International Volunteering Handbook

Transcription

1 International Volunteering Handbook 1

2 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without permission in writing from Edge Hill Careers. 2

3 Click on the button above to find out more information about volunteering from the handbook. Click on the button above to search the online vacancy system to find opportunities Click on the button above to book an appointment with a Volunteering Adviser in Careers 3

4 Contents Introduction 6 Kitemark 7 The benefits of international volunteering 8 Is volunteering right for you? 9 Important questions regarding international volunteering 10 Different types of Volunteering 11 Choosing the right volunteer experience 14 Fundraising your volunteer trip abroad 15 4

5 Fundraising ideas 16 Contacting organisations 18 Presentations 21 Your Skills 22 Things to consider 23 5

6 Introduction Many students decide to volunteer abroad during their studies or after graduation. International volunteering will give you a great feeling of purpose and accomplishment, meeting new people and making new friends, experiencing other cultures, travel and adventure, a view on the wider world, an unforgettable time and much more. International volunteering is an exciting experience, but it also means hard work for no pay, far from home. You need to be sure you are passionate and enthusiastic about it. International volunteering provides you with an opportunity to give time and effort to a good cause whilst allowing you to learn about yourself and other cultures. With the huge amount of projects abroad however, it is difficult to know where to start and which one to choose. Fortunately, there are many organisations and resources to help point you in the right direction. The most important thing is to decide what kind of volunteering project you are looking for. Your decision should be based on location and the types of roles you are interested in. Once you have decided on an area of your interest, you can start looking at volunteer organisations that facilitate programmes related this however it is worth doing careful research to ensure you make the right choice. Volunteer programmes can vary greatly in cost, so check that the company is reputable, and make sure that you know what the money you pay for your trip will cover. Many companies will not, for example, cover the cost of travel to your destination. There may also be hidden costs, such an inoculations and visas. Once you have found the perfect project, it s important you are fully prepared for your adventure. Read up as much as you can on the country you have chosen so that you know exactly what to expect in terms of the different culture and climate. Get all essential items you need well in advance so that you feel in control and without being rushed nearer your leaving date. Finally, please be aware of the fact that Edge Hill University does not have any formal links with any of the organisations listed in this Handbook. This information is only provided as a guide not a recommendation, or endorsement It is important for all volunteers, interested in international volunteering opportunities to research possible organisations and companies fully before making any commitments, handing over any money or leaving the country. 6

7 Kitemark There is a kitemark which organisations can work towards for the safe management of overseas projects. It is worth asking whether a company has met this standard, known as BS8848 (revised in April 2014) 'Specification for the provision of visits, fieldwork, expeditions and adventurous activities outside the United Kingdom'. However this focuses on minimising risk, and does not look at particular projects or roles available. You should still research roles and organisations fully More information can be found at: LocalFiles/en-GB/consumer-guides/resources/BSI- Consumer-Brochure-Adventurous-Activities-UK-EN.pdf 7

8 The benefits of international volunteering Get involved in a local community As a volunteer you will find yourself off the tourist trail and you will have the chance to build up friendships with locals. Make new friends Volunteers come from all walks of life and come from many different countries. You will have the opportunity to live and work with other volunteers for several weeks or months which will give you Become more socially aware The volunteering you will engage with will take place in parts of the world where people earn the same amount of money per day as you will spend on a cup of coffee in the UK. Your life will be significantly different from the life you are used to which will make you reassess your priorities and will increase your social awareness of other cultures. Learn a new language International volunteering is a great opportunity to pick up the language which will give you undoubtedly more insight in the culture of the community you volunteer in. Learn new skills By volunteering and doing work you might not be familiar with, you will learn a lot of new things that could come in handy when you least expect it. Gain work experience and enhance your CV Volunteering of any kind looks great on your CV and experience gained overseas will be attractive to employers looking to employ people in development work, disaster relief, teaching, social work etc. Have a base for additional travelling Volunteering is not all hard work and you will have time to explore the area where you are based (with your new local friends!) Make a Difference Opportunity to work in partnership with local people, make a tangible difference to communities. 8

