Successful North South Preparation Weekend June 2009

(in the picture, participants during a session)

From the 12^th to 14^th June 21 participants joined the second preparation event in Brighton for volunteers going to overseas projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

The preparation took place at the Whitehawk Youth Centre near Brighton, which has basically become Concordia’s second home, as we run many other events there throughout the year.

It was amazing to have such a large group of participants, and it was even more amazing to see that the age range of our groups has changed and our projects are starting to attract volunteers over the age of 30; as well as the traditional 18-25 year age group. Our group ranged from 18 to 50 years old.

Most of the participants had already booked a place on a volunteer project before joining the preparation weekend and India, Nepal, Kenya, Botswana and Tanzania were among the destinations chosen. Other participants instead came to get a better understanding of what Concordia is and what opportunities are available with our North South Programme.

The weekend had a gentle start on Friday with a delicious vegetarian meal prepared by our fantastic kitchen team. This was followed by ice breakers, games and a brief introduction to Concordia: it is always good fun to play silly games and especially name games that help get people together! After that there was the chance to have a drink and socialise.

On Saturday participants started the day with a group building exercise and then straight into a very interesting debate on what volunteering in the South meant for them. The day was really intense and continued with more activities exploring various topics such as cultural awareness, volunteers’ motivation and tricky situations they might find themselves in. Finally, during the last session volunteers could talk informally to staff and past volunteers, who were eager to share their experiences in The South.

By the end of the afternoon, as you can imagine, we were all quite tired, however not enough to prevent us from going for a walk by the sea and an evening out in Brighton! We went to a pub in Kemptown, which is a lively area also full of venues and clubs.

On Sunday we briefly introduced the wider context of the global relations between Northern and Southern countries. After that, an intense Health and Safety sessions provided lots of practical information to the participants, who were left feeling much more reassured about all the technicalities of the preparation for their journey.

At the end of the weekend, the feedback from the participants was very good and they all left feeling more confident in their ability to face new challenges and were eager to join their volunteer project.

I would like to conclude this report with a huge “thank you” to all the volunteers who helped us both with the running of the sessions and the logistic aspects of the weekend. This event would have never been as successful without their incredible help, enthusiasm, commitment and skills. So Thank you to Laura, Tej, Abi, July, Mari and also Helen and Fiona!

Finally, thank you to all the participants for their incredible contribution and positive energy!

(in the picture: the participants at the end of the weekend!)

Read here about more dates available for the North South Preparation weekends

Jemma Pursell on her volunteer project in Thailand

(In the picture: Jemma and one of her friends)

Land of Smiles

The Land of Smiles, I never really understood the true meaning of this phrase until I actually travelled to Thailand. Can one place really be as happy and smiley as people make out? My conclusion is yes. The first time I travelled to Thailand I instantly fell in love with the place, the warmth and spirit of the people amazed me. During the month I stayed I volunteered in a school, teaching English to Children in a rural part of central Thailand, known as Chainat. I loved the experience and knew I wanted to go back.

4 years later I found myself on a medium term international volunteer project (MTV). I wanted to learn more about Thai language and culture and I also wanted to give something back. At first I was quite nervous about going on my own. Although I had travelled to Thailand many times before, this would be a completely different. The other project I took part in was group based; there were around 40 of us staying in an Eco House. Instead of Lonely Planet I would be a Lonely Soul. I thought to myself that there must be others out there like me travelling on their own. So I packed my Bag and Set of for the Land Of Smiles with my book and my beloved IPod as company.

I remember arriving at the chaotic bus station in the north eastern province of Khorat, Sweat dripping from my forehead, and my backpack weighing me down. I definitely Stood out amongst all the Chaos, Locals were staring at me with confused expressions on their faces, some pointing whilst whispering ‘Farrang’, a term used to describe anybody who isn’t Thai. My smile was met by many, and I realised that I must be in the Land of smiles. A lady approached me introducing herself as Phai, the Greenway Co- coordinator, I instantly liked her, I practised my Thai with her whilst we waited for the other Volunteer, who arrived one hour later.

The 4 hour bus journey through the scenic rice fields of Isan has to be one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. Farmers were at work in the blistering heat joking around and sipping the famous Lao Kao whiskey, trees and mountains everywhere, Cows and water buffalos straying from the fields on to the endless roads. This was my introduction to Isan culture and daily life. I was even more excited about what would be waiting for us in the Village. The bus dropped us off at what appeared to be a makeshift Bus stop, it was pitch black and in the middle of nowhere I am so glad that we had a co-ordinator with us, It was at this point I realised I really was travelling of the beaten track.

