Volunteer Traveler Application Page 1 of 5

Welcome, Traveler!

Thank you for your interest in working with Reach the World! As a volunteer Reach the World (RTW) traveler, you can amplify the impact of your experiences abroad. Develop your leadership, communication and planning skills as you travel online with K-12 students in the United States--all while building a pipeline of youth prepared to travel abroad, just like you.

Reach the World has been bringing the world into classrooms for 25 years. To date, more than 1,200 travelers have shared their journeys online with upwards of 22,000 American youth! RTW is a nonprofit organization based in New York City that serves classrooms throughout the U.S. Click to watch a short video documenting RTW’s history.

About the Opportunity

As a Reach the World traveler, you will write about your experiences abroad and post original photos and videos for a classroom of students in the United States. Unlike a personal blog, travelers’ journeys on the RTW platform are structured to easily integrate into a K-12 classroom environment. The average time commitment for a Reach the World traveler is about two to five hours per week.

PLEASE NOTE: To be eligible for a Reach the World virtual exchange, you must be currently abroad OR be planning to spend a minimum of six weeks abroad during the 2023-24 academic year. We are unable to accept virtual study abroad/internship applicants at this time.

If you are accepted and matched with a classroom, you will:

Submit 1-2 articles per week (500-750 words each) to the RTW website, as outlined in the journey itinerary designed in partnership with your matched educator (NOTE: Virtual exchange journeys will vary in length, but are typically 6-12 weeks from beginning to end)
Work closely with your editorial team to revise submissions where needed
Video conference with your classroom 2-3 times during the course of the exchange
Communicate weekly with your matched educator

Ready to Apply?

We're excited to hear from you! Please complete the following application to the best of your ability. This is a competitive program. Reach the World will evaluate your application using a scoring rubric to determine which applicants will receive an offer of provisional acceptance pending a classroom match. Click "Next Page" to get started!

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Contact Information

Your first name

Your last name

Nickname/preferred name

Gender/pronoun

Permanent email address

Preferred email address

Initial Eligibility

In what country will you be based?

In what city will you be based?

When will you be departing the U.S?

When does your abroad program begin?

When does your abroad program end?

When do you expect to return to the U.S.?

Do you anticipate being without Internet access for more than one week during your time abroad?

If "Yes," please explain.

Partner Sources

Reach the World is proud to work with a number of partner organizations that help us fulfill our mission. Please indicate how you heard about the Reach the World Traveler Program:

Referral source (if not listed above):

Which of these best describes you during your period of virtual exchange availability?

If you selected "Other", please briefly explain.

Are you are traveling abroad as part of a specific program, fellowship or institution (other than the source program noted above)?

If yes, which one?

Do you plan to use your Reach the World experience to satisfy a credit, scholarship or project requirement?

Completion of this volunteer opportunity will satisfy the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Follow-On Project requirement. Selected participants should consider any other responsibilities that they will have while abroad before committing to a Reach the World traveler position. The inability to consistently meet deadlines and/or to commit for the full term will result in dismissal from the program and credit will not be awarded.

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Educational Background

Which of these best describes your student status?

Which U.S. college/university do you attend?

Which U.S. college/university did you attend?

U.S. college/university ZIP code

What is/was your college/university major(s)? Select all that apply.

What is/was your college/university minor(s)? Select all that apply.

Do you (or did you) major/minor in a STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) subject?

If "Yes," do you intend to apply any aspect of your STEM background during your time abroad, either through research, your job/internship, or continued studies?

Permanent/Home Mailing Address

Street address

City

State

ZIP code

Phone number

Matching Preferences

With what race/ethnicity do you most identify?

What language(s) do you speak, write or study? Select all that apply. (Tip: Hold down "Ctrl" to select more than one language.)

Video Conferencing

In what time zone will you be spending the majority of your time abroad?

