Mexico Marine Conservation Short Term Internship

Program Cost

From

2,595

Mexico Marine Conservation Short Term Internship
Earn your PADI Coral Reef Researcher Distinctive Speciality and gain work experience in marine conservation
Program Code: MXPM0449N

Home Programs Mexico Marine Conservation Short Term Internship

Program Information

Start your career in ocean conservation by completing an internship with GVI in Mexico. You will be introduced to coral reef research techniques and participate in basic coral reef health monitoring such as using Coral Watch surveys. You will have the opportunity to conduct coral restoration activities in and outside the water on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the second largest in the world while running other marine conservation initiatives like plastic cleanups and environmental awareness programs.

United Nations
Sustainable Development Goals

Online programs available

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only

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Abroad

We now offer an online program so that you can make an impact from home. Complete only the online program or combine it with one of our programs abroad.

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Overview

Join our international team located on Mexico’s Carribean coast to gain experience in marine conservation and start your career in the field. The team here work with local authorities to protect the unique habitat of the Marine Biosphere Reserve of the Mexican Caribbean home to unique habitats such as coral reefs, seagrass meadows, mangrove forests, and Mexico’s famously magical cenotes.

Your internship will start with you mastering the diving and underwater survey techniques needed to conduct coral reef surveys which are accurate and don’t harm the reef. Our experienced instructors will support you all the way while you work toward earning your PADI Advanced Open Water Diver and your PADI Coral Reef Researcher Distinctive Speciality, a speciality exclusively available on GVI marine conservation programs.

Once your training is complete you will work with other participants to help monitor assigned sections of the reef. Depending on the duration of your stay you will learn about how to identify fish, coral, and other marine life as well as how this data is used by local authorities to make decisions about conservation. You will also assist our local partners with their ongoing coral restoration project by either growing coral fragments in a laboratory or transplanting these coral fragments onto the reef.

You will also participate in a range of other initiatives designed to work toward achieving the objectives of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #14, Life Below Water. Some of these include ocean floor and beach cleanups and the subsequent recording of the plastic collected for later data analysis, sea turtle monitoring, environmental awareness workshops with local students, community groups, businesses and tourists. Please note that these activities don´t run all year long as they are locally driven and it depends on the needs of our local partner's.

Throughout the internship, you will learn about the importance of engaging local communities to ensure that marine conservation initiatives have long-lasting positive results. Reflecting this reality, you will not only master technical diving and marine research skills on this internship but also have the opportunity to practice your interpersonal and leadership skills.

HIGHLIGHTS

Gain experience in a range of marine conservation initiatives, including coral reef surveying and restoration.

Earn your PADI Advanced Open Water Diver and PADI Coral Reef Researcher Distinctive Speciality Certification.

If staying 8 weeks or longer you will complete your Biological Survey Techniques training and qualification.

Earn your GVI ILM Leadership Development certificate, a qualification recognised by the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM).

Preserve the unique ecosystem of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef.

Contribute to UN SDG #14, Life Below Water.

Learn to dive in the tropical waters of the Caribbean sea.

Make new friends when you work with a group of like-minded individuals from around the world.

Immerse yourself in Mexican culture, learning the language and sampling authentic Mexican cuisine.

Program Details

Program Type: Internship

Location: Latin America - Mexico - Puerto Morelos Marine

Marine Conservation Business & Micro-Enterprise Teaching

Life On Base

Live on the beach a few metres from the Puerto Morelos National Park Reef and a 15-minute drive from downtown Puerto Morelos. Situated in the stunning Puerto Morelos, the oldest porteño community in the Mexican Caribbean, this site allows for some fantastic diving. A typical day may involve diving, lab work, training on base, community days, and beach cleanups. Days are rounded off with evening debriefs, followed by dinner and time to relax, taking in a beautiful sunset and sharing stories with your fellow team members.

Accommodation Tour

ACCOMMODATION

You will live in shared accommodation, along with the other volunteers. The accommodation features shared facilities such as a communal kitchen, work area, and living space. We aim to leave as small of a footprint as possible on the environment which means we keep facilities basic. There is bottled water available for cooking and drinking, and participants share base duties including cooking, cleaning, gear and equipment maintenance, and other chores. Curfew is at 11 pm all days.

