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International Volunteers
Young Citizens In Action’s latest publication Steps Around the World – A Guide to International Volunteering is now available from Voluntary Service Bureau. To obtain your FREE copy please send in an A4 SAE with stamps to the value of £1.35 to 34 Shaftesbury Sq., Belfast, BT2 7DB and a copy can be sent out to you.
You can download the Guide to International Volunteering here.
Below is a short description of the booklet written by one of the volunteers involved with putting together the publication:
“The booklet is designed to be an essential guide for anyone considering undertaking a voluntary placement overseas. For many young people, this can be the experience of a lifetime, learning many new skills, making new friends and broadening their horizons. However, it can be a very daunting thing to actually organise and go through with. This book is filled with useful advice on arranging a placement, how to get there and getting the most out of the experience. It provides a comprehensive reference of organisations offering thousands of opportunities to work in different fields all over the world - anything from building houses for a week in Mauritius to two years nursing in India!
Compiling the booklet in the first instance involved a lot of research and finding out about organisations offering voluntary placements. We also did a lot of research into travelling safely (and cheaply!) and dealing with life and work in a different culture – quite often drawing on our own personal experiences. Following the research stage we planned the layout and wrote a number of drafts – a lot of editing was needed to condense the most important information into a manageable document. Finally we worked with a graphic designer to come up with the finished product! We hope that the book will be widely available to young people, that it will stimulate their interest in volunteering overseas and give them the direction they need to make that life-changing trip!”
Marion McAfee
The launch of the booklet took place on International Volunteers Day, 5th December 2002, in the European Commission Office in Belfast. The booklet was launched with support from the Youth Council, responsible for delivering the funding for the booklet, and in conjunction with Bryson House’s EVS project who launched their booklet – You’re Very, Very Welcome – a guide to Northern Ireland, created specifically for international volunteers by international volunteers. (Copies of this booklet can also be obtained from VSB or Bryson House.) The launch itself was a very colourful affair with both Flamenco and Indian dancers and an International Finger Buffet.
Both booklets were commended and launched by Eddie McVeigh, Head of Commission Representation in Northern Ireland, with Bernice Sweeney from the Youth Council acting as compere for the event. Young people from Bryson Houses’ EVS programme also spoke at the event, along with 3 young people from Young Citizens In Action who were involved with putting the booklet together. Below are some thoughts on the day from one of our volunteer speakers:
“On the 5th of December the long awaited “Steps around the World” guide was launched in the European Commission Office in Belfast. The book had taken about 18 months altogether and we were very excited at seeing the final result. Also on that day a group of overseas volunteers launched a guide to volunteering in Northern Ireland so there was quite a buzz as we were preparing to launch our publication. First of all professional dancers entertained us with an Indian ensemble and many more cultural delights, and then it was down to the real reason we were there. Marion McAfee, Stephen Crawford and I spoke about “Steps around the World - A Guide to International Volunteering”.
We all talked about why we got involved, how the book was put together, what our hopes are for the guide, and who had helped us along the way. The EVS volunteers from Bryson House then spoke about their guide, and then we tucked into some good grub to celebrate. The launch was a great success because we got to see and thank all the people who funded the project and those people who are interested in and involved in international volunteering. After lots of photos and about 30 seconds of me waffling for Downtown Radio it was back to a cold wet Belfast with loads of study to do and that was the end of our 15 minutes of fame!”
Alma O’Connor
