Description:
Through various non-profit partner organizations worldwide and through the SCI network of international and regional development, SCI IVS USA participates in the exchange of volunteers each year in short term 2-3 week international group workcamps and in long term 3-12 months volunteer postings in over 50 countries. Typically workcamps are made up of 5-20 volunteers. A workcamp can vary from; re-building homes in areas hit by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, assisting Alpine farmers in the Austrian Alps, beach restoration in the South of Spain, building maintenance at an orphanage in the Ukraine, or helping on an organic tea farm in Japan. You pick the country and work based upon your strengths.
The work varies but usually falls into two categories:
Physical: building, planting, digging, painting, gardening, re-storing, cleaning, constructing, weeding.
Social: working with children, elderly or others with special needs, taking part in art or social related projects.
Highlights:
Workcamps are specially designed to be a group of international folks. There will be no more than two volunteers from any given country.
The workcamps typically include accommodation and meals during the project. Certain projects (especially in developing countries) have difficulty funding this expense and will ask for an additional camp fee payable upon arrival to the camp. Additional fees will be noted in the camp description. The accommodation could be living in tents, in dorm style housing, or in one large room within a community center or hostel. Usually meals are part of the work. Together the volunteers decide how to plan, shop, prepare, serve and clean up after each meal.
Qualifications / Skills Needed:
No specific skills are necessary unless otherwise stated for a particular workcamp. Past volunteer experience is helpful but not required. You have to be at least 16 to participate in a US/Canadian workcamp, 18 to participate in a foreign developed country and 21 for developing country. There is no upper age limit except where a workcamp states specific age requirements. Some camps are intentionally planned as "mixed aged" camps so as to include a wide range of volunteer ages.
Language:
English
Cost in US$: The application fee is $235 for international camp
Cost Includes:
Food,
Housing
and Medical insurance
The cost of the workcamp includes accomodation and meals during the project along with minimal health and acident insurance coverage. You must arrange and pay for travel to and from the workcamp site.
Experience Required: no
Typical Volunteer Projects:
arts,
building maintenance,
childcare/children,
community development,
community organizing,
culture,
digging,
disability issues,
eco-tourism,
festivals,
fixing fences,
gardening,
grassroots organization,
handicapped,
health education,
homelessness,
human rights,
indigenous issues,
minority groups,
organizational development,
orphans,
peace,
planting,
playgrounds,
refugee relief,
relief,
renovation,
repairs,
street kids,
trail building,
tree planting,
volunteering,
women,
youth
and youth development
Typical Volunteer: A majority of our volunteers are in their early to mid-twenties. There is no upper age limit except where a workcamp states specific age requirements. Some camps are intentionally planned as "mixed aged" camps so as to include a wide range of volunteer ages.
Age Range: You have to be at least 16 to participate in a US/Canadian workcamp, 18 to participate in a foreign developed country and 21 for developing country.
This Program is open to
American
Participants.
This Program is also open to
Families, Couples and Individuals.
Typical Living Arrangements:
Group living
and Home-stays
Participants Travel to Albania
Independently
Typically Participants Work
in Groups of 5-20 volunteers in our typical workcamps.
Application Process Involves:
Typically The Application Process Time Is 2-3 weeks
Post Services Include:
Service Civil International (SCI)'s Mission Statement: "Peace through deeds, not words" is our mission. We believe that people are capable of living together with mutual respect and without using violence to solve conflicts. We promote worldwide short term and long term voluntary service to impact social, environmental and humanitarian issues.
Year Founded: 1920