VIA (Volunteers in Asia)
Encyclopedia
Tracing its roots to 1963, VIA (formerly Volunteers In Asia and Trans-Pacific Exchange) is an independent, non-sectarian, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to increasing understanding between the U.S. and Asia. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area
, VIA provides two kinds of programs. VIA's Asia Programs offer Americans the chance to live and volunteer in Asia
, while VIA's Stanford Programs enable East Asian university students the opportunity to participate in multi-week themed programs in the United States
.
, Americans in the 1960s increasingly looked to better acquaint themselves with the international community. It was in this era that the Peace Corps
, the US government's program sending Americans overseas to volunteer, was established with great success. It was also during this period that the US Congress established the East-West Center
in Hawai'i, an institution designed to bridge learning between Americans, Asians and Pacific Islanders. Although much smaller in comparison, VIA has also provided a range of educational and exchange opportunities designed to link Asians and Americans, but it has done so without any governmental or religious linkage.
In 1963, Dwight Clark, then Dean of Freshmen Men at Stanford University
, responded to the desire of students to better equip themselves for the future by organizing a group that visited Hong Kong that summer to engage in a variety of volunteer service projects. Thus began a yearly tradition of summer volunteering that was officially established in 1966 as Volunteers in Asia. In response to the Vietnam War, two-year positions were created for conscientious objectors seeking "alternative service" opportunities in Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Korea, Taiwan and Nepal.
By the end of the Vietnam War, Volunteers in Asia had firmly established summer programs for undergraduates and two-year programs for college graduates. The programs were expanded to include students from other Bay Area universities and then, in the late 1990s, nationwide recruitment was instituted. Over the years, volunteers have been placed in 15 Asian countries, including Bangladesh
, China
, Hong Kong
, Indonesia
, Japan
, Korea
, Laos
, Macau
, Myanmar
, Nepal
, Philippines
, Sri Lanka
, Taiwan
, Thailand
, and Vietnam
.
In the 1970s, VIA added to its offerings by establishing programs designed to expose Asian students to American culture. Originally operating under the name Trans-Pacific Exchange, these opportunities are now called VIA Stanford Programs. The longest-running of these is the American Language and Culture program, which hosts over 150 students each summer. Participants have come from Japan
, Taiwan
, Singapore
, South Korea
and Mainland China
. VIA Stanford Programs have taken a variety of themes, but they all strive to give participants the linguistic and cultural skills to excel as global citizens.
in California
. Although never a university program, VIA began as a Stanford student project and for its first years was only available to Stanford University students. For over four decades, VIA's home office was located on Stanford's campus. Although VIA's main office moved to San Francisco, CA in 2006, VIA continues to use Stanford facilities to host its Stanford Programs, recruits participants from Stanford's student body and maintains a satellite office on campus. Nonetheless, VIA has always and continues to operate as an entirely independent entity.
, People's Republic of China
, Indonesia
, Laos
, Myanmar
, Thailand
and Vietnam
. In addition, summer cultural immersion programs are offered in China, Indonesia and Vietnam. Additionally, Stanford students can participate in VIA's Stanford Programs as hosts or student coordinators. VIA offers six fellowships, two CJ Huang fellowships for Stanford students interested in service in China and four Vietnam Community fellowships for students interested in social work in Vietnam.
For residents of Japan
, Taiwan
, South Korea
and Mainland China
, VIA Stanford Programs offers the following opportunities in the spring: Exploring Health Care and Serving American Community. Summer programs include: American Language and Culture and Asia-US Service Learning.
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
, VIA provides two kinds of programs. VIA's Asia Programs offer Americans the chance to live and volunteer in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, while VIA's Stanford Programs enable East Asian university students the opportunity to participate in multi-week themed programs in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
History
VIA was established during the 1960s, an era of radical social change and questioning in the United States, especially among college students and other youth. In a century that had already seen two massive wars involving numerous countries, and following a decade of relative peace and prosperity fraught with fear over the rise of CommunismCommunism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
, Americans in the 1960s increasingly looked to better acquaint themselves with the international community. It was in this era that the Peace Corps
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...