9 Is volunteering right for you? Volunteering is not everyone s cup of tea and not all types of volunteering will appeal to everyone. If you have never volunteered before, especially abroad, you might want to take some time to consider if it s really something you want to do before you commit yourself. You may wish to consider volunteering on similar projects in the UK to test whether the type of project you are considering is right for you. What makes you a good volunteer? You will need common sense and ingenuity in order to think on your feet and problem solve. You need to feel comfortable with taking initiative. You need to be responsible and reliable. You need to be sociable and a team player since you will most likely have very little privacy and share a room with several other people. You need to have the ability to cope without luxuries like electricity and running (hot) water. You will need to accept, and enjoy living in a different culture, with new foods, and traditions. You need to be flexible have a positive attitude. You need to be ok with doing work that is not always interesting and inspiring. You need to have a sense of humour. What are your motivations? Some volunteers feel guilty for recognising that their first motivation is to have fun and gain experience/ skills. As long as this is not your only motivation and you also want to make a difference, you will get as much out of the experience as the people you volunteer for. 9

10 10

11 Important questions regarding international volunteering There are many worries regarding International Volunteering. Does the voluntary work Is the volunteer actually make an impact project taking jobs or has it just been away from local created for the people? volunteer s benefit? Are volunteers Do volunteers have without skills any impact in the more of a short amount of hindrance than a time they help? volunteer? These are valid concerns and good questions to ask the organisation/ project you want to volunteer for. In most cases you will be an extra pair of hands doing a job a local would not have been involved with. However this might not always be the case and your volunteering may mean a local individual will miss out on a job opportunity. It might be that the volunteering role was just created for your benefit and locals will not understand/ appreciate your presence. 11

12 Education The most common volunteering opportunity related to education will be that of an English tutor/ teacher but if you can speak the local language you could engage into all sorts of activities (art; music; sport etc.) Health& Nutrition: Opportunities linked to health and nutrition, are most suitable for doctors, nurses, nutritionist, physiotherapists etc. Building & Construction: These opportunities are most suitable for people trained in hands-on trades like bricklaying, plasterer, joiner etc. and people trained in planning (engineers). There are plenty of opportunities for people who are not trained though in this area. Working with Children: This is a very popular volunteering area and it mostly includes working in schools or orphanages. Be aware that there are ethical issues around these types of volunteering so be sure to do your research. You might find this article from The Guardian helpful in raising your awareness 12

13 Environmental Conservation: With this type of volunteering you will help protect the habitats of plants and animals. Activities will involve things like habitat restoration, seed collection, trail construction and maintenance, erosion control, tree planting and environmental monitoring. Working with Animals: This type of volunteering will appeal to animal lovers and often involve species protection. Opportunities related to animals often involve paying for the privilege. Farming: These types of volunteering opportunities often involve working in exchange for food and accommodation Emergency and Disaster relief Volunteering This type of volunteering is available as and when disasters occur. It mostly involves clearing up straight after a disaster which is often followed by the construction of new buildings etc. Sometimes it involves initial medical volunteering until nurses and doctors are available to take over the skilled work that needs to be done. 13

14 Choosing the right volunteering experience There are numerous opportunities out there and it is vital you narrow your focus. Ask yourself the following questions and it will be easier to make a choice: What cause do I want to help? When and for how long do I want to volunteer? How am I able to help? What do I want to get out of it? In what part of the world do I Do I require support at home and in the country of my choice? A lot of potential volunteers assume that because the work of an organisation matches the type of volunteering they want to do, that organisation will be the right one for them. This often is not the case. Asking the following questions can avoid disappointments: What are the requirements for the participation? Does the organisation have a political or religious agenda? Is the organisation transparent in their operation? Will you have to agree with their rules? Once you have made your choice based on these questions it is still important to do extensive research, especially if you want to volunteer long-term. Examine their website and try and get in touch with people who have volunteered for them. Usually organisations have their former volunteers consent to share their contact details so that they can inform potential volunteers. However, you should also look for reviews posted independently of company/organisation webpages to get the unedited viewpoint. 14

