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 o, Concordia, International volunteering, thailandf 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.

Click here for more pictures of projects in Thailand

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.

Click here for a country profile of Germany

Adam on his volunteer project in Uganda 2008

(Adam helped with the construction of school facilities in Lwemuna, Mbale district, during December 2008)


Volunteering in eastern Uganda was just how I’d hoped it would be. The setting was really rural and genuine, away from the tourist traps of the cities. The people were fantastic and it was a real honour to get to meet, and work with, some of them in their homelands. One of the main differences to my preconceptions was that the local people were a lot more optimistic and upbeat than I had expected. Additionally, some of them were also far more educated, intelligent and knowledgeable than I would have previously have given them credit for. They understood their situation and were making attempts to better it. The landscape and environment was really nice – very lush and green and a good temperature. The food was definitely an ‘experience’ but it’s very useful to see how developing nations get by. The project was certainly well-needed, with 700 children trying to share one school building, and there was a very real sense of ‘making a difference’ that you could visually see. From this project I take with me a sense of satisfaction at spreading the volunteer ethos as well as memories of a wonderful land that has a lot more going for it than I would have previously have thought.
All in all, it was a great experience – just what I wanted to get out of Africa.

Click here for more information on Uganda and our partners

Click here to see pictures from our volunteers in Uganda