FUNDED OVERSEAS VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES
The International Youth Volunteering Programme (IYVP) at the British Red Cross offers young people aged 18-30 residing in the UK the chance to volunteer overseas in another European country for up to twelve months. This is as part of the European Solidarity Corps (EuSC) scheme.
All of our placements are fully funded, with travel, accommodation, health insurance costs all covered, and volunteers receive a small monthly allowance to cover additional expenses.
This is the perfect opportunity for those interested in gaining valuable skills, having new experiences, and giving back to the community. We are particularly keen to hear from young people who are passionate about the work but may not otherwise have the opportunity to volunteer overseas.
Placement Details
We are looking to recruit seven volunteers to support the work of the German Red Cross for an 11-month placement (October 2020-August 2021 - dates TBC). The placements will be in or around Halle, Germany.
One of the focuses of the German Red Cross is on childcare, and they support families from all backgrounds to provide care for children aged 3-6 years old. The childcare offer is aligned with the Red Cross principles, and it aims to educate, promote solidarity within communities and promote intercultural learning. Some of the kindergartens and afterschool centres below work with children from disadvantaged backgrounds (but not all).
As well as the core project there will be the opportunity to take part in activities organised by the wider German Red Cross movement. These placements are perfect for those who wish to have more experience in childcare, who want to develop their skills and who want to take on the challenge of living and volunteering in Germany. Having a basic level of German would be beneficial but is not a requirement.
The placements that will be on offer are:
1) Afterschool care "Hort Abenteuerland - Adventure World": The volunteer will support activities whilst emphasising the importance of intercultural integration with the children.
2) Kindergarten "Kita Herweghstrase": The focus here is intercultural understanding in both German and English. The volunteer will be supporting in the daily activities as well as promoting the English language to the children.
3) Kindergarten "Franckesche Stiftungen": The volunteer will help to make children aware of democracy, diversity and moral education whilst excluding xenophobia and racism.
4) Afterschool care "Franckesche Stiftungen": This club follows the same goals as the kindergarten above, with the volunteer also helping children with their homework and other activities promoting intercultural awareness.
5) Afterschool care "Bunte Welt - colourful world": This centre welcomes children and their families. The children are looked after in the afternoons and the volunteer will help with the set up and delivery of activities, with a focus on healthy lifestyles.
6) Registered Society for people with special needs - Lebens(t)raum e.V "Lifetime Dream Room" (2 places): Continuing the focus on integration and inclusion, the volunteers may help children with special needs and their families at kindergartens, afterschool care and living groups. This is a more care based role, and training will be provided on how to work with the service users. Knowing some German would be beneficial here as the volunteer is working with more vulnerable people.
7) Kindertagesstatte "Kinderhouse-salzwedel e.V.": This bilingual kindergarten works to further the children's language education in a contemporary and future-orientated way. The kindergarten was set up by the local community in order to promote intercultural competencies from an early age. This placement is based in the city of Salzwedel, about 2 hours away from Halle. This volunteer will be paired with another young international volunteer.
For more details on the roles have a look at the role description below. The main thing we are looking for is clear motivation for why you want to take part in the project!
Please let us know on the application form which placement you would be most interested in.
Role Description
Additional Information
We have applied for funding from the European Commission for these roles and should know if this is secured soon. Any offer of placement will be provisional on a positive response for this.
With recent developments relating to Covid-19, we are closely monitoring the situation in accordance with Erasmus+ guidance and will inform candidates of any changes to the programme if necessary.
Deadline
Sunday 20th September 2020
Please note that only UK residents can apply for this role.
Remote interviews will be held for this position and successful candidates will be contacted to arrange interviews.
Still have questions?
Send us an email at IYVP@redcross.org.uk