MEALS

Volunteers prepare breakfast in groups from our choice of cereals, pancakes, eggs and porridge. During work days lunch and dinner is prepared by a local cook, and on weekends, participants cook their own meals. Food is a very basic, mostly vegetarian diet, with meat available about once a week. Lunch is beans, vegetables, pasta, and a typical evening meal may include lentils, pasta, beans, rice and vegetables. Local restaurants are also an option at your own cost during weekends. Conveniently, restaurants and supermarkets are walking distance from base.

COMMUNICATION

You will have limited access to long-distance communications whilst on the program, so make sure friends and family know how often they can expect to hear from you. Mobile phone reception is available on base, although it can be poor at times. It is possible to buy a Mexican SIM card and phone credit at the airport which can be used with your unlocked cellphone. Internet connection is available at base, but alternatively, you can purchase a pocket WIFI device which can then be topped up with mobile internet.

CLIMATE

Puerto Morelos is on the Riviera Maya, known for its tropical climate. The ocean is rather warm, which make it perfect for swimming, paddle boarding, snorkeling, and diving. The temperature remains fairly constant throughout the year, roughly 26°C or 80°F.

What's It like?

If you’d like to find out what the experience of joining a GVI project is really like, simply contact us and we’ll put you in touch with one of our many Alumni.

We’ll try to match you to an Alum based on your location, nationality, age, stage of academic career, gender, and program interests. This allows you to gain insights into the experience that is most relevant to you.

Depending on your location you might be able to speak to an Alum over the phone or online, or meet up with them face-to-face at a coffee shop nearby. We also run a series of small events around the world where you can speak to GVI Alumni, Ambassadors and staff members.

Live Updates

Follow GVI Volunteer-In-Puerto-Morelos's Facebook page for live updates straight from the field. Get an idea of the types of projects you might be involved in, meet our staff and participants, experience life on this GVI base, hear about free time activities, and learn about the local culture and environment.

GVIMexicoMarineConservation

Arrivals

When it comes to support, we ensure that each participant is provided with unparalleled, 360 degree support, from your initial contact with the GVI Family, all the way through your program, and even after, as you become part of the GVI Alumni Team.

As part of this promise, we will ensure, whenever possible, that one of our dedicated staff will be available to meet you at the airport. In most locations, we also set up a Whatsapp group to help with managing airport arrivals. We will arrange with you prior to your departure that, should you arrive in the agreed upon pick up window, a member of our staff will be there to welcome you, easily identifiable in a GVI t-shirt or holding a GVI sign and wearing a friendly smile. This means there will be someone there to greet you as you land, and from there you will be transported to your GVI base to start your adventure and meet the rest of your team.

Flights

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Meet the team - Senior Field Management

Miguel Angel Lozano

Program Manager

Miguel Angel is GVI’s Program Manager for the Marine Conservation Programs at GVI’s base in Puerto Morelo, Mexico. He has been with GVI for over a year now and loves it!

He has a background in Oceanography and a fun fact about him is that before GVI, he completed research on Bull Sharks.

Meet the team - In-Country Staff

Claudia Frederici

Field Staff

This is Claudia, she is a member of our field staff team at the GVI Puerto Morelos base in Mexico. Claudia is originally from Spain and helps out with everything from scientific research to field training at base. She has been a valuable member of our team for just over a year now and is working towards her dream career focused around marine conservation.

Kayla Moore

Science Officer

Meet Kayla,the Science Officer for GVI’s base in Puerto Morelo, Mexico. She is originally from Canada where she obtained her Bachelor's Degree in Marine and Freshwater Biology. She was originally a volunteer, when she completed her Dive Masters certificate. After the six months spent doing this, she was kept on as a Staff Member before becoming the Science Officer.

A fun fact about Kayla is that her favorite animals are dolphins, and she recently had the privilege of meeting a few on a dive!

Namate Sililo

Dive Officer

Meet Namate, one of the Dive Officers at GVI’s base in Puerto Morelos, Mexico. Namate was born in Zambia, but lived in the UK for much of her life. She has a Masters Degree in Aquatic System Science.

