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- EIN 94-1622372
- 806 Coleman Ave 5 Menlo Park San Francisco CA 94025-0000 USA
- www.viaprograms.org
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Nonprofit Overview
Causes: International, International Cultural Exchange, International Exchange, Philanthropy, Promotion of International Understanding, Voluntarism Promotion
Mission: VIA is dedicated to increasing understanding and communication between the United States and Asia. Since 1963, its Outbound Program has provided service-learning opportunities to Americans who wish to live and work within an Asian culture while meeting the needs of Asian host institutions. VIA's Inbound Program invites young Asians on short-term, focused study programs to compare notes with their American counterparts on how societies are handling the social and economic challenges of our day. These two programs improve human welfare in the Pacific region by increasing leadership development and language skills on both sides of the Pacific, and by increasing the communication and understanding between the United States and Asia.
Programs: VIA's Outbound Program provides volunteer assistance to Asian organizations and provides Americans with a service-learning experience that will stimulate a long-term interest in Asia as well as develop skills, attitudes, and a commitment to improving our world. VIA typically places 45-50 volunteers in service assignments in Asia each year. While most VIA volunteers are college graduates, VIA fills a niche as one of the few American organizations sending undergraduates abroad to serve (as opposed to studying). Graduate volunteers serve for one or two years and undergraduates serve for a summer or one-year. Most volunteers teach English in universities, high schools and community organizations that cannot afford a native English teacher at an expatriate salary. Volunteers serve in China, Indonesia, Laos, and Vietnam.
VIA's Inbound Program completes the circle of outgoing volunteers by bringing Asian delegations of 13 to 70 Asian university students to the U.S. for 2 to 5 week study seminars. The seminars focus on entrepreneurialism, medical ethics or leadership and American culture and society. In the 5-week seminar students take English classes at Stanford University. For all seminars, American students introduce the Asian students to American culture and society through panel discussions and service-learning opportunities.