My volunteer project was social/education and youth Development with one of the main focuses being Teaching English. However the problem was that with the months that I was volunteering Schools were closed for the summer term. At first I was quite disappointed as I really wanted some long term teaching experience in a small Thai community. However there were many other things to be involved with such as the youth Club at our Greenway House. From the moment I arrived I was treated like family, but I would always be a farrang unless I improved my Thai. I became really good friends with a local farmer Pilam. Me and Tommy would often go over to his house for Thai lessons in return for teaching him English.

Most of the children in the village live with their grandparents whilst their parents work in Bangkok. They rarely see their parents as it is quite expensive to go to Bangkok from the village, and the only time they can make the trip is during the summer term. But most Children stay behind and help the families to farm. The one’s who can go to Bangkok, work as labourers or cooks to help support their families.


(in the picture: volunteers' accommodation)

Together with Greenway previous volunteers set up a youth club to support the local Children. The youth club was based at our accommodation. Local Children were allowed to come to Greenway throughout the day were we would organise activities for them such as English lessons, Playing Card Games, Drawing and tending to our Vegetable Garden, Playing football, basket ball and Takraw. Takraw is a traditional Thai game quite similar to Football, the only differences being that you have to keep the ball in the air at all times and a net is often used to pass the ball between two sides. Something I found so touching about being in the village was the spirit and energy of the people, especially the children. I felt that I was part of this one big family as opposed to being just a tourist. I quickly settled in to life In Ban Denrat. The day after I arrived I found myself attending an Isan funeral; this definitely has to be one of the strangest things I have ever experienced. A funeral becomes a festival; literally, it begins at the house of the deceased, and then continues throughout the entire village. People were everywhere throwing water at each other, drinking Lao Kao whiskey from one glass and passing it around the crowd, they were celebrating the person’s life instead of morning and they insisted that we get involved. So there I was in the middle of a crowd practising traditional Thai dance and drinking whiskey in the midst of beautiful Green rice fields. Luckily we arrived during the season of The Thai Water festival, known as Songkran so I had the pleasure of being completely soaked for three days. The festival runs from the 12th-15th of April, people drive around in Pickups throwing water at each other and passing cars, concerts are held in local temples, Children are running around with oversized water guns.

(in the picture: Songkran celebrations)

My experience in Ban Denrat was incredible, I cannot explain fully but it is one of those places you have to see for yourself to really understand. I feel that I learnt a lot in the two months of my project. I met some amazing people and inherited a new family, the entire village. Some of the Things I experienced such as going to a Thai funeral, celebrating Songkran, fishing with Locals, going to ceremonies at the Temple, learning to speak Thai and teaching English. I’m sure I wouldn’t have experienced these things if I travelled as a Tourist. I feel that I have seen the real Thailand and all these memories will stay with me forever.

(Jemma Pursell, 2008)

More on Thailand and our partners.

First Ever Weekend Project in the UK!!

(In the picture: our volunteers behind the hedge)

I think it is safe to say that on the weekend of April 18^th twelve Concordia volunteers had a lot of fun! We had never run a weekend project before so it was very much an experiment to see if it would work…it did. We arrived at the RSPCA Mallydams Wood at about 4pm on Friday. The woods were absolutely beautiful with bluebells covering the floor, birds singing in the trees, and the accommodation was amazing – we were sleeping in beds!!!

After an introduction from the host, a talk by Concordia and a delicious dinner we kicked off the weekend in true Concordia style, silly games and a few beers before heading off to bed - in beds!!

Saturday was spent in the woods clearing Rhododendron to create a path that was to lead to the back of a new bird watching hide. The cut Rhododendron was then used to create a dead hedge running adjacent to the front of the hide so people could approach it without scaring the birds. The task was perfect as; it took a day to complete, we could see what we had achieved and was a lot of fun. We finished at around 4pm and took the opportunity to chill out while dinner was being cooked before heading out to go badger watching. We were promised the badgers would come but sadly the badgers had other ideas and ran off when they realised we were waiting for them – can’t have everything I guess. So we decided to play them at their own game and went off to have a camp fire instead!

Sunday morning was spent removing birch saplings and re-potting them for the RSPCA to sell on their open day in the summer - a great way to encourage people to plant a tree and also raise a bit of cash for the wildlife centre.