She was a volunteer with GVI, over three years ago. Her belief in marine conservation efforts is what made her want to come back and she is proud to be the first Diver Master at GVI’s hub in Puerto Morelos.

Your Impact

All of our programs have short, mid and long-term objectives that fit with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals or UN SDGs. This enables us to report on our collaborative impact across the world in a streamlined manner, measuring which UN SDGs we are making a substantial contribution to. Furthermore, this will help our local partners and communities measure and visualise their contribution to the UN SDGs.

Upon arrival to base, you will be educated about the history of the UN SDGs. You will learn about the specific goals of your location, the long-, mid- and short-term objectives, and also clarification of how your personal, shorter-term involvement contributes to these goals on a global level.

Our aim is to educate you on local and global issues, so that you continue to act as active global citizens after your program, helping to fulfil our mission of building a global network of people united by their passion to make a difference.

Puerto Morelos is the oldest port city in the Mexican Caribbean. The port has been used since the time of the Mayan empire, but its history as a modern port began in 1898. It was built to enable the exportation of gum from the gum tree and the wood of the dye tree, an activity that together with fishing were the main productive activities in the area.

The area has a unique diversity of ecosystems including low evergreen jungles, low swamp jungles, savannahs, coastal dunes, mangroves, cenotes, beaches, marine grass, and coral reefs. The reef of Puerto Morelos is part of the Mesoamerican Reef System, MBRS, considered the second largest reef barrier in the world and home to thousands of marine species.

Today, Puerto Morelos is part of the 120 kilometer tourist corridor, located between Cancun and Tulum. Tourism is the main economic activity of Puerto Morelos and continues to grow due to the development of large hotels as well as holiday housing along its coast. Local tour operators offer scuba, snorkelling, and free diving tours in the Caribbean Sea and reef lagoon, tours of or diving in cenotes close to the town, as well as sport fishing tours.

Fishing is the second most common commercial activity after tourism. Fishermen fish using small skiffs collect many commercial Caribbean fish species and lobster. Local fishing organisations are aware that unsustainable fishing leads to a destruction of the reef, and therefore loss of fishing resources as well as harm to ecotourism activities.

GVI assists our partners in Puerto Morelos with collecting and collating data to assist decision makers in coastal zone management. We assist them with the manpower, logistical resources, and, in the case of the GVI Trust, finances.

Fish and Coral Surveys

We have several monitoring sites that we survey each year. At each monitoring site, we do 10 adult and juvenile fish transects and five coral community and point intercept transects. The data on fish we gather helps us determine the abundance and the size of fish and understand the changes in the fish community dynamics. The data on coral, and other sessile organisms like sponges and mussels, is used to understand the rate of recovery of the reef and its overall health. For four week short term interns the surveys will be simpler as we aim to gather high-quality data by focusing the learning on fish species while touching on other topics such as coral species. The aim of this is to collect biomass data and information on coral illnesses and bleaching.

Turtle Monitoring

The National Park of Puerto Morelos is abundant in seagrass which is one of the favourite meals of green sea turtles. GVI participants assist with monitoring sea turtle populations by taking pictures of them while snorkeling and diving. This helps with identifying both new and returning sea turtles. Sea turtle nesting season is from May to October.

Invasive Lionfish Monitoring and Eradication

Lionfish are an invasive species in the Mexican Caribbean. Lionfish eradication activities are carried on in coordination with local environmental authorities. Local authorities conduct lionfish spearfishing tournaments throughout the year in which we can participate or they assign us dates to carry out lionfish eradication on specific areas of the reef. Please note that this activity does not happen all year long.

Incidental Sightings of Megafauna

Every time we go on a dive we look for megafauna species such as sharks, dolphins, manatees, sea turtles, eels, and rays. We then input sighting of these species into our database. The presence of these species can be indicators of the health of the reef and general biodiversity.

Plastic Pollution Cleanup

We have weekly beach cleans where we collect the rubbish that washes up on our beach and classify it into different categories depending on their source. This information is recorded and sent to our partners for analysis.

Environmental Education

They also assist the community by conducting environmental education programs. The town of Puerto Morelos was once a fishing village, but is now part of one of the largest Marine Parks in Mexico. Fish is still an important food source in the community and fishing a common means of earning an income. Sustainable fishing methods and other means of protecting the natural environment are vital to maintaining the marine abundance that makes both fishing and international tourism profitable. Teaching young people and tour operators the importance of protecting their marine resources and how this can be done is vital to ensuring the future health of the reef off the coast of Puerto Morelos.

All these initiatives allow us to offer support to the conservation work, the community and our local partners, and to address many of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, such as #4 – Quality Education and #14 – Life Below Water.

Please note: Both conservation- and community-focused programs are offered at this location.

Our Partners In Puerto Morelos Marine

Project Objectives

GVI Puerto Morelos Marine, Long-term Objectives

1. Provide data to our partners on the overall health of the reef, to be used for coastal management within the coral reefs of Puerto Morelos National Park, and collaborate in the coral restoration project.

2. Raise environmental awareness with the community in Puerto Morelos.

3. Minimise the environmental impact that visitors and other people have within the national park

4. Increase in-country capacity within our partners and community members in the coral reefs of Puerto Morelos National Park

Training

A GVI program is an investment in your career. No matter which you choose, you will be working toward improving your employability by mastering new social skills, gaining further technical expertise and earning qualifications in many cases. Most of our staff are, in fact, GVI Alumni, and we have helped many of our Alumni discover, move toward, and earn their own personal dream jobs. Each program includes introductory workshops, ongoing presentations, as well as on-the-ground professional support provided by our very own trained staff members. In addition, our training programs are critical for helping us to ensure the long-term impact of our sustainable development projects around the world.

For All GVI Participants

Welcome Presentation

Introduction to GVI as a whole and the work in your specific location. Learn about the short, mid, and long-term objectives of the sustainable development projects at your base, which United Nations Development Goals they impact most directly, and which local partners we work with.

Health and Safety Training

Learn about the Emergency Action Plans in place at your base, the full Risk Assessment, and best practices for personal safety.

Child and Vulnerable Adult Protection Training

Learn about the importance of child and vulnerable adult protection best practices and how to apply them while on project.

For All Participants at Puerto Morelos Marine

Fish and Coral Identification

Learn how to identify fish and coral species that are important to our marine conservation partners. This training includes a powerpoint identification exercise and an in-water identification exercise.

Environmental Education Community Project

Learn about the specific events for children arranged by our in-country partners and the games played arranged around the topics of environmental conservation.

Beach Plastic Pollution

Learn how to categorise waste collected during beach cleans and input plastic pollution data for analysis.

Lionfish Eradication

Learn how to use spearfishing techniques to eradicate invasive lionfish from the Mexican Caribbean reef. This activity depends on the requirements of our local partners and does not happen year-round.

Turtle Biology, Monitoring and Identification

Participants are taught how to take underwater pictures of sea turtles and compare them to a photo ID catalogue. In some cases, new ones are discovered and the participant registers the turtle.

Coral Watch Monitoring

Learn to use a method of identifying coral health developed by the University of Brisbane. The method is used by citizen scientists and professional researchers to monitor coral all around the world.

Incidental Sightings

Participants learn to identify megafauna common in the region such as stingrays, manta rays, moray eels, sharks, sea turtles, and large pelagic fish such as barracudas.

Threats to Coral Reefs

Gain insight into the threats faced by reefs globally, such as climate change and the resulting coral bleaching, plastic pollution, and unsustainable fishing methods, as well as how these manifest in local areas.

Introduction to Coral Reefs

Learn about the basic biology of corals and the underlying biology of the reef system.

Hazards of the Reef

This includes a discussion of the marine organisms found in the surrounding waters like stingrays, fire coral, sea urchins, lionfish and rockfish, that might cause harm to swimmers and divers. Participants learn how these can be avoided and how to treat injuries if they occur.

