Ongoing Training
InterVol committees work to ensure that all volunteers receive the required level of training prior to their placement and local volunteering. Training areas considered by InterVol to be essential for our volunteers are:
- First aid (minimum 2 volunteers per group)
- Child protection and safeguarding (where relevant)
- Personal security and risk assessment
- Placement-specific training from volunteers who have direct experience of the overseas placement, key packing checklists, and country’s culture
- Sessions to raise awareness of international development and poverty reduction
The committees will keep a record of training sessions attended by each volunteer and ensure all receive adequate training prior to volunteering. Child protection and first aid training are usually organised through Student Unions/Guilds for those working or interacting with children, while project specific training (including cultural awareness), and fundraising support is provided directly by committees throughout the year.
A single training and insurance membership contribution of £20 is paid by all overseas volunteers (this is the only payment InterVol requires of volunteers). This directly covers InterVol’s charity liability insurance, a legal requirement to make sure that volunteers are covered for all their activities in the UK.
We have a range of resources available online in addition to the committee training. The following sessions are covered:
Introduction to overseas volunteering
Introductory session to overseas volunteering, focusing on the importance of sustainable, responsible and critically engaged volunteering activities abroad.
Personal security
This training will explore some of the risks of volunteering overseas, equipping attendees with methods on how to stay safe and secure and help you know the places to look for support once abroad if necessary.
Motivations and expectations
Exploring and discussing attendees’ motivations for participating on an international volunteering placement, as well as examining expectations of what their experiences might be like in order to prepare them so that they can get the most out of their time away – both for them as individuals and for the communities they’ll be working alongside.
See a video summary here:
Physical and mental health abroad
Looking at the importance of both physical and mental health whilst volunteering internationally, including vaccinations, what to take with you, homesickness and culture shock, this session will ensure volunteers understand everything to prepare them for staying healthy when abroad. See the video summaries below:
InterVol 