‘If only every student could do this. It changes your life in all the right ways,’ says Chris Heritage, parent of Luke Heritage, one of our teen volunteers who has participated on two GVI programs, one in Costa Rica and another in South Africa.

We are a parent-run organisation that is incredibly serious about health and safety, and increasing the impact, as well as the long-term career benefits of our programs. Our programs help young people develop the skills to select a career path that is personally fulfilling, and live a life aligned to the well-being of our planet and the global community.

GVI is a proud member of the Gap Year Association.

Ken and Linda Jeffrey, whose son Sam volunteered with GVI in Thailand, talk about how the experience affected Sam. He also went on to volunteer with GVI again in South Africa. ‘I know it sounds like a cliche but in a sense, he did go away as a boy and he came back as a young man. Both of us could recommend GVI without any hesitation to any other parent thinking about exploring an opportunity for their children to explore the world and to see different parts of it.’

All of our programs have short-, mid- and long-term objectives that align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). This enables us to report on our collaborative impact across the world in a streamlined manner, measuring which UN SDGs we are making a substantial contribution to. Furthermore, this will help our local partners and communities measure and visualise their contribution to the UN SDGs.

Prior to your arrival on base, you will be educated about the UN SDGs. Then once you arrive on base, you’ll learn about the specific goals we have in this particular location, our various objectives, and also clarification of how your personal, shorter-term involvement contributes to these.

Our aim is to educate you on local and global issues, so that you continue to be an active global citizen after your program, helping to fulfil our mission of building a global network of people united by their passion to make a difference.

The aim of the program is to build up a database of information which will assist in protecting the wildlife of the Teno-Rasca Marine Reserve and the west coast of Tenerife. The corridor between Tenerife and La Gomera is also a migratory route for more than 20 cetacean species. The noise pollution from boats and island life is incredibly disruptive to their migratory patterns, but current data is insufficient to petition for this corridor to become a marine protected area. In an effort to make this happen, we share our information with the local authorities. 

Tenerife is a popular tourist destination, with up to five million international visitors arriving each year. Many come to experience the biodiversity of the island. Known for its large population of whales and dolphins, the presence of sea turtles and other marine species also makes the region an appealing location for tourists. Tenerife is home to many marine mammals in the cetacean family, including Atlantic spotted dolphins, Bryde’s whales, Risso’s dolphins, sperm whales, common dolphins, humpback whales, fin whales, blue whales and pygmy sperm whales. Green and loggerhead turtles are also seen in the region.

While tourism is the island’s largest source of income, the influx of tourists can lead to an increase in boat traffic, overfishing, and excess waste on the island. GVI works with local whale watching tour providers and other local organisations to monitor the impact of tourism on the marine environment – ensuring it’s managed in a sustainable and ethical way. In addition to tourism, the impact of other human activities on marine life is also monitored. The team in Tenerife collects data, inputs the information into databases, and submits reports to local authorities. This assists them with making decisions concerning marine resource management.  

Whale and Dolphin Surveys

Through boat- and land-based monitoring, our team collects data on whales, dolphins, and other marine species spotted in the waters around Tenerife. Movements, acoustics and behaviours are recorded, and photos are taken of sightings for later identification and cataloguing. The location is also mapped. The collected data is inputted into databases that contribute to ongoing research used by the government of the Canary Islands for local decision-making. Analysed over time, data trends can be used for making further recommendations on tourism practices, fishing regulations, waste management, and other factors impacting the marine and coastal environments. GVI produces quarterly and annual reports which communicate our research findings and other relevant updates. 

Due to data deficiencies on short-finned pilot whales and bottlenose dolphins, we’re collecting pertinent information to fill this gap. We’re trying to get a better understanding of the habits and behaviours of cetaceans as they relate to the ecotourism industry, which we can feed back to local marine management schemes. We’d also like to determine the least disruptive amount of sea traffic and share this information with the ecotourism industry. In an effort to limit the impact on the cetaceans in the area, sharing our collected data assists in educating local boat operators and ecotourism providers. 

Marine Plastic Pollution and Beach Cleanups

The GVI team in Tenerife maintains an ongoing commitment to contributing towards waste management initiatives in the Canary Islands. We work with local communities and tourists to minimise plastic and other waste products. This includes removing marine debris while on coastal surveys, and organising beach cleanups. 

Sustainable Tourism and Community Awareness

Contributing to sustainable tourism by raising environmental awareness is a critical element of the GVI program in the Canary Islands. With tourism being the largest industry in the Canary Islands, it’s important that local communities and tourists understand the impact of tourism on the environment and how they can contribute to sustainable practices. Our team joins local communities on the beach and gets involved in local beach cleanups. To create as little disruption to the patterns and natural behaviours of the cetaceans as possible, we aim to work with ecotourism boat providers, educating them about responsible traffic patterns and noise pollution.

The UN Sustainable Development Goals

All of our programs have short-, mid- and long-term objectives that align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). We want to be able to measure our collaborative impact across the world in a streamlined manner, so all our staff and volunteers know which UN SDGs they’re making a substantial contribution to. This also helps our local partners and communities measure and visualise their contribution to the UN SDGs.

Prior to your arrival on base, you’ll be educated about the history of the UN SDGs. Then, once on base you’ll learn about the specific goals of your location, the long-, mid- and short-term objectives, and also insight into how your personal, shorter-term involvement contributes to these goals on a global level.

Our aim is to educate you on local and global issues, so that you continue to act as active global citizens after your program, helping to fulfil our mission of building a global network of people united by their passion to make a difference.

The main UN SDGs the GVI Canary Islands team contribute towards are Goal 14: Life Below Water and Goal 15: Life on Land.

Below is a list of core ethics and best practices we believe are essential to the operation of high quality, ethical volunteer and sustainable development programs. We believe that all responsible volunteer and sustainable development operations should focus upon these principles. If you are considering volunteering, these are some of the key considerations you should question, to ensure that your time and money contributes towards positive change.

We want to constantly develop our own understanding of ethical best practice. In so doing, we aim to provide an exemplary industry standard for other education institutions, international development organisations, and social enterprises. Our Badge of Ethics stands for the drive to always do good, better. Find out more, click on the Badge below.