Monitoring Techniques, Demonstrations and Tests

We use the techniques specified by the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System synoptic monitoring program and the Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment (AGRRA) monitoring techniques to monitor the health of the reef ecosystem. They include noting the abundance, size, and any diseases of specific species to determine the biodiversity and biomass of the area and noting coral cover area to determine coral health. Participants learn about how to use the point intercept methodology, a system that uses precise distances to monitor benthic marine communities and ecosystems such as corals. This is done to carry out higher area coverage in a statistical analysis. Volunteers and interns are also taught to use other monitoring methods used by our local partners. Spending a longer duration on the program allows you to gain a more in-depth understanding of the project work.

PADI Advanced Open Water Diver

This training takes scuba diving further through five adventure dives. This includes two types of required dives, deep diving and underwater navigation, and any other three types of adventure dives. At Puerto Morelos we offer the peak performance buoyancy dive, search and recovery dive, and the underwater naturalist dive.

PADI Coral Reef Research Diver Distinctive Specialty

The Coral Reef Conservation Specialty course teaches participants about the importance of coral reef systems and how to conserve them. You will learn how you can help conserve coral reef systems. Through classroom discussions, you’ll learn how coral reefs function and the complex nature of life on a reef, why coral reefs are so important, why many coral reefs are in serious trouble, and what you can do to prevent further decline.

Your Program Specific Training

GVI ILM Leadership Development training

This includes several presentations on leadership-related topics as well as practical applications of the topics, weekly one-on-one meetings with an assigned mentor, and a final leadership project.

Biological Survey Techniques

Learn about best practices for conducting a biological survey in any environment. This training is only offered to interns staying for 8 weeks or longer.

Qualifications

Exploration

Joining a program not only allows participants to collaborate with communities or work toward preserving unique ecosystems but it also offers plenty of opportunities to explore the surrounding area or travel further to see what other parts of the region have to offer.

Long term field staff are a great source of advice, and have helped us put together the following information on local travel options. Many decide to travel before or after their experience (subject to immigration restrictions), solidifying the lifetime friendships established on program. Please note that the below suggestions are not included in the program fee, and are for the individual to organise at their own expense.

Weekend Trips

Mayan Ruins

There are many Mayan ruins scattered throughout the Riviera Maya and the province in which Puerto Morelos is located, Quintana Roo, is no exception. One of the most popular sites is Tulum, a walled Mayan city built near the end of the empire located on a cliff overlooking the ocean. Visitors can climb the pyramid structure, the tallest in the complex and visit the wind god temple at the edge of the bay. There is also the nearby city of Chichen Itza, which was built at a much earlier date and is one of the largest in Mayan history. Here you will find the magnificent pyramid structure known as the Temple of Kukulcan. There is also a nearby ruin featuring residential buildings known as Coba. Exploring any of these sites will help visitors experience what Mayan culture was really like.

Eco Adventure Parks

A top destination for those visiting the Riviera Maya are eco adventure parks like Xcaret and Xel-ha. These are naturally beautiful areas of land featuring a rich biodiversity and Mayan ruins that have been turned into sustainable theme parks. The parks feature water activities like swimming, tubing, and snorkeling as there are also plenty of opportunities to spot and learn more about the unique flora and fauna of the region including orchids, mangroves, butterflies, monkeys, and manatees. Cultural activities are also offered include remodeled Maya villages and Mariachi performances.

Diving and Snorkeling

Diving and Snorkeling: Experience the stunning diversity of underwater life to be found among the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the second largest coral reef in the world. While diving is a part of all our marine conservation projects in Puerto Morelos, any interns and volunteers, including those participating in community projects, can easily book a recreational dive. The stretch of ocean near Puerto Morelos is well-protected allowing divers and snorkelers to view Mexican marine life at its best. You can also travel to other top diving sites such as the island of Cozumel.

Cenotes

If you have never heard of a cenote, you are in for a treat. No, not a type of french pastry, but a kind of naturally occurring limestone cathedral, filled with deep blue water, and lit up by slants of tropical sunlight from above. Unique to the Yucatan Peninsula, cenotes were believed by the ancient and medieval cultures of the region to be sacred sites. There are plenty of cenotes close to Puerto Morelos where visitors can swim, snorkel, or dive while observing the dabbled light dancing along the cave walls. Visit the "Ruta de los Cenotes" or route of the cenotes, a 44 km road that joins Puerto Morelos town with Leona Vicario and is filled with dozens of cenotes. Like Las Mojarras, Verde Lucero, Siete Bocas, Kin Ha, Hells Bells, Boca de Puma, just to name a few.

