VOLUNTEER IN THE UK WITH ICYE UK

ICYE UK works with people who see volunteering abroad as a chance to broaden their horizons and develop themselves as individuals through intercultural learning.

Through supporting local projects that matter, living with a host family and receiving extensive pre-departure and on-arrival training, all volunteers have opportunities to build skills, enhance social and personal development and take part in social action at their project. Here’s how are programme is ethical, immersive, impactful and supportive for each volunteer.

ETHICAL

Since 1993, ICYE UK has arranged ethical placements for volunteers throughout Latin America, Africa, Asia, Europe and provided opportunities for volunteers from abroad to come to the UK.

Our aim is to provide opportunities for volunteers to make a positive contribution to the community in which they will live and work, as well as gain a better understanding of their own and other people’s lives. ICYE UK focuses on the value of culture-sharing and giving volunteers the tools to promote peace through intercultural learning.

IMMERSIVE

Our programme is a truly immersive experience where volunteers get to fully experience a new culture and support local-run projects that matter. Most of the volunteers are hosted by a residential charity, helping them develop language skills and by living as part of the community, volunteers also meet new people and make international friends.

With language lessons offered on our long-term programme and an opportunity to travel throughout, our volunteers can really get to know a country with an entirely different social and political situation. 

IMPACTFUL

Through sharing cultures and ideas, volunteers benefit from personal and professional development. In fact, many of our volunteers develop ongoing relationships with their projects and continue to offer support after the placement. This all means that our volunteers can become part of the solution and help to promote peace through gaining new skills in the field of inter-cultural awareness.

SUPPORTIVE

We know that volunteering overseas can seem daunting, but we’re supportive in every step of the way, providing extensive training, in intercultural awareness, for Long-Term and Short-Term volunteers.

ICYE UK and the local ICYE office in country also work together to ensure each and every volunteer is well supported throughout the duration of their stay. ICYE UK will also give advice on how to fundraise towards the cost of a programme fee!

Why are we different?

• There are many international volunteering organisations that send volunteers worldwide but very few that also host volunteers in community projects in the sending countries. ICYE strongly believes in the importance of reciprocal exchanges and intercultural learning. The ICYE Federations enables volunteers from the North and South to experience living and working as volunteers in another culture and country.
• It is a Federation of local ICYE Organisations: volunteers are exchanged only between countries where there is an existing ICYE Member or Partner Organisation. In order to be a member of the Federation, partners have to be a registered charity in their country or a non-profit organisation. ICYE partner organisations are run by local staff and volunteers. This helps ensure better project relations and in-country support for volunteers, as well as providing employment and work experience for local young people.
• All ICYE Members and Partners are registered NGOs that are run by volunteers for volunteers.
• Sustainability: The ICYE Federation was founded in 1949 and has been supporting volunteers around the world ever since. The majority of the projects that each ICYE member country works with will host volunteers on a regular basis from one exchange year to the next. This helps provide continuous support for projects and also means that work can be built upon year after year.

High degree of Satisfaction from ICYE Participants

• 93 % of the long-term volunteers are satisfied with the support by the receiving ICYE National Committees – 74 % rated it between excellent and good!

• 90% of volunteers indicate that their tasks at the voluntary work placements met or exceeded their expectations; 96% of the volunteers indicated that their learning experience during their volunteering met or exceeded their expectations!

• The long-term volunteer experience abroad was rated by 97% as a positive one overall – of these 90% rated it between excellent and good!

What are you paying for?

• pre-departure arrangements and  preparation
• health, accident and third party liability insurance / 24-hour medical assistance
• pick up at the airport and on-site orientation on local culture, history, and customs
• selection and preparation of voluntary service placements and host families
• introduction to your host family and voluntary service placement
• on-going support and assistance to volunteers and hosts / 24 hours ICYE emergency phone numbers
• evaluation of your experience and drop-off at the airport at the end of your stay.

