself better. You are outside your usual environment, in a new country, surrounded by unfamiliar people. And that pushes you to adapt, to open up, and to learn to see life from other perspectives.
Sometimes not everything is easy: there are moments of emotion, fatigue, nostalgia, or even frustration. But it is precisely there that the magic happens. With every challenge overcome, you discover your strength, resilience, and ability to face the unknown with a smile.
Many people agree that after living this experience, they are no longer the same. They have learned to value what is essential, to look with gratitude, and to understand that true wealth lies in people and shared moments.
In the end, what we experience is what we carry with us forever.
- Empathy and global awareness
This experience shows you the world as it is: diverse, complex, real. It makes you look beyond your own limits and understand that we are all part of the same humanity.
Seeing other ways of life, customs, or realities different from your own up close awakens a global awareness that stays with you forever. You understand that your actions, no matter how small they seem, have both positive and negative impacts. And you choose the path.
You also discover that volunteering does not end when you return home: the inner change continues. You become more aware, more compassionate, more willing to contribute to your surroundings, care for the planet, and actively participate in causes that matter.
- Emotions that stay with you
Every experience is unique, but they all have something in common: the emotions that remain.
The first smile from the children at the center where you volunteer, the gratitude of the local communities, the bond with other participants, the feeling of having done something that truly matters…
These are memories that stay engraved and accompany you for life.
Many people describe this experience as an emotional before and after. Because you learn that helping others is also a way of helping yourself; that giving love and time generates a joy that is hard to explain; and that the true impact of volunteering goes far beyond what is visible.
- A journey that does not end
When you return from your trip, at first you may feel a small emptiness. After living with such intensity, readjusting to routine can be a challenge. But soon you realize that the experience is not over: it remains alive in the way you think, relate, and act.
You have changed the way you see the world. You have become more aware, more empathetic, and more committed. That is our main goal.
The volunteer experience teaches you that we can all be part of change, and that the sum of small gestures can generate a huge impact.
At Cooperating Volunteers, we do not measure this experience in numbers or hours of work; we measure it in emotions, learnings, encounters, and personal transformations.
It is that mixture of joy, gratitude, nostalgia, and fulfillment that accompanies you after having been part of something much bigger than yourself.
Because when you help from the heart, the change starts within you.