Further Travels

Other Latin America countries

Mexico is the perfect destination from which to explore other Central and South American countries. Travel down to the jungles and volcanoes of Costa Rica and then further down to the Andes mountains and Incan structures of Peru.

Mexican Culture

Mexico City is the home of many iconic cultural sites including Frida Khalo’s blue house and the Palace of Fine Arts where the work of her husband, Digeo Rivera, and other artists, can be viewed. You can also visit the historic Zocalo plaza, parts of which date back to the Aztec era, and the National Archeological Museum where artifacts from Mayan culture can be viewed. Another Mexican locations famed for its cultural significance is Guadalajara, the birthplace of mariachi music.

Hiking and Rock Climbing

There are plenty of excellent hiking, trekking, and mountain climbing destinations available in Mexico. Pico de Orizaba is Mexico’s highest peak, followed by the active volcano Popocatepetl, and Iztaccihuatl, its twin, which is dormant. Some popular rock climbing destinations include El Potrero Chico.

Whale Spotting

On the other side of the Caribbean coast, Baja California is a peninsula bordered by the Pacific Ocean. One of the main reasons to visit this location is the annual visit of grey whales from Arctic regions. The best months for whale spotting are from January to March. There are, of course, many other reasons to visit Baja California such as surfing and to explore the natural rocky landscape.

Cultural Immersion

Engaging intimately with a new context teaches not only global awareness but adaptability and critical thinking, skills highly valued in the modern marketplace. Local and cultural immersion is encouraged on all our programs around the world, and is also one of the most enjoyable aspects of your experience. Luckily, there are many activities you can get involved with in your free time, or before and after your program. On our community programs the focus is on cultural topics, while on marine or wildlife programs the emphasis is more on the environmental element. Use your evenings and weekends to explore diverse and eclectic topics like Theravada Buddhism in Laos or how plastic pollution and climate change affects Indian Ocean coral.

Festivals

January: Christmas continues until the sixth of January in Mexico. On this day every year, the largely Catholic population celebrates el Día de Reyes, the Day of the Three Kings. Traditionally Christmastime presents are open on this day.

April: The traditionally Catholic holidays of Holy Week and Easter are honoured with parades through the streets, attending mass at the local cathedral, and quiet meals with family.

September: On the sixteenth of September, Mexico celebrates its independence day, Cinco de Mayo. Parades and feasts featuring national favourites like the Jarabe Tapatío dance and black bean tamales with mole sauce are popular.

November: The iconic Día de Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is celebrated each year on the 2nd of November. While this is considered a Catholic holiday it incorporates indigenous customs that are much older.

December: As a mainly Catholic country, Christmas is celebrated with great fanfare throughout Mexico. For nine nights up until Christmas Day children travel door-to-door singly a traditional song. The activity and song is known as posadas and represents the story of the parents of the Christ asking for shelter. Nativity scenes are more popular than Christmas trees in Mexico.

Music

Probably the most easily identifiable Mexican style of music is the Mariachi band, featuring guitars, violins and trumpets. This form of music is actually more unique to a specific region of Mexico, Guadalajara, and only evolved later in the 18th century. It is difficult to separate out the colonialist influences from the indigenous influences, but what is known is that Mayan cultures did have bands featuring among other instruments, drums, trumpets, and maracas. There are many usually opportunities to watch Mariachi bands perform during your time in Mexico.

Dances

The Jarabe Tapatío is the most well-known of all Mexican dances and is considered the country’s unofficial national dance. The dance is performed by a male and female partner. At one point during the dance, the male partner, drops his hat and the couple dances around the hat. This has earned the dance the name ‘the Mexican hat dance’ in English-speaking regions. Other Mexican dances include La Bamba and Polka Norteno. A popular dance in the Yucatan region is the Jarana. GVI programs in Mexico allow you can participate in dance classes in evenings or during weekends.

