What is international volunteering?

Well first off, there is no definition of “international volunteering” as such. It can incorporate volunteering in another country, or volunteering in an international environment in your home country. The common factor is that it should provide participants with opportunities to learn about other cultures, traditions and ways of life different to their own (and in doing so, learn more about their own cultural backgrounds). The actual work that is carried out can vary widely but should always be of benefit to others, for example; environmental work; activities with children, people with disabilities, or older people; cultural, creative or arts activities; health projects....And so on.

Most people who have taken part in international volunteering have found it to be a life-changing experience. As it normally takes place away from your home community, it can be pretty intense as you are living, working and socialising in another cultural environment; sometimes in quite basic conditions and without your usual home comforts. To get the most from it, and within reason, the experience should challenge you, whether culturally, physically or mentally. So there will be tough times along the way.

Volunteering Abroad

From Azerbaijan to Zambia and from Vietnam to Wales, nowadays there are literally thousands of opportunities to volunteer in other countries. It can be difficult to know where to start, and how best to go about it. Probably the best starting point is in your own head, asking yourself some questions, “where do I want to go; what do I want to get out of the experience; how long do I want to be away; what do I want to do; do I have any skills to offer; how much money do I have”

If you can narrow down your ideas, it should be easier to find something that fits with your hopes and expectations.

A key message that GwirVol would like to send out is that you do not have to pay lots of money to volunteer abroad. There are many (profit-making) companies today that offer amazing experiences, but expect you to pay upwards of £1,500 to do so. Many of the GwirVol partners organise global activities for members, some of which will include international volunteering. UNA Exchange, also one of the partners, is a Cardiff-based charity which specialises in international volunteering (but doesn’t ask for large sums of money from you!).

There is a programme called the European Voluntary Service (EVS) which provides financial support for young people aged 18-30 to volunteer abroad for up to one year. Check out http://ec.europa.eu/youth/youth-in-action-programme/doc82_en.htm for more information on the EVS programme. There are two Welsh based organisations that can help you with finding EVS projects: ICP Partneriaeth (www.icpwales.org) and UNA Exchange (www.unaexchange.org).

For more information on international volunteering contact the GwirVol team GwirVol@wcva.org.uk and they will help point you in the right direction.