BIRMINGHAM HOSTS LAUNCH OF NEW INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEERING SCHEME FOR YOUNG ADULTS
Douglas Alexander announces new scheme in Birmingham and meets first volunteers
Three youngsters from Birmingham are the first to gain places on a new Government-backed global volunteering scheme which is formally announced by International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander during a visit to the city today.
The scheme is targeted at young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 who would not normally have the opportunity to travel to then live, work and learn about life in poorer countries while making a real difference to people’s lives.
Over the next three years, 2,500 young adults will be sponsored to do voluntary work in a developing country and then raise awareness of development issues on their return to the UK. The £10 million scheme is backed by the Department for International Development (DFID) and will be run in partnership by Christian Aid, Islamic Relief and BUNAC.
Commenting on the scheme, Douglas Alexander said:
"This scheme aims to give young British adults who wouldn’t normally have an opportunity the chance to make a valuable contribution to the lives of people overseas who are blighted by poverty.
“By living and working with people from very different backgrounds, facing very different challenges, they will learn new skills and help unlock the potential within them to become better global citizens. And on return they’ll be applying what they’ve learned to activities in their own local communities.
“It is important that young people understand the issues that shape the world they live in. All round this should prove to be a very rewarding life experience for the young adults involved.
“I’m pleased that BUNAC, Christian Aid and Islamic Relief will together be helping the Government to deliver on our commitment to tackle inequality and poverty.”
The first three volunteers to take part in the scheme are due to attend the event at South Birmingham College in Digbeth where they will meet the Secretary of State.
Daniel Stone, 18, from Handsworth, Birmingham, said:
“From a young age I have felt the need to make a difference in my community and in the world around me. I have been able to rise above the social and financial problems the world has thrown at me and I simply want to make a difference and to help people reach their full potential.
“At the moment I feel that my view of the world is so narrow and there is so much for me to learn and experience. I wanted to volunteer abroad but always felt the costs involved made it impossible. Hearing what the global volunteering scheme is doing renewed my hope that I could reach this goal.”
Runa Khanom, 24, from Smethwick, Birmingham, said:
“I think from this experience, I’ll learn things about myself I didn’t know before. I will learn about different cultures, and become more aware of the lives of people more disadvantaged than I am, yet who remain stronger than I could ever be.
“This is a fantastic opportunity and I feel that this programme will give me a renewed enthusiasm to do things I believe in and to help others feel the same about themselves. Perhaps I’ll even find a lifetime friend in someone who lives a hundred miles away from me.”
Heather Warrilow, 23, from Sheldon, Birmingham, said:
“I feel honoured and humbled to be part of a project such as this. Not only will it raise my awareness of how my life in the UK compares to life in the developing world, I will be doing something really worthwhile that makes a positive impact on the community.
“I want to be able to understand what life is like for people who live in conditions different to mine and make a positive difference, and when I return I hope to influence people in my community to also raise their awareness and tell them how they could make a positive contribution too.”
Starting in summer 2008 with placements to Ghana and South Africa, scheme volunteers will be:
- spending 10 weeks in a developing country working on local community development projects such as environmental conservation or HIV / Aids awareness;
- designing personal activity plans with other volunteers during a residential weekend on their return to the UK; and
- building understanding about the world back home through roadshows and activities in their local communities as well as encouraging their peers to join the fight against global poverty.
Photo / Interview Opportunity:
- You are invited to send a reporter / cameraman / photographer to meet the first volunteers, the Secretary of State and representatives from the three NGOs that will be running the scheme on DFID’s behalf.
- Date: Friday 29 February 2008
- Time: 11.00am - 11.45am
- Address: South Birmingham College, Digbeth Campus, High Street Deritend, Digbeth, Birmingham B5 5SU
For further information or to arrange interviews with the Secretary of State or the volunteers, contact Pippa Ranger, at DFID on 020 7023 0600 or 07980 882 920, or Amanda Wood, at GNN West Midlands, on 0121 352 5512.
Notes for Editors
- The scheme is open to young adults from less advantaged backgrounds aged 18-25 on the date of travel who meet a combination of criteria relating to previous education, employment, benefits and travel. Positive emphasis will be placed on a track record of community involvement. All volunteers must hold (or be eligible for) a British passport.
- Overseas placements will be in groups of 12, first to Ghana and South Africa and then later in the year to India, Malawi or Peru.
- For more info please visit www.dfid.gov.uk
- Christian Aid, Islamic Relief and BUNAC have been appointed as a partnership to deliver the scheme; quotes available from spokespeople below:
Christian Aid’s Director Daleep Mukarji, said:
“We are delighted to take a lead in this venture, which is the first of its kind. Christian Aid’s mission is to expose the scandal of poverty and together with Islamic Relief and BUNAC we will be able to directly engage young adults with the issues surrounding poverty, and give them an opportunity to make a real difference.”
Dr Hany El Banna, President of Islamic Relief, said:
“This project is an amazing opportunity for everyone involved. It will offer young British adults from all ethnic and religious backgrounds, especially those from the least well-to-do families in the UK, the chance to travel as a group and do a voluntary work placement in a developing country."
“It will be a continuous journey of discovery; of how and why different people across the globe face different levels of poverty and development, and of how all our actions and destinies are so intertwined. Sharing these stories upon their return will potentially have life-changing consequences, not just for the young travelers themselves, but also for their families, friends and possibly whole communities, both here in the UK and beyond.”
Callum Kennedy, Director of BUNAC, said:
“BUNAC is excited and proud to be a member of this partnership and is looking forward to playing its part in this new DFID venture. Volunteering in a developing country shouldn't be the preserve only of those who can, literally, afford to give up their time to do it. Many people are unaware of the existing opportunities or do not have the means to take advantage of them."
“The DFID initiative will show that young adults from all walks of life and from all backgrounds can contribute to and learn from the volunteering experience.”