Cuisine

Possibly one of the most popular reasons to travel to Mexico is to sample authentic Mexican cuisine. Many of the world’s most widely used ingredients such as tomatoes, chillies, avocados, and cocoa beans, are indigenous Mexican crops that spread to other cultures as result of colonialism. By traveling to Mexico you can sample these flavours through the eyes of the cultures that first discovered them. Tacos, tamales, enchiladas, burritos, quesadillas — while these are household names and most of us have tried them before, both Mexican nationals and international visitors would agree, they are best enjoyed within the borders of Mexico itself.

Religion and Local Customs

Most of Mexico’s population ascribe to the Catholic religion, also due to colonialism. The country’s capital, Mexico City, is home to the most visited site of religious significance for Catholics around the world, the Basilica of our Lady of Guadalupe. Much of Mexican Catholicism is influenced by customs unique to the indigenous cultures that predate the colonialist era.

Languages

As a result of colonialism, Spanish is overwhelmingly the most commonly spoken language throughout Mexico. As the second-most widely spoken language in the world, visiting Mexico is a great opportunity for learning Spanish and you will have plenty of opportunities to learn Spanish on our community development programs. You can even book extra Spanish language lessons for an additional fee. The indigenous languages of Mexico number over five dozen, however, they are not widely spoken, and are considered ‘endangered languages.’

Our Ethics

Below is a list of core ethics and best practices we believe are essential to the operation of high quality, ethical volunteer and sustainable development programs. We believe that all responsible volunteer and sustainable development operations should focus upon these principles. If you are considering volunteering, these are some of the key considerations you should question, to ensure that your time and money contributes towards positive change.

We want to constantly develop our own understanding of ethical best practice. In so doing, we aim to provide an exemplary industry standard for other education institutions, international development organisations, and social enterprises. Our Badge of Ethics stands for the drive to always do good, better. Find out more, click on the Badge below.

Our 10 Ethical Commitments

Locally Driven, Collaborative Projects

We aim to design all our projects in collaboration with local organizations and communities and ensure that they are locally driven.

Clear Objectives & Sustainable Outcomes

We aim to clearly define short-, mid-, and long-term objectives with sustainable outcomes for all our projects.

Impact Reporting

We aim to track, record, and publish the impact of each of our projects.

Working Against Dependency

We aim to build in-country capacity by assisting local organizations in becoming self-sustaining.

Responsible Exit Strategies

For each local organization we work with, we aim to have a plan in place for withdrawing support responsibly.

Clear Roles & Specialized Training

We aim to ensure that ever participant is assigned a clear role and that they are fully trained and supported to carry out their work by specialized staff.

Respect for all

In all our actions we aim to respect the skills and efforts of all and seek to protect the rights, culture and dignity of everyone who engages with GVI.

Local Ownership

We work to ensure that credit for the results of any project, along with any data collected, research conducted, or Intellectual Property developed, remains the property of local organizations.

Transitioning from the Orphanage Model

We do not condone and aim to withdraw support of orphanages and residential care centers.

Child and Vulnerable adult policies

We will live by our Child Protection and Vulnerable Adult policies.

Continual Development

As an organization, GVI is committed to striving toward best practice, and to educating both our potential participants, our partners, and the world at large about them. Both the volunteering and sustainable development sectors are increasingly, and rightly, under scrutiny. Many recent local and global articles highlight poor practices and questionable ethics. GVI is widely recognized for striving to apply global best practice in the volunteering, education and sustainable development sectors throughout our operations by reputable organizations such as ChildSafe.

However, global best practice is always evolving and we dedicate both time and resources to engage with internationally respected experts and learn from the latest research to ensure our programs both fulfil their potential to create maximum positive impact, and minimise their potential to create unintentional negative impact. Along with and as part of the sustainable development and volunteering community, we are constantly learning and applying this learning to practice. We do not always get everything right, but we seek feedback from our community members, partners, participants and our staff, and react accordingly. We know are already doing a great job, and feedback we have received confirms this, but we aim to do even better and are continuously refining our operations to improve upon our already excellent reputation.

Parent Info

‘If only every student could do this. It changes your life in all the right ways,’ says Chris Heritage, parent of Luke Heritage, one of our teen volunteers who has participated on two GVI programs, one in Costa Rica and another in South Africa.