15 Fundraising your volunteer trip abroad Volunteering abroad can be expensive and there are usually many cheaper opportunities nearer to home, but if you do decided to volunteer abroad, you will gain a lot in terms of experiencing a new culture as well as developing skills. If you have decided that you want to volunteer abroad and require more information on how to fundraise, in order to cover the expenses of your trip, then this section will outline some important information to help you. Things that you will need to know are, where are you going? What will you be doing? What impact are you making? This information will help you achieve your fundraising goal, because potential sponsors will have more confidence in your project. If you re ill informed then people will be reluctant to sponsor you. It s really important that you have lots of information on why you want to volunteer abroad. This is because the people who sponsor you will want to know why their contribution is significant and why they should sponsor you. You also have to know what you re going to spend your money on because a sponsor will be keen to know where their money is going. This will also help you total up the amount you need to raise. Things to consider are: 15

16 Fundraising Ideas Search engines You can use search engines like everyclick to encourage people to search via the site in order to raise funds for your trip. Create your own unique URL and ask your friends and family to use the search engine via your link. However, keep in mind that these services take a percentage, everyclick takes 50% Campaign You can start an online fundraising campaign Go Giftless If your birthday or Christmas is coming up soon then why not ask your friends and family to sponsor you rather than giving you a present. Social Media Use social media, Facebook is a massive platform to seek sponsors make a page about your trip and you can even keep your sponsors up to date with exactly where their money is going. Presentation If you re involved in any organisation, whether it s a group, somewhere you volunteer, or even your university; you can set up a presentation to encourage people to help fund your project. Read on for more information about presentations 16

17 Fundraising Ideas Sponsored event You could ask people to sponsor you to do something, for example: skydive, sit in a bath of baked beans, get waxed, there is lots of things you can do. Make sure to check if your organisation has any events you can get involved with. Is there a holiday coming up? You could take advantage of this by making handmade Christmas cards? Selling roses for valentines day? Selling shamrock badges on St Patricks day? Easter bonnet competition? Halloween party? and loads more! Photo competition on social media. Ask people to submit a photo it could be of themselves dressed up, or even a picture of their pet. Once they have submitted a photo link them to your PayPal to donate with a reference number. Anyone who doesn t do this has their picture deleted. Dress up! Choose a popular film or TV series like Harry Potter, and charge your friends to dress up for the day. Assign people a character for example you would have to pay more to be Harry than you would to be Ollivander Host a night! This could be a themed film night, you could provide a drink, popcorn, and a film for an entry fee. You could host a games night, get out some board games such as, cluedo, monopoly, and scrabble. More ideas Host a bake sale Arts and Crafts day/fair Host a barbeque How many sweets are in the jar Guess the name of the teddy 17

18 Contacting organisations to help fund your trip Contacting local organisations and businesses or even the council can be a great way to raise your funds. The more companies and organisations you apply to the better. You can accept donations from multiple organisations. You can go to your local organisations and request a donation from them directly. However, if you re also contacting other organisations that you don t know then go visit, if possible ask to speak to someone about your request for a donation. Companies are more likely to give donations to people who they know. If you know someone who works in a company then take advantage of this. It s very important that you do your research. First of all it is good practice to know a little bit about the organisation that you are contacting. 18

19 The most important form of contact is sending a letter to the organisation so that you have your request in writing. If a letter is your only form of contact, then make sure you have a clear heading in your letter briefly stating what your request is, this way it will stand out. What do you have to offer the organisation? This could be promoting their business. If you are using social media then tag the company in a post and thank them for their contribution. Are you writing a blog about your trip mention how invaluable the company was in making this happen. Try calling the organisation and ask if you can discuss this with the relevant member of staff. 19

