International Voluntary Service

Get Active

As a member, you can get active and help us promote the work of the organisation. This includes everything from telling your friends about your great volunteering experience, helping us out at recruitment fairs, or doing a talk in your local area. Our members can also help to prepare new volunteers for their project at our Preparation days, or as a mentor. You can also visit our projects as our representative.

SCI has a number of Working Groups. Volunteers can join these groups and help to raise awareness and support our work in these areas.

	Africa Working Group (AWG) The Africa Working Group has a special interest in exchanges with African countries. It supports and advices new IVS/SCI volunteers to Africa. It fundraises to help African volunteers volunteer in Europe. It raises awareness in European communities about important issues in Africa.
	Asia International Working group (AIWG) The Aim is to encourage exchanges between Asia and Europe, and also to encourage Asia to Asia exchanges. It helps and advices new volunteers going to Asia and supports new Asian groups and projects.
	Midi Working Group Focuses on the Mediterranean and the Middle East region. It advices and trains volunteers going to the region, and also campaigns on issues in the region.
	SAVA Working Group Works to encourage exchanges to the Balkans and between Balkan states. SAVA is also active in Climate Change Awareness initiatives.
	Abya Yala Working Group Works on the Latin American area, arranging volunteer placements and liaising with Latin American organisations.
	Youth and Unemployment Working Group (YUWG) YUWG works to develop methods for social inclusion. SCI branches and partners aim to send over 200 young people with fewer opportunities on multilateral exchanges per year. And run two leader training seminars.

Seminars

SCI runs a number of seminars and training throughout the year. Members can attend and usually receive 70% refund on travel expenses, plus food and accommodation.

Example seminars Include:

Open your mind to diverse world

Training focused on intercultural learning with a focus on their experiences while living abroad. The aim is look into ways and means to tackle challenges in order to improve the experiences with intercultural learning in the future.

Hocus Pocus! -Strumica, Macedonia

The Centre for Intercultural Dialogue works on a regional level in Macedonia and will explore intercultural issues through role plays and outdoor activities.

Building bridges through volunteering -Sevastopol, Ukraine

The main aim is improve the quality of the exchanges and the international communication and cooperation in SCI discuss challenges and difficulties, and how to deal with them.

Sustainable Tools and Practices in Youth Projects -Italy, Rome, "La Città dell'Utopia"

Will give the classical tools and methods for SCI Workcamp Leaders, and aims to develop stronger attention in leading a sustainable and environmental friendly workcamp.

Activists

Peace Messengers.

The Peace Messengers are busy all over Europe and Asia raising awareness on the peace philosophy and values of SCI among workcamp participants. SCI runs peace messenger training workshops to create trained volunteers that visit projects and run a workshop on peace issues. The peace messengers run seminars and training, and have a website and produce newsletters. These can be found at http://www.spaceforpeace.net/

Creating a climate for peace!

It is becoming more and more clear that climate change is not just about polar bears. It is about violation of human rights for food, clean water, healthy living conditions and homeland, which has a direct impact on social justice and global peace. On the other side, it is also about future and young generations that will have to live with the consequences of climate change which goes beyond all borders.

GaiaZine

The Voice of SCI International Thematic Group on Sustainable Development and Climate Change.

SCI has a long tradition of working for peace on earth. New threats – and among them Climate Change, identified as the main threat to peace in the coming century – are inevitably going to challenge our societies and have the potential to cause wars or massive human migrations.

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Working in Conflict Areas: An example in Indonesia

Ambon is a post-conflict area. There has been a severe violent conflict between the Muslim and the Christian community. SCI is already active in (post-) conflict areas such as Palestinian Territories, Sri Lanka and Kosovo. SCI plan to start a youth newspaper, to be made by young people from both sides. The newspaper will bring young people from both sides together. At the same time the news will lead to more knowledge about each other's religions and points of view and therefore to less prejudices.

Want to join in?

Then contact the Office.