Global Xchange: In Depth
Volunteer Placements
You will work with your counterpart in a local charity or community organisation for four days of the working week. Your Volunteer Placements will be structured so that you are able to make a positive and practical contribution to the community you are living in.
Volunteer Placements are extremely varied and have in the past included:
- peer education programmes
- working as care assistants with older people and people with physical and mental disabilities
- working with children as educational assistants
- working with marginalized communites, for example refugee organisations
- assisting with educational health projects
We will try to match your volunteer placement with your own interests and skills, but this is not always possible. What we will ensure is that you are well supported in your volunteer placement by a workplace supervisor, and that your placement is doing some work that respond to the needs of the local community, enabling you to make a tangible contribution.
Our Volunteer Placements don't expect you to have any particular skills or previous experience. These placements work best when volunteers are enthusiastic, motivated and willing to learn quickly. That's why many of the most successful placements involve peer-to-peer education and advocacy activities.