Most video conferences take place during United States workday hours. Travelers need to consider their time zones when accommodating their classrooms in the U.S. for video conference sessions. In some cases, travelers may need to wake up early or stay up late to participate in a video conference. Therefore, we request that travelers make themselves available for sessions between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Eastern:

If "No," please explain your response.

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We encourage you to draft your responses to the following short-answer questions offline (Microsoft Word, Google Docs or similar) and then cut/paste you final answers into the response fields below. We also highly recommend that you review several of the many published traveler journeys at www.reachtheworld.org for examples. Reach the World evaluates all candidates' writing on the following criteria:

Copy-editing: Writing features correct grammar, punctuation and spelling
Storytelling: Writing is cohesive and logical and includes an appropriate level of detail
Kid-friendly writing style: Writing is personal and demonstrates enthusiasm but is neither too casual (including abbreviations like "lol" or emoji characters) or too formal (including complex language, concepts or theories). Applicant defines advanced or new vocabulary, uses short sentences that are easy to understand, etc.
Cultural sensitivity: Applicant presents accurate and objective views of various experiences thoughtfully and without generalizations
Thoughtfulness of application: Applicant follows instructions, submits a complete application and demonstrates an understanding of and passion for Reach the World's mission

Short-answer Responses

Imagine you have been selected to be a Reach the World traveler. Please write an autobiography to introduce yourself. Your response can include information about your hometown, what you like to do, why you decided to travel abroad and anything else you would like to include. Please write your response for a 2nd-grade audience. (200-300 words)

Think of a time you visited a new place or location (e.g. a museum you visited, a new city you traveled to, a park or monument you went to). Imagine you were writing for Reach the World when you had this experience. Please describe this experience to a 6th-grade audience. (200-300 words)

Choose a compelling photo that you might share with your students in conjunction with the story you just told above. Please provide a descriptive caption photo. (10-30 words)

Upload the photo here:

Traveler Goals

What do you hope to gain from serving as a Reach the World traveler? (100-200 words)

What do you hope students will gain from following your journey online? (100-200 words)

Is there anything else you'd like to share with Reach the World?

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Professional Opportunities

Reach the World's Citi Local Host Program matches interested travelers with Citi professionals in their host cities to discuss global careers, develop professional skills, network and share local insights. Would you be interested in a Local Host match (if available)?

Which of the following industries would you be interested in learning more about and/or pursuing a career in? Select all that apply.

If "Other," please list here.

Reach the World is proud to partner with organizations committed to improving education across the U.S. Please select any of the below organizations from whom you'd be interested in receiving additional information.

Social Media

Reach the World recognizes and promotes the best content from travelers online through our various social media channels. Should you become an RTW Traveler, we will use the information below to tag you when we share your articles and media! We encourage all applicants to connect with us through Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter to stay up-to-date on Reach the World news.

Instagram tag (@)

Twitter handle (@)

Personal blog/webpage address

Highly Recommended: Choose Your Own Educator!

You can be a global role model for students in one of your former classrooms! The easiest, fastest, and most fun way to begin your virtual exchange journey is to recommend a K-12 educator from your network who may want to match with you. Here's how it works:

You recommend a K-12 educator using the short form below.
If you are accepted as a Reach the World traveler, we will send you an email template that you can use to invite your recommended educator to join your virtual exchange.
There is no cost for traveler-brought educators to participate in Reach the World!
If your recommended educator would like to participate, you let us know and a RTW staff member will help them prepare to go on a virtual exchange journey with you.
Recommending an educator is optional. If your recommended educator does not want to participate, or if you choose not to recommend an educator, the RTW team will work to match you with an educator from our broad community of K-12 educators.

Do you have a teacher you'd like to recommend?

Teacher first name

Teacher last name

Teacher's email address

School name

School city

School state

School ZIP code

Ready to Submit?

Thank you for your interest in the Reach the World Traveler Program! Once you click “Submit” on this page, your application will be complete. Reach the World's editorial staff will carefully review your responses and be in touch shortly. If you have any questions in the meantime, please contact travelers@reachtheworld.org.