some info. i found from that website
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ACCEPTANCE PROCEDURES
CANADIAN Students
[ USA Students | UK Students | Canada Students | Australian Students ]
Each participant must complete and submit an ISV Application. Applications can be requested and submitted online from the ISV website (see Application ). There is no commitment in submitting an application, as each student must first be accepted to the ISV program before he/she can participate.
Within approximately 10 days to two weeks of receiving your application, ISV will contact you via e-mail in regards to: a) Acceptance to the program, b) Non-acceptance, c) Our need for further information from you.
If you have been accepted, accompanying your acceptance letter and e-mail will be instructions to direct you to the next stage of the process - the ISV Student Agreement. The ISV Student Agreement must be signed and returned to the ISV Canada office with a $400 CAD non-refundable deposit.
DEPOSITS:
Your deposit of $400 CAD is non-refundable and will assure ISV of your desire to participate and enable us to make the necessary program arrangements/reservations for you. Upon receipt of your deposit and agreement, and subject to space availability, ISV will reserve your place on the program and send a confirmation letter (or email) to you. Note: The more flexible you are with your departure date the easier it is for ISV to find a place for you on a program. However, if you only have 1 country preference and/or 1 date preference, then you must indicate such in writing on your signed agreement when sending this to the ISV office. Included in your confirmation letter will be your assigned allocated country. If we are unable to reserve a space for you, we will immediately return your deposit and place you on a waiting list. At no time can any monies be transferred from one participant's account to another. Students with a cash flow problem may contact ISV to receive instructions on ISV's payment plan ($200 now and $200 within a month).
ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA:
ISV will accept any participant whom we feel will make a valuable contribution to this summer's four-week program. ISV looks for certain qualities in students who apply:
Students who are motivated to learn about the cultures and peoples of the country they are visiting. All students will be required over their 4 week program, to participate in group discussions on relevant issues and to keep a daily journal, reflecting that which they are learning.
Students with a strong desire to give of themselves as they volunteer in the process of making a significant contribution to conservation efforts or children and families of developing communities.
Undergraduates as well as graduate students may apply, however, participants must be 18 years of age at the time of departure. Non-students may also apply if they meet the criteria stated above. Please realise that spaces are limited for each volunteer work project in each particular country, as are departure dates. Therefore, ISV will accept participants on a first come first serve basis , in the order that their contracts are received. When spaces are filled to capacity, students will be placed on a waiting list and their $400 deposit will be returned to them.
BASE COST FOR THE ISV FOUR-WEEK PROGRAM :
$2695.00 (CAD)
(Same for all countries)
Cost Includes:
All accommodations
All fees as charged by project organizations
All program ground transportation in host country
Travel manual
All meals during your two-week project and some meals during your two-week adventure tour as indicated in the ISV Travel Manual (see program manual below).
Activities (five per country) as stated in your program manual (activities will vary from country to country and may include white water rafting, snorkelling, rappelling, sailing, jungle kayaking and caving, to name a few)
Faculty staff
Program staff
Program set-up
Recruiting staff costs for Canada
All administration costs
Orientation prior to departure to your host country
Cost does NOT include:
Air transportation (note that ISV is presently negotiating with airlines to arrange the best airfares possible)
Domestic airfare in Australia
Additional optional activities (as specified in the ISV Travel Manual)
Passports
Visas (where necessary)
Travel/medical insurance
Departure taxes or levies
Some Projects have additional costs (no more than $100-$200 USD), as determined by project host organization
FINANCIAL DUE DATES:
All finances are due on or before sixty days prior to departure. About 75 days prior to departure, ISV will invoice you with your total amount due. All prices for Canadian students are quoted in Canadian (CAD) Dollars, unless specified otherwise. If you would like to make installment payments to be applied to your account, you may do so at any time provided installment amounts are greater than $350. If full payment is not received in the ISV office 60 days prior to departure, ISV will assume you have cancelled and cancellation fees as specified below will apply. In the case of late payments, a $50 late fee will be charged. For registrations within 60 days of departure, the full program price is payable by cashier's check or money order to secure your arrangements.
CANCELLATION POLICY:
All deposits are non-refundable. Cancellation of the program must be in writing. No verbal cancellations will be accepted. When ISV receives your written cancellation, a cancellation fee will be incurred to cover the expense and cost we suffer because of the cancellation. The amount of the cancellation fee is determined by the number of days prior to the departure that the cancellation written notice was received and is specified as follows:
PERIOD OF NOTICE
CANCELLATION FEE
1. On or before sixty (60) days prior to departure
Original deposits
2. Within sixty (60) days to one (1) month prior to departure
50% of total sum due
3. One (1) month to fourteen (14) days prior to departure
75% of total sum due.
4. Within fourteen (14) days prior to departure
All monies paid (No refund)
PROGRAM DATES:
Please note that dates may vary slightly depending on airline negotiations. ( * ) denotes departures from Miami , Florida for Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic programs. All other departures will be from Los Angeles , California .
Australia:
New Zealand:
Costa Rica:
Dominican Republic:
Africa:
2004
2004
2004
2004
2005
28-May*
26-May
To Be Announced
2-Jun
9-Jun
25-Jun*
30-Jun
15-Jul
14-Jul
Europe:
28-Jul
5-Aug*
2004
18-Aug
18-Jun
18-Jul
RETURN DATES:
Your return date will be automatically set to coincide with the end of your program. If you wish to extend your travels in your host country, you must inform the ISV office in writing of your desired return date no later than 90 days prior to departure. Any changes to air tickets within 90 days of departure are subject to availability and will incur a change fee. Approximately 30 days prior to departure, your international airline ticket(s) will be issued. Once issued, all airline ticket changes are your responsibility and you must contact the airlines directly. Changes are based upon availability and you will most likely have to pay a change fee . Air tickets will be handed to participants at the ISV orientations in Los Angeles and Miami.
OTHER PROGRAM ASPECTS:
International Flight Details: Detailed flight information for your country can be found on the ISV website. Go to your Country page and then click on the link, "ISV Flight Information".
Communications : If you desire to alter any aspect of your program, that change must be communicated to ISV in writing. Upon receipt of your change in writing, we will make the desired change (if possible), and mail or email you a confirmation letter.
Absenteeism: No allowance or refund can be made for meals, accommodation, activities, etc. that you do not participate in due to illness, tardiness or any other reason.
Affiliations: ISV is a member of NAFSA: Association of International Educators.
STUDENT CONTACTS FROM PAST YEARS: Please feel free to request email addresses of past participants from the ISV office, who have given ISV permission to use their name and give out their email addresses.
