The latest edition of IVP’s newsletter, The Flying Penguin, is now available! Click here to view.

Contents:
– What is International Voluntary Service (IVS)?
– Australian Workcamps and Projects
– International Peace News from SCI

MTV Project description

International Volunteers for Peace in cooperation with Blaze Aid
Fire recovery project. Milton / Lake Conjola
Start: mid March to early April 2020
Length of project: two to three months with possible extension
3 volunteers required

IVP strives to create paths to peace through intercultural cooperation. IVP is entirely volunteer run. This project is in collaboration with and managed by Blaze Aid.

Background to the project

Blaze Aid is a volunteer-based organisation that works with families and individuals in rural Australia after natural disasters such as fires and floods. Working alongside the rural families, our volunteers help to rebuild fences and other structures that have been damaged or destroyed.

Lake Conjola and the surrounding area was badly affected during the recent catastrophic fires. Many people lost their homes, farm buildings, animals, fences, livelihood. The community suffers ongoing deep trauma.

Description of the work
This is a call for experienced team leaders who can stay for a minimum of two to three months. You will be trained on the requirements once at the site. There will be changing local and international volunteers who will be there for shorter periods and need to be managed in teams in the field. Your task will be to manage the teams and you do not need building skills: the main task of the field teams is rebuilding fences. https://champagneandskittles.com/2020/03/04/from-drought-to-fire-and-flood/?fbclid=IwAR2Sm2LmwjYsDYXWBBk3evD4yb9L9WdWgHbmlplXugu33i_zwr1PycxPqD4

Hours of work: For fencing team leader the schedule is 7am for breakfast and back home by 4pm. The work continues 7 days a week but free days can be scheduled by arrangement.
There is also other work such as assisting with coordination of the project which is more admin type work. Assistant coordinator might be longer hours however that will include very little physical work.
There may be the possibility to negotiate with local community to set up other volunteer opportunities such as re-building gardens.

Practical information
Living conditions. Caravan most likely but possibly a tent. If you can bring your own tent that will be great but otherwise IVP can supply a tent, bed and bicycle. Showers, electricity and meals will be supplied.

Useful numbers and addressees: The camp site will be at Milton on the South Coast of NSW. Travel directions, meeting point and contact details of responsible people will be supplied.

What to bring: Sleeping bag, work clothes: long sleeve shirts and trousers, solid boots. Warm clothes as it will be going into Winter. Swimming gear as you will be near the beach/lake.

Skills: This is serious work and we can only take people who have are willing to work hard. We are looking for experienced workcamp leaders who can stay for an extended period. Minimum two months. You will need to be fit and able to learn new skills and direct others. Building skills useful but not essential. International Drivers Licence will be useful.

The GLMTV is an important event for all International Voluntary Service (IVS) NGOs as it
provides a platform where NGOs working to promote long and mid term volunteering meet.

⚫ The only place to meet many partner organizations of LMTV/ EVS

⚫ The best chance for sharing know-how and best practice on LMTV/ EVS

⚫ The right moment to work together on global standards and actions

Dear placement-officers

They are sometimes called ‘paradise-birds’ in the Netherlands. This is an umbrella-name for people who live ‘at the edge’ of Dutch society, be it homeless ones, people with drugs or other addiction (past) or refugees/sans papiers. Emmaus is an international movement (like SCI) who provides a daily volunteer work-schedule and often also a place to live for those paradise-birds.

At the same time Emmaus is selling second-hand goods and the profit is either going to the Emmaus living and working community or to projects in the global South. In line with the solidarity-mission of Emmaus and those of SCI, VIA-NL is organizing a project at Emmaus Langeweg.

At the moment VIA-NL is urgently looking for volunteers for this project. Detailed information can be found at https://workcamps.sci.ngo/icamps/FI-KVT/en/camp-details/camp-13600.html

Please help us to find volunteers for this special project! Thanks in advance…..

Amitiés,

VIA-NL

Warm Regards,

Stichting VIA
The Netherlands
https://www.stichtingvia.nl

Opportunity for an Internship in Belgium. Are you interested in joining the IVP volunteer team? We are looking for a candidate aged between 18-30 to help out here in Australia as well as being offered an interview for an 8-month post in our multi-cultural International Secretariat in Antwerp, with travel and accommodation covered. The skill level required is quite high (see link) and whoever we recommend for this position would also have to be involved with IVP here before and after the overseas post.

KA2_Volunteer_1_Profile

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Your workcamp is waiting!

Welcome to the start of the workcamp season! Workcamps are being uploaded daily to workcamps.sci.ngo and we can wait for you to have a look. Enjoy reading about some of our newest opportunities and choose the one that excites you most.
Make sure send us fun pictures of your experiences! :)

Capacity building and human library in Hong Kong (March)

SCI Hong Kong is working with seven secondary schools in Hong Kong on a Global Education project.

Non-formal education methods are used and activities in these workshops include story drawings, invisible theatre.
Volunteers will assist in running the program, including preparation of food and workshops.
During the program volunteers will also visit two schools to conduct a Human Library in which volunteers will become a human book.

Who doesn’t like to read? Find more details here.

Rome International Soup Festival (April)

“La Città dell’Utopia” (The City of Utopia) is a project of SCI Italy located in San Paolo district, Rome. The project is an experiment in creating active citizenship and local development. Different events, initiatives, workshops concerning the topics of interculturality, sustainable lifestyle and active citizenship take place here.

Fancy some soup? Read more about the project here.

Community life in Northern Ireland (May)

This project has been gathering SCI volunteers since 1975! It is a residential and day activity centre, owned by Harmony Community Trust, near to Strangford in Northern Ireland. They need help with setting up and assisting with the annual fundraising Open Day on Sunday 2nd June.

“I left feeling that I understood very little of the complexities that have engulfed Northern Ireland for centuries. Glebe House makes the need for understanding more about the future than the past.”

Read more about the workcamp here and also a story from a former volunteer here!

Art and culture in Portugal (June)

VILA ArtFest is a celebration of all types of art worked and explored by the people from the youngest village in Portugal – Lousada. Every year in June, the city hall promotes the sharing and demonstration of different types of art. During this month, the local artists can share their work with the local and tourists. This year, VILA ArtFest wants to go further and challenge new artists from other communities and nationalities to create and celebrate different kinds of art.

See more information here.

Sustainable lifestyle in Germany (July)

In the age of climate change and global injustice, we ask ourselves if we have to change our consumption-oriented and resource-wasting lifestyle.
There is an interesting workcamp in Germany that tackles these challenges, explores a simple life by work in the fields and botany.

Click here for more information.

Environment protection in Siberia (July)

Interested in environment protection?
There is an interesting workcamp in Eastern Siberia!

International volunteers together with local volunteers will be engaged in the construction of an international youth camp on Bournina Island in Irkutsk Region (Russian Federation).

You can read more here.

Dear friends,

This is a reminder to sign-up to be part of the EPM 2019 Prep-team. I have received a few expressions of interest, but kindly ask anyone who is still interested to get in touch. Unfortunately, there are not enough members in the prep-team yet to support such a large and important meeting, meaning there is a possibility EPM will not occur this year.

The deadline is 13 February 2019. We look forward to your applications.

Thank you,

Chantal
Chantal Doran
Communication and Volunteer Coordinator
SCI International Secretariat

Belgiëlei 37
2018 Antwerpen, Belgium
Skype address: sci-is-communication
www.sci.ngo