Tuesday, July 21, 2009

www.crossculturalsolutions.org



Mission, Vision, and Values of Cross Cultural Solutions

Cross-Cultural Solutions is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1995. Each year, over 4,000 people participate in our volunteer programs in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe. CCS has a worldwide staff of over 300 people in 12 countries, with administrative offices also located in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. Steven Rosenthal founded CCS in 1995 and serves as its Executive Director.

CCS has been profiled in more than 500 news outlets, including: CNN, The New York Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, Time, Newsweek, The Chicago Tribune, The Toronto Star, The Today Show, USA Today, National Geographic Traveler, and the ABC Nightly News.

CCS is widely recognized as an expert in its field, committed to ensuring the safety, flexibility, professionalism, transparency, and excellence of our programs. Ensuring the highest quality of programming is an ongoing process, which is why all CCS program sites undergo a comprehensive review process each year to assess their performance in the following areas: program quality, overall volunteer satisfaction, adherence to staff policies, medical procedure training, and security guidelines. We are dedicated to monitoring and continuously improving the volunteer experience on a daily basis. In 2008, overall program satisfaction was 99%.

Behind our commitment to international volunteer work is a philosophy that provides the focus for our organization. This philosophy consists of a vision, a mission by which we can achieve that vision, and a set of core values that define how we approach everything we do:

Our Vision is of a world where people value cultures different from their own, are aware of global issues, and are empowered to effect positive change.

Our Mission is to operate volunteer programs around the world in partnership with sustainable community initiatives, bringing people together to work side-by-side while sharing perspectives and fostering cultural understanding. We are an international not-for-profit organization with no political or religious affiliations.

Our Values are:

  • Shared Humanity
    When people of different cultures have an opportunity to connect, there comes an understanding of our shared humanity.
  • Respect
    We accept, appreciate and respect that people know and understand what is appropriate for their own communities.
  • Integrity
    We commit to ensuring the safety, flexibility, professionalism, transparency and excellence of our programs.