USA

Volontariat aux Etats-Unis

The United States are a federal and constitutional republic. The country reunites fifty states and includes fourteen scattered island states in the Caribbean sea and the Pacific. The federal capital, Washington, is located in the Columbia District, a federal district not included in the fifty States. The United States, with more than 313 million inhabitants (in 2012), is part of the most populated countries after Chili and China. The immensity of the territory, the large variety of reliefs and climates produce very diverse landscapes according to the regions.

If the cost of life is quite comparable to the one of the United States and France, you can have good surprises : the burger with French fries at the restaurant remains between 7 and 8 $ and the gas is well cheaper despite of the higher consumption of American cars and the regular increase in the price per gallon. Here is a few examples of prices :

Basic products Prices in euros / Dollars
1L of water (bottel) 1,24 € / 1,4 USD
1 meal (2 dishes) 11 € / 12,23 USD
1 bus ticket 2 € / 2,24 USD

English is the most spoken language but the contributions of other cultures helps to make the United States a cultural melting pot:

  • The Amerindian heritage is reflected in some words and toponyms.
  • The Hispanic influence is strong in California, New Mexico and in Texas as well as in several big cities elsewhere (New York, Miami in Florida, Hartford in the Connecticut).
  • The French influence but especially the Acadian influence is strong in Louisiana.
  • The European immigrants also marked the country’s culture.

The American cooking is just like the country’s peopling, in other words diverse and mixed-race. However, the main contributions are German, Dutch and Irish and these influences last until nowadays. The Amerindian cooking is also important : the traditional recipes of the Alabama’s Indians are preserved and protected as a cultural heritage.

Vaccine and specific advice :

Find out what vaccines are recommended for the country and what are the diseases preventive and/or treatment measures on site.

Checklist :

Vaccine renewal, country-specific vaccinations: 1-3 months before leaving

Visit your doctor or specialist for any health problem, repeat of medical prescriptions, contraception, to have a sufficient initial stock of drugs, adjustment of dosages. Moreover, you will need to send your coordinator a certificate from your doctor certifying that you are well able to participate in an international volunteer project.

Dentist : a dental check-up can be useful before you leave !

We recommend you to visit the mentioned below websites to consult the travel advice :

UK : https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/usa/safety-and-security

Canada : https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/united-states

Wild Cat Sanctuary (WCS) is a nonprofit organization founded in 2000 and based in Florida that hosts wild abandoned animals, mainly felines. The organization intents to provide captivity spaces as large as possible as well as cares of quality. It makes the local population aware of not trying to adopt wild felines as pets. The volunteers will help to take care of the animals, will organize guided tours, etc. Keep in mind that it is a quite strenuous work so it is imperative to be very motivated by the animals’ protection.

With regard to obtaining a visa and entry requirements, we invite you to contact the embassy in question.

Embassy of the USA in the UK : 

24 Grosvenor Square
Mayfair
W1A 1AE
London
United Kingdom
Phone+44-20-7499-9000
Fax+44-20-7629-9124
Website URL http://london.usembassy.gov/

Embassy of the USA in Canada : 

490 Sussex Drive
P.O.Box 866, Station “B”
K1P 5T1
Ottawa
Ontario
Canada
Phone+1-613-238-5335
+1-613-688-5335
Fax+1-613-688-3080
Website URL http://canada.usembassy.gov/

 

List of projects available in USA