, the US government's program sending Americans overseas to volunteer, was established with great success. It was also during this period that the US Congress established the East-West Center
East-West Center
The East–West Center , headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii, is an education and research organization established by the U.S. Congress in 1960 to strengthen relations and understanding among the peoples and nations of Asia, the Pacific and the United States....
in Hawai'i, an institution designed to bridge learning between Americans, Asians and Pacific Islanders. Although much smaller in comparison, VIA has also provided a range of educational and exchange opportunities designed to link Asians and Americans, but it has done so without any governmental or religious linkage.
In 1963, Dwight Clark, then Dean of Freshmen Men at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, responded to the desire of students to better equip themselves for the future by organizing a group that visited Hong Kong that summer to engage in a variety of volunteer service projects. Thus began a yearly tradition of summer volunteering that was officially established in 1966 as Volunteers in Asia. In response to the Vietnam War, two-year positions were created for conscientious objectors seeking "alternative service" opportunities in Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Korea, Taiwan and Nepal.
By the end of the Vietnam War, Volunteers in Asia had firmly established summer programs for undergraduates and two-year programs for college graduates. The programs were expanded to include students from other Bay Area universities and then, in the late 1990s, nationwide recruitment was instituted. Over the years, volunteers have been placed in 15 Asian countries, including Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
, Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
, Myanmar
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
, Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, and Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
.
In the 1970s, VIA added to its offerings by establishing programs designed to expose Asian students to American culture. Originally operating under the name Trans-Pacific Exchange, these opportunities are now called VIA Stanford Programs. The longest-running of these is the American Language and Culture program, which hosts over 150 students each summer. Participants have come from Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
and Mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
. VIA Stanford Programs have taken a variety of themes, but they all strive to give participants the linguistic and cultural skills to excel as global citizens.
Connection with Stanford University
Throughout its history, VIA has had logistical and cooperative ties with Stanford UniversityStanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Although never a university program, VIA began as a Stanford student project and for its first years was only available to Stanford University students. For over four decades, VIA's home office was located on Stanford's campus. Although VIA's main office moved to San Francisco, CA in 2006, VIA continues to use Stanford facilities to host its Stanford Programs, recruits participants from Stanford's student body and maintains a satellite office on campus. Nonetheless, VIA has always and continues to operate as an entirely independent entity.
What's the Name?
Whereas the core programs and mission of VIA have not changed, there is often confusion about the name of the organization, currently in its 5th decade.| Name | Notes | Dates Used |
|---|---|---|
| Volunteers in Asia | Original name of the organization, and still its legal, 501(c)(3) name | Mid-1960s to Late 70s. |
| Volunteers in Asia and Trans-Pacific Exchange | Trans-Pacific Exchange (TPE) was added in the mid-1970s to represent the programs bringing Asian college students to the U.S. | Mid-1970s to 2000. |
| VIA | Used as a nickname since the 1960s, became the name used by the organization publicly in 2000. | 2000 to present. |
| VIA Programs | Used only to differentiate from other VIA VIA - Science and technology :* MOS Technology 6522, Versatile Interface Adapter* Via , a through-connection* VIA Technologies, a Taiwanese manufacturer of integrated circuits, subnotebooks, and Ultra-Mobile PCs... s. Used specifically as Web address: www.viaprograms.org |
Since mid-1990s. |
Current Programs
For US residents, VIA continues to offer one- and two-year volunteer opportunities in Asia. Countries include CambodiaCambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
, Myanmar
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
and Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. In addition, summer cultural immersion programs are offered in China, Indonesia and Vietnam. Additionally, Stanford students can participate in VIA's Stanford Programs as hosts or student coordinators. VIA offers six fellowships, two CJ Huang fellowships for Stanford students interested in service in China and four Vietnam Community fellowships for students interested in social work in Vietnam.
For residents of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
and Mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
, VIA Stanford Programs offers the following opportunities in the spring: Exploring Health Care and Serving American Community. Summer programs include: American Language and Culture and Asia-US Service Learning.
See also
- List of non-governmental organizations in the People's Republic of China
- List of non-governmental organizations in Vietnam
- Official Social and NGO organizations in Myanmar
- List of non-governmental organizations in Thailand