Then all too soon it was lunch and home time with new friends made and email addresses swapped. All in all a great weekend. See the photos at http://www.concordia-iye.org.uk/gallery.shtml

(Helen Pheasey, Concordia UK Programme Co-ordinator)

Weekend projects…Would you like to be involved?

We have another weekend project coming up from 26^th – 28^th June at The Green Centre in Brighton – no beds this time I am afraid but a great way to stay involved with Concordia without having to commit to 2 weeks. Check out the website or email helenpheasey@concordia-iye.org.uk for more info.

Training For Trainers Berlin 2009 by Tej Mistry

A welcoming multicoloured spray painted sign stood out attractively in front of me as I had navigated 3 trains, a tram and a 10 minute walk along a dirt path from Berlin. I had finally arrived at Training For Trainers 2009 and my thoughts quickly turned to where I was staying and the people I would share this experience with.

It was a stunning location – deep in a forest – set on the bank of the River Dahme where it was calmingly peaceful and a refreshing change from busy London. Presented with my new home for a week I was anxious to meet my fellow trainees from seven different countries to share experiences and opinions with and to hopefully make some new friends.

The training had been specifically designed to be non-formal and so allowed the participants to contribute and interact as much as possible. We took part in activities and discussions based on core themes around training in international youth volunteering, touching upon leadership, intercultural learning and conflict resolution. The week started lightly and the trainers had somehow managed to assign relevant tasks like building a contraption to break the fall of an egg and silently supporting each other through a mystery maze. Needless to say there were no winners in the egg task but the 12 would-be engineers soon put there hands to clearing up the mess they had made. These games brought the group together as we worked with different people in each task learning more about the ways we worked and the strengths we had in group situations.

My time had come to shine and I was exposed as a great leader of a dragon whilst leading a chain of people in search of our tail. It all ended in a pile of people on the forest floor but I was proud to have taken them all down with me with smiles on their faces.

(In the picture: participants during a training session)














After each long day the trainers came together to recap the day’s events and to share new games whilst sampling some of the tasty German beers on offer. The evenings were great for team dynamics as everyone got involved and we saw a different side of each other away from the training rooms.

The intercultural evening brought with it some tasty treats as people from each country presented their offerings with an impressive sales pitch and those of us brave enough to try anything once tucked in. I’m ashamed to say I stuck to my seat that night for some German led games whilst Latvian and Estonian dances were in full flow, being taught to the obliging Korean guys. We also shared a fantastic Lebanese meal together on Wednesday evening after taking the day to do some well earned site seeing. I joined the relaxation group that managed to cover the main tourist sites of Berlin whilst enjoying a long coffee break along the way.

(In the picture: dancing during the intercultural night!)
















As the final day arrived I felt I had learnt and experienced a lot. I had made friends from countries I previously knew nothing about and had become more informed about International Youth Volunteering and the organisations and opportunities that were available to me for the future. As the week drew to its official close we toasted our new enthusiasm with a glass of bubbly and played out the day as we had began the week with a friendly – yet competitive – game of volleyball.

The week came to a close but the goodbyes weren’t sad as I think we all genuinely believed we would meet each other again at some point in future.

The Alliance of European Voluntary Service Organisations organised this training and overcame many obstacles to ensure its success. The trainers and Alliance members involved led by example and created an environment which resulted in great fun, non-formal learning and gave those that needed it the confidence and tools to progress their international voluntary experience. For me it was a chance to renew my confidence and to realise there are a wealth of opportunities out there to get involved in.

(Tej Mistry, TFT Berlin, April 2009)




















Training For Trainers…Would you like to be involved?

Every year the Alliance of European Voluntary Organisations organises various international trainings and seminars, of which the Training For Trainers is the most established. This training managed over the years to give many volunteers the tools, skills and confidence to run national and international trainings for Concordia and the Alliance. Participants are usually volunteers with past experience on an international volunteer project who want contribute to the activities of their sending organisation.
After the training you will have the opportunity to put your new skills into practice through one of the many trainings and events organised by Concordia.
So, if you want to be involved in one of the next International trainings or seminars, please contact the office on 01273 422218 or email francescob@concordia-iye.org.uk and we will keep you updated with the next opportunities available in 2009/2010.