• Programme Development: our in-country staff carefully selects, inspects and trains voluntary service placements for quality and risk assessment.
• Constant contact and safety system: the ICYE in-county staff and, if needed, in  the sending country are always there to provide logistical and emotional support, and to efficiently manage emergency situations.
• Administration and staff salaries: your fee is also used to partially cover staff salaries, administration and training costs of the ICYE offices in the sending and hosting countries. As for many other non-profit organisations, in absence of public or private grants and donations, ICYE relies on the programme fees to sustain itself and grow.

Where do you pay the programme fee?

Would you like to volunteer in the UK?

ICYE programme

As part of our unique exchange programme, ICYE UK arranges placements for and supports around 50 international volunteers here in the UK each year. 

Volunteers come to the UK for 6 or 12 months with placements starting in August and February of each year. We have a wide range of placements these can include volunteering in residential homes for people with disabilities, assisting at outdoor activity centres with delivering activities and maintenance, supporting students with disabilities in educational settings, providing respite care for elderly people, helping out at a service for young people, etc.

If you would like to see more about what it is like to volunteer in the UK with ICYE then please check out the volunteer stories.

We don’t ask for any specific skills just enthusiasm and a motivation to learn about a new culture and to be actively involved with the work of the host project. You will also need to be able to communicate in English and please note that there are certain placements which require volunteers to have a high level of English.

In order to apply for a placement in the UK with ICYE you will need to contact ICYE in your home country. The contact details for all the ICYE offices worldwide can be found on the ICYE International website: www.icye.org

Volunteers are selected by ICYE in their home country, where they also receive preparation training and support. When volunteers arrive in the UK, they attend an orientation training which also includes a language course. Throughout the time that volunteers are in the UK they are supported by ICYE UK and we also provide mid-term and final evaluation trainings as well as on-going support.

About the ICYE Hosting Programme

ICYE UK is a UK charity (charity number 1081907) working in the field of international volunteering, intercultural exchange and youth mobility. We are part of the ICYE International Federation which has over 60 years of experience.

In the UK we work with different charities to provide full-time voluntary placements for international volunteers. We are always looking to expand the range of charities that we work with and to widen the impact of our work.

ICYE volunteers come to the UK for 6 or 12 months and arrive in August/September and February of each year. We do not ask for any specific skills from volunteers to take part in the programme just enthusiasm, flexibility and motivation to support the work of the project where they are placed. Our volunteers are aged 18 to 35, they come from all over the world and from a wide range of different backgrounds with different skills and interests. We take time to ensure that volunteers are matched to the right project and provide support throughout the placement to both the volunteer and to the host project to ensure that the experience is mutually beneficial (positive for everyone?).

If you would be interested in hosting a volunteer or if you would like to find out more about our hosting programme please contact Dan at hosting@icye.org.uk

What are we looking for from a host project?

• A not-for–profit/charitable organisation that can provide a full time role for a volunteer
• Provision of accommodation for the volunteer as well as food/personal allowance
• A commitment to cultural diversity in the work of their organisation and a willingness to share their culture with the volunteer
• A structure and meaningful volunteer role that provides the opportunity for the volunteer to develop and tasks well suited to the volunteer’s skills and abilities.
• Provision of training to ensure the volunteer can carry out the tasks required
• Provision of a supervisor who can provide ongoing support and constructive feedback
• Clear safeguarding and health and safety policies

What can you expect from ICYE UK?

Our volunteers are aged 18 to 35, they come from all over the world and from a wide range of different backgrounds with different skills and interests. We take time to ensure that volunteers are matched to the right project and provide support throughout the placement to both the volunteer and to the host project to ensure that the experience is positive for everyone. Apart from a very careful matching service, you can expect ICYE-UK: 

• To organise a training course for the volunteer upon arrival and at least two weekend trainings for the volunteers during the year
• To maintain regular contact with host projects and volunteers
• To provide a contact person for both the project and the volunteer
• To organise the volunteers’ visas and insurance, police checks, references, any other documents specific to the host project, as well as any other related paperwork
• To meet with the volunteer and the supervisor at the work placement during the course of the year to ensure that the relationship is mutually beneficial and to assist in improving relations where applicable
• To arrange for a different project should the relationship be ineffective