The Global Xchange Programme was originally based on a model of youth exchanges developed in Canada over thirty years ago (known as Canada World Youth). These exchanges were designed to involve young people from across the world who worked on community projects both in Canada and partner countries.
This model was brought to the UK in 1999 by Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO), who ran youth exchanges for several years with funding from the Millennium Commission. In early 2004 VSO, the British Council, and Community Service Volunteers (CSV) entered into a partnership to continue developing this model. From 2007 until 2011, VSO and the British Council worked in partnership to further develop Global Xchange.
In 2011, Global Xchange became part of International Citizen Service (ICS), a unique new global volunteering scheme launched by the Prime Minister and funded by the Department for International Development (DfID). VSO is one of six volunteer agencies who will offer ICS programmes in the pilot year. For more information visit www.dfid.gov.uk/ics
Global Xchange today
Due to the success of the original model the team at Global Xchange have been working hard over the past few years to allow more people and communities across the world to experience the programme. There are two main programmes running under the Global Xchange banner; the original youth programme Youth Xchange and a new programme Youth Action.
Both programmes focus on putting young people at the centre of efforts to combat poverty and inequality, by giving them a chance to join other young people to work on important projects in developing countries.
The future and vision
In the last 5 years alone GX has worked with nearly fifteen hundred volunteers from thirty eight countries, involving over one thousand of host homes and over nine hundred placement organisations across Africa, Asia and the Middle East, as well as all four countries of the United Kingdom. But we’ve got even bigger plans for the future!