20 Have they ever supported a charity or a particular cause? Do they promote a charity or a cause? Are these charities similar to what you want to raise funds for? If so then contact those organisations! It is also important to find who will be dealing with your donation request, you don t want to end up waiting weeks for your request to get to the right person, so in order to avoid this send it direct to them. If the company does give you a donation then it is really important that you send a letter thanking them. You can also send them information on how invaluable their contribution was, and what impact you were able to make. 20

21 How to make an effective presentation to help your fundraising if you re going to be giving a presentation You may find it useful to create a presentation to help fundraise for your trip. You might want to give a presentation in your local community, a youth club or a business. A presentation can help you present your goal and ideas to a large audience in hope that they will invest Use PowerPoint Effectively: Make sure that your presentation isn t over crowded be brief and use visual aids whilst telling your audience information. While statistics and facts are important just select a few important points. Don t just read your PowerPoint word for word, engage with your audience to keep them interested. Your approach: You need to make sure that your tone is conversational and that you can show how enthusiastic you are about what you are presenting. Use a balance of both emotion and logic when delivering your pitch. Stories: Look up inspirational stories of people who have done something similar to what you have. Use this to show the impact that you too are going to be able to have. Also make sure you share your own story, after or during your trip to inspire other people. Use statistics: Statistics can be very powerful because you're providing your audience with hard evidence for why people or communities need your help, and how their donation can help improve these statistics. To find data relevant to the project that you want to undertake go to the Office for National Statistics Click on the image to go to the website Know your audience: You might be presenting this presentation to a number of different people and groups. As mentioned earlier this could be a group or at your university. For example if you were a youth leader giving a presentation at your local centre your style and use of language would be different to a presentation that you were giving at your university. 21

22 Your skills Amongst all the support from sponsors from your fundraising efforts it is also important to budget yourself. This could be cutting out that coffee you have everyday and putting the money into a jar instead. It could be getting a summer job and saving all your money to put towards your trip. There are lots of simple things you can do every day to help you budget for your trip. You can even use your own skills to your advantage to earn extra money, for example: Are you good a photography, charge to take pictures at an event. Are you good at a craft, hold a workshop and charge people to attend. Charge people to have their car washed or odd jobs done around the house. Think of any skill or task that you can offer and how you can use it to help you fundraise. The most important tip however is to HAVE FUN! 22

23 Things to consider VISAS & WORK PERMITS If you do decide to travel abroad, you will need a visa, and if you are planning to work abroad most countries will require you to have a work permit. You can pick up advice regarding visas and work permits, and similar issues from most travel companies. STA travel and have useful information for students. Visas can often be applied for online, or through travel agent specialists. If you chose to travel with an organised programme, support and advice will be provided, and often the cost of the visa is often included with the package. Another way of retrieving a visa is by visiting your embassy which can be time consuming. There are some companies that specialise in organising a visa but they will charge you for it! Sometimes this is the only way to secure a visa however. Not having a valid visa or work permit is against the law and it could land you in prison. 23

24 It is also important for you to find out if the project you are about to choose has a value. You do not want to volunteer for an organisation whose only goal it is to squeeze money out of you! Issues to consider when selecting a project include: Reputation of the company Background of the project and ethics Who benefits from the project The individual role you will be undertaking Practical Arrangements (Cost, Support, Training, Accommodation, In Country Support, is the country safe to visit, what happens in a crisis) You could also check out online forums like: INSURANCE It is very important to make sure you are fully insured before leaving the country. The type of cover you will need will depend on what you are planning to do, so make sure that the holiday insurance policy you take out will cover you for all activities you plan to undertake. General holiday insurance might not be enough (e.g: Will they fly you home in an emergency; are activities such as white water rafting or trekking included?) Make sure you are covered for the full time you are abroad, not just whilst volunteering. 24

25 Inclusive Learning It is Edge Hill University s aim to make our services and provision accessible to all our users. If you need us to present our information in a different format (e.g. electronic copy, large print), or need any other modifications to this publication, please contact The Careers Centre and we will do our best to accommodate your requirements. Edge Hill University Careers Tel: Website: Opening hours: Monday Friday 9 am 5 pm All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without permission in writing from Edge Hill Careers. 25