Welcome to Volunteers in Asia (VIA)
Celebrating 45 years of international service & cross-cultural education
Who are we?
VIA is dedicated to increasing understanding between the United States and Asia through public service and programs promoting cross-cultural education. We are an independent and entrepreneurial non-profit organization founded at Stanford University in 1963.
What do we do?
We provide U.S. Citizens and U.S. Residents (between the ages of 18 and 75) volunteer opportunities and fellowships in China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand, where volunteers may teach English or work with a local non-profit. On the U.S. side, we bring Asian students from top universities in Japan, Taiwan, Korea and China to Stanford where they learn about American culture, public service, and healthcare. So the exchange comes full circle.
Do you want to change your life or make a difference?
Check out our summer and long-term programs in Asia or our spring and summer programs at Stanford!
What's new at VIA
VIA’s Stanford Programs Alumni in the Bay Area gathered for an
annual reunion on January 23, 2010. About 30 members representing
different years and programs were present along with VIA’s founder,
Dwight Clark. It was a night full of good food, good memories and funny
stories. Thanks to all who attended!
Since January 2010, VIA welcomed our latest addition to VIA staff, David Manning, as Development and Administration Assistant. David graduated from Bard College in 2007 and spend two years working
for a foreign policy non-profit in New York City before packing up and
moving across the country to San Francisco. In New York David became
involved with Bard's Globalization and International Affairs Program
and is a member of the Alumni Advisory Board. He first traveled to
Asia in 1999 for a six week program in Thailand, and went again in the
summer of 2009 visiting both Japan and Vietnam. David's mother is
currently a VIA volunteer VIAs Senior Program Director, Kazutoh Ishida, has been in Japan for the past week holding information sessions about spring programs at several schools in the Ehime and Tokyo area. Events over the next few days include Exploring Health Care Info Sessions at Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo Women's Medical University and Exploring Social Innovation Info Session at Sophia University. See recruitment events page for more details. Kazutoh will also be attending the Dec. 6 Christmas party for SP alums hosted by Japan Alumni Committee. For more information, please visit www.viaprograms.org/jac