Daniel Sparling on his project in Hungary 2008

In the picture: a moving Hungarian sunset

I arrived in Hungary just a day before I was to meet up with my fellow volunteers and begin my second project of the summer. After finding my accommodation for the night I decided to go for a some sightseeing and discovered, thanks in part to my trusty guidebook, that I was in a very exciting part of Budapest, right by the River Danube, with lots of interesting places to visit, and good places to eat (and drink). I looked around for a while, marvelling at some of the fantastic architecture on offer, but finally the long day of travelling I’d had caught up with me and I decided to head back and rest up for the next day.

The next day I met the other volunteers at the station and we left Budapest for Bükkösd. On the 3 and a half hour train journey I was able to get to know the people I would be working with for the next two weeks. Already there was a wide range of nationalities with an American, a Korean, a couple of Spaniards and a Czech, as well as the Hungarian camp leaders.

At the station in Bükkösd we were spared a two hour hike to Gyűrűfű as the village minibus was able to come and pick us up. On the minibus ride to the village I began to get a sense of how remote we were, a dirt track road through a forest was the only route in, and with my phone rapidly losing any sort of signal I knew this was going to be a really good place to escape to. In Gyűrűfű we checked out the very basic accommodation and went up to the work site. Seeing the half built house I was excited about getting started, but we were due at the hosts house for my first taste of real Hungarian cooking. It was getting dark and we finally sat down to paprika stuffed with meat, which we ate under the light of the stars and a few candles. With the dinner we had traditional Hungarian Palinka. Another long day of travelling made everyone tired and we eventually got back to our home and were able to curl up in our sleeping bags for a very disturbed night of sleep. Cesar, one of the Spaniards, slept soundly, but unfortunately the sounds he was making kept every one else up.

After getting a few hours sleep we were woken at 6 o’clock for breakfast, it was early but the beautiful morning scene made it worthwhile. We had a big Hungarian breakfast with lots of meat, local cheese, and very fresh milk. After filling up we started work and we were shown how to make ‘csömpölyeg’ (mud and straw balls). Feeling fresh on our first day we worked quickly and finished well ahead of schedule at 10. We cleaned up and went back to relax for a while before lunch, another fantastic meal, a local goat soup. After lunch we were able to have a siesta and we were woken up to ‘energizers’, which were to become a regular feature, followed by a work shop, which started off with games to get to know each other and each other’s countries, and involved lots of drawing.

In the picture: volunteers built an earth-house, doing stamped wall, throwing adobe, doing masonry, wall carving, plastering, etc.

The evening work was preparing for the work the next day, with digging and pick axing to ‘mine’ the mud that was used to fill the ditches where csömpölyeg were made. After dinner we played a few more games to get to know each other, this time involving some alcohol, and went off for a better second nights sleep.

On the second day we gained the final four volunteers, another Korean and three French friends, all of whom were eager to work and got stuck in when they arrived. A couple of days of work passed before we were told at lunch that we had the afternoon off, and we prepared for a special night with Czech food and a Spanish Sangria.

The next morning we got a lie in before we left on an 8km hike to another village, where we held up the bar at cocktail bar run by a Nigerian-Hungarian man. We walked around the local village before meeting a local artist/Santa Claus doppleganger, who painted a few pictures for us.

We got straight back into work routine, and this continued until the apparent ‘storm of the century’ hit and we were unable to do any more. Prompting another rest day and we hiked to Ibafa where a tour of the famous pipe museum was rivalled by the local bar (no surprise where we spent most time).

Over the next few days, between work, we visited some of the other houses in the village and learnt about the traditional, sustainable techniques that were used to build them, as well as given the history of the village and how it is run now. The two weeks had seemed to fly by and soon we had finished up work on the last day in Gyűrűfű and were preparing for a bonfire in the evening. As we lay around the fire watching shooting stars above us I realised that I would soon be leaving this remote, beautiful place and getting back to the stressful lives we all have, stuck under piles of university work and student debt, although I wasn’t going to miss the cold showers!

The next day we packed up and left Gyűrűfű, hiking back to Bükkösd, before getting the train to Pécs where we were treated to a festival, with lots of singing and dancing, although two weeks of hard work, and another day of travelling, had us all drained and we were unable to experience more of it, but gladly headed for bed. In the morning we packed up again and caught the intercity train to Budapest, where, after some sad goodbyes, we went our separate ways, and before I knew it I was back on very wet, home soil.

In the picture: Daniel and the group of international volunteers cheering after a hard days work!

For more information on Hungary and our partner click here.