We are a parent-run organisation that is incredibly serious about health and safety, and increasing the impact, as well as the long-term career benefits of our programs. Our programs help young people develop the skills to select a career path that is personally fulfilling, and live a life aligned to the well-being of our planet and the global community.

Ken and Linda Jeffrey, whose son Sam volunteered with GVI in Thailand, talk about how the experience affected Sam. He also went on to volunteer with GVI again in South Africa. ‘I know it sounds like a cliche but in a sense, he did go away as a boy and he came back as a young man. Both of us could recommend GVI without any hesitation to any other parent thinking about exploring an opportunity for their children to explore the world and to see different parts of it.’

Parent Info Pack

Download the Parent Pack and learn more about:

Our staff: All our projects are run by staff, selected, vetted, trained, and managed by our central office.
Health and safety: Our safety practices include a child and vulnerable adult protection policy and high participant ratios.
Staying in touch: See what’s happening on base, by following a hub’s dedicated Facebook page.
Free parent consultations: We would love to talk to you about exciting opportunities available for your child.

Support & Safety

We won’t sugarcoat it — traveling abroad is usually a complex process that carries an element of risk. But this is exactly why we’re passionate about providing extensive support throughout the process as well as the highest safety standards during the in-country phase. We believe that volunteering abroad should not only be impactful, but an enjoyable experience that carries as little risk as possible. This is exactly how we’ve been able to maintain our reputation as the most highly respected volunteering organisations in the sector over the past two decades.

Support

Once a participant books, they will be assigned a personal support coordinator who will oversee their pre-departure journey. The support coordinator helps to bridge the gap between program enrolment and arrival at one of our field bases. Your personal support coordinator will ensure that you are provided with all the necessary information required to apply for visas, background checks, and any other documentation.

Safety

Upon arrival at the airport, participants will be greeted by a GVI staff member. All GVI staff are our own and all our programs around the world are run by our staff. All GVI field staff are background checked, Emergency First Response and safety trained. The minimum staff to participant ratio on GVI’s programs is one to six, although on several bases we have a ratio of one to three. When finishing the experience, participants will provide feedback on all aspects of their program.

Full Support & Safety Protocols

Health & Safety Case Studies

19 Nov

HOW GVI UPHOLDS HEALTH AND SAFETY

It takes courage to book a GVI program, get on a flight, and head off to somewhere new. Volunteering offers a level of cultural immersion that typical backpacking or holidays just can’t achieve. This is why thousands of people around the world participate in paid GVI programs.

1 Nov

GVI’S COMMITMENT TO SAFETY AND SECURITY

As the saying goes: ‘Expect the best, plan for the worst’. Cliched or not, we take it to heart. This tenet is at the core of how GVI operates when it comes to promoting the health and safety of our participants, staff, and local community members at all of our 20+ bases around the world.

6 Nov

HOW GVI REMAINS PREPARED FOR NATURAL DISASTERS

The weather isn’t just a topic for polite small-talk here at GVI. We have emergency action plans in place for all scenarios. So when the weather, or other natural forces, takes a nasty turn, we are prepared to respond to stormy situations.

5 Nov

HOW GVI MANAGES PARTICIPANTS EXPECTATIONS

Once GVI has matched a participant to a program that suits their passions and goals, our team aims to set the right expectations for them. In the event that false expectations around a program are created, the GVI team takes immediate action to ensure that the situation rectified.

What's Included

24-hour emergency desk
24-hour in-country support
Access to Alumni Services and Discounts
Airport pick-up (unless otherwise stated)
All necessary project equipment and materials
All necessary project training by experienced staff
Certification and summary of training and experience received
Community work workshop
Confidential professional reference
Coral reef ecology
Final evaluation
First Aid & CPR training
Introduction to teaching techniques
Location orientation
Long term experienced staff
Meals while on project (except on work placements for long term internships)
Real hands on experience and learn about the challenges of marine conservation has in this region
Safe and basic accommodations (usually shared)
Teamwork and leadership experience
Transfer to base location
Use of O2 equipment workshop
Weekly evaluation with your mentor
Welcome meeting