FAQs

General

Where do you get funding?

Our funding is derived primarily from grants (past granters include the Abraham Foundation, Clinton Global Initiative University, Florida State University’s True Seminole Program), t-shirt sales, student fundraisers, and private donations.

Are you a 501(c)3 organization?

Yes, we are through the FSU Foundation.

Do you have any religious affiliation?

No, we do not. However, we occasionally partner with organizations that have religious affiliations.

How can an organization become a partner of GPE?

Anyone interested in becoming a partner of GPE should contact us directly at director@globalpeaceexchange.org outlining your intentions and proposal.

Participation

There is no GPE organization at my university. Can I still be involved in a project?

Unfortunately, at the moment, you cannot. However, if you are interested in starting a GPE chapter at your university, please email us at director@globalpeaceexchange.org for an application. Keep in mind that we are in the process of a slow expansion process and may or may not have the capacity to support many new chapters at this time.

What are your membership requirements?

Anyone is welcome to participate in meetings and events, and we encourage you to do so! Participation in GPE trips is determined through an application process.

I am unable to do service abroad. Can I still be involved?

Of course. Though our projects define much of what we do, there are still many opportunities to support our efforts through local participation.

How many students go abroad with GPE each year?

Though the numbers vary, we typically send groups of about five for each project. The number of projects per any given year multiplied by five can provide you with a safe estimate for the number of students we will select.

What are the requirements for participating abroad with GPE?

While we have no specific requirements, we look for a high GPA, service experience, and international competency. Depending on the project, we may be looking for students with particular skill sets or language abilities.

Can you describe the selection process for a GPE project trip?

Team members will be selected through a competitive application process that includes a paper application followed by individual and small group interviews. The selection process itself will be completed around the first of each year.

When do teams work abroad?

All project work occurs during the summer months.

Is it expensive to travel on a GPE trip?

We try to keep costs as low as possible for students. Participation in GPE projects should be available to all qualified students, regardless of their financial situation, particularly because most other study or volunteer abroad options are extremely costly. The majority of our team members do not have the means to participate in our projects if there is no financial aid available. GPE encourages students to seek their own personal methods of fundraising and grants to support their trip but also strives to provide some financial contribution to cut student expenditures.

I am graduating this year. Can I still travel abroad with GPE?

Yes.

How can I stay updated on meetings, events, and trip information?

Check out our contact page with links to our email list, Facebook group, and Twitter!

Projects

Does GPE sponsor any volunteering-only projects?

Although valuable for students, GPE believes these projects are undertaken primarily for the volunteer’s personal experience and result in little long-term benefit for the intended beneficiaries unless students are providing specific skills over a substantial amount of time. Though we encourage our projects to include elements of volunteering that support the goals of the projects themselves, the main goal of each initiative is to work on a sustainable endeavor that will provide lasting benefits to our partners. Working on those initiatives in and of themselves takes most of our students’ time and energy.

How do you select your projects?

We are here to help our partners with their needs–not vice versa. GPE will therefore only engage in a project where our partner asks us to meet specific needs and actively wants to work with us. We also must determine that a project is appropriate for students’ skill levels such that they are able to contribute in a real and significant capacity to meet the demands of said project.

What is the typical length of a project?

Typical projects run from six to eight weeks and can be no less than four weeks. In our experience, projects are much more successful if students are given longer lengths of time during which to complete them. Although shorter projects can certainly be successful, we prefer for students to have ample time to adjust to their new environment and any changes or challenges presented to them once they begin a project.

Who oversees a project?

One or more student project managers are in charge of leading an initiative on the ground.

Do you undertake monetary-only donation initiatives?

Our members themselves oftentimes support many monetary aid organizations but GPE is simply not one of them–our goal is to facilitate student exchange through direct service and engagement with our partners that would not be possible to this extent if we only transferred funding.

Once selected, how are students prepared for a project?

Teams must undergo extensive training (prior to any travel) which includes country background, team building activities, project-related fundraising and development, language preparation, etc.