Monica's final report

Concordia CONCUK15 & CONCUK23 Playschemes (Fairplay 1 and 2) - A final blog from our lovely MTV Monica Burns who was in the UK for 6 months over the summer of 2008 from the USA

From the end of July through the end of August, two Concordia playscheme projects ran at the YMCA Fairthorne Manor. For the first project, lasting three weeks, volunteers came from France, Spain, Mexico, Turkey, Czech Republic, Germany, Russia, Korea and Italy.

For the second project, two weeks long, volunteers came from Italy, Japan, Korea, Turkey, Germany, Russia, Slovakia, and Finland. In fact, two were past volunteers on last year’s playscheme project here at the YMCA.

During the summer break from school, the YMCA held daycamps for hundreds of kids throughout the region. The volunteers assisted the summer staff with the supervision of kids ranging in age from four to sixteen. They helped kids put on their harnesses and helmets for the aerial runway, covered the kids with soap and water for the huge waterslides down the front lawn, and played games between activity sessions. Many of the volunteers were able to participate in activities alongside the kids, such as canoeing, kayaking, archery, and the bouncy pillow, much to the delight of the kids they were supervising. Some vols even assisted the nursery with looking after children between 4 mos. and 6 years of age.

When they were done having fun with the daycamp kids, the volunteers had their own fun, playing games in the lounge, going for a swim in the river, lazing in the sun… Volunteers spent their spare time off-site in Brighton, Winchester, Bournemouth, and Portsmouth.

The presence of the Concordia volunteers was an impactful one. When their work was done, the volunteers received fond farewells from the kids they looked after. And when the projects were ended, the volunteers, who developed close friendships over the past few weeks, said their tearful goodbyes. Luckily, we have Facebook to keep us united

Concordia Post Season Event 2008 - 24th-26th October report

Now I know I say this every year but I honestly believe that this years Post Season Event was the best yet! We had around 25 volunteers join us in sunny Whitehawk for a weekend of information sharing, volunteering, games, food and fun. At every Post Season Event we spend Saturday either volunteering or undertaking global education activities. This year we were particularly keen to volunteer as the weekend coincided with CSV’s (Community Service Volunteers) Make a Difference Day - a nationwide initiative to encourage volunteering and Saturday 25^th October was the biggest annual day of volunteering in the UK.

Our contribution to Make a Difference Day was volunteering at one of our new UK projects, Stanmer Organics. Stanmer Organics is a co-operative of individuals and groups based at an 8 hectare site at Stanmer Park in Brighton. They are committed to using the land for organic food production which is sold locally with the aim of reducing road travel & air pollution and being sustainable.

Our first stop was at an apple orchard where we collected apples and pressed them using a traditional hand operated apple press that made a surprisingly large amount of delicious apple juice - several buckets full in fact!

Also based in Stanmer Park is the Earthship a pioneer project in sustainable building techniques. “The Earthship is the most sustainable facility available in England with all electricity and water flowing freely from nature” (Low carbon website).

Mischa Hewitt who was greatly involved in the design and building of the Earthship joined our group and very kindly gave us a very interesting and honest tour and talk on the design of the Earthship, and sustainable buildings. Thank you to Mischa for taking time out from his busy weekend to join us. For more information on Earthships check out www.lowcarbon.co.uk

No post season event would be complete without some get-your-hands-dirty volunteering, so once we had been shown around the Earthship we assisted John and Ben on their allotment planting trees and picking vegetables. The trees were an evergreen hedging plant Elaeagnus ebingeii which make a superb windbreak and also have edible berries and were part paid for by Concordia thanks to the money that Chloe won for us.

Needless to say we went out on Saturday night and painted the town red… well actually we painted it white as Brighton had a number of free events running to celebrate White Night – the night the clocks change. There was free access to the Pavilion, a variety of street performances to enjoy and of course more pubs per square mile than anywhere else in the UK!

On Sunday we ran a global education session on Millennium Development Goals that were created by world leaders in 2000 and aim to reduce global poverty by 2015. Many of the targets look unlikely to be met and we joined the Oxfam led campaign “In My Name” to pressurise world leaders into doing more. For more information go to www.whitebandaction.org

All in all we had a fantastic weekend and it was great to catch up with some old faces and meet some new volunteers. Every year the post season event gets bigger and better and we can’t wait for next year so we can do it all over again! We would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who contributed to making it such a success and so much fun.

Concordia Team

Click here to see more pictures from the post season event.

Click here to see the pictures for the "In my name campaign"