Workcamps
International voluntary workcamps are the most common and widespread form of international volunteering within the Alliance.
Workcamps generally last 2 – 3 weeks and consist of about 10 – 20 volunteers drawn from a number of countries. Projects are often in remote areas, in regions where local people may have minimal opportunity for meeting others from different countries.
The volunteer groups bring new ideas and experiences into communities, providing a stimulus for ongoing work.
The individual volunteers benefit from the interaction both within the group and with the local communities. The experience gives them the opportunity to travel to another country, use their time productively and make a positive contribution to the local community. They also have the chance to widen their horizons through meeting and learning from each other and local people.
How to apply for a workcamp
The Alliance is a network of national organisations involved in IVS, and does not directly support volunteers to take part in workcamps: the mission of the Alliance is to help the members to improve the work they do at national and international level, in coordination with the sister IVS networks and other youth bodies European and world wide.
If you are interested in participating to a workcamp, these are the steps you should follow:
- Check in our membership map what is the member organisation closer to the place where you live, in your country of residence
- If there is no member organisation in your country, consult the list of our partner and guest organisations
- Once you have identified your sending organisation, get in contact with them and ask information about the workcamp opportunities available for the period, country and working topic you want, as well about the procedure to apply
What if there is no organisation in my country?
Members and partners of the Alliance are not present in every country and it might be possible that you do not find a sending organisation in the country where you live. In this case, here is what you can do:
- If you live in the Balkan region: you can contact our sister network SEEYN – South East European Youth Network through their website contact form or by writing to training@seeyn.org. They can put you in contact with one of their members in the Balkan region, that can act as sending organisation for you.
- If you live in a European or Latin America country that is not represented in the Alliance: you are welcome to address a sending organisation of the Alliance in a nearby country, where they might speak your language or with whom you might be able to communicate and get in contact more easily.
- If you live in East Asia and Pacific region: you can contact our sister network NVDA by e-mail at nvda.office@gmail.com. They can explain you the procedure and redirect you to one of their member organisations in the region.
- If you live in other areas of the world (Africa, Middle East…): you can consult the membership map of our global sister network CCIVS and contact the organisation that is present in your country. You can also contact CCIVS Secretariat at secretariat@ccivs.org
- If you have reached this point and found no solution, then you can contact the Alliance secretariat through our contact form
Before contacting your local organisation, you can watch an explanatory video, created with the support of the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe, about this particular form of volunteering and Alliance principles in IVS.
Share this with other enthusiasts worldwide: