Volunteer in Turkey!

  Turkey

Istanbul

Durations of Program: 1-2 weeks and 2-4 weeks
Typical Duration of Program: 5-8 weeks

Description: Turkey offers a fusion of culture - old and new, east and west, modern and traditional. Volunteers contribute to worthwhile causes while meeting new people, learning valuable work and life skills and becoming part of Turkish community life. In Turkey, you can see landscapes of incredible natural beauty, sites of great antiquity, towns and villages with lovely examples of architecture from Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman times.

Basic Turkish language classes will be covered during your orientation to enable you to communicate with the locals. There is an optional intensive Turkish Language courses at EIL Turkey's office. Excursions: There will be a guided tour in the parts of the old city known as Constantinople. Blue Mosque, Saint Sophia, Topkapi Palace, Grand Bazaar, Golden Horn and Spice Bazaar will be visited during these tours.

Your orientation program will cover basic information about customs, values and daily life in Turkey as well as tips about learning and living in a different culture. The participants will be informed about the different lifestyles, values, beliefs of people s/he will encounter during the volunteer community service.

Throughout your program you will live with a Turkish host family. Host families are carefully selected, volunteer families. You will experience famous 'Turkish hospitality.'

Following orientation program you will start your volunteer program. Some volunteer projects may be: working as assistant to teachers in orphanages, public primary schools or public kindergartens, social work for the elderly, handicapped or street kids, environmental work, reforestation, working for environmental NGO's, community work in rural areas, agriculture and field work with villagers, constructing playgrounds or working in a village primary school.

Qualifications: Anyone 18 and older may apply. Skilled or unskilled volunteers are welcome. If you are applying for medical or teaching positions in a project, professional certifications might be asked. EIL-Turkey welcomes everybody with a teamwork attitude, commitment to volunteer work, and adaptable and healthy enough to adjust to living and working in different countries.

Experience Required: no

Typical Volunteer: Participants in this program will be enthusiastic, flexible and interested in other people, languages and cultures. They will be committed to community service and able to work well as a member of a team.

Age Range: 18 and older, except US citizens who must be 19

This Program is open to Couples and Individuals

Participants Travel to Turkey Independently

Typically Participants Work in Groups

Application Process Involves:

• In-Person Interview when Feasible
• Letters of Reference
• Phone Interview
• Physical Exam/Health Records
• Resume
• Written Application

Post Services Include:

• Alumni Network

Volunteers for International Partnership's Mission Statement: Volunteers for International Partnership offers each international volunteer an opportunity to learn a culture from the inside while doing valuable community service, peer to peer, in a stimulating new environment. VIP is committed to: *Careful selection and preparation of the volunteer, host family and Host Organization. *Emphasis on the education and self-awareness gained through international community service and volunteering. *Planning the volunteer's intercultural experience to highlight enrichment from cultural differences. *Full immersion in the host culture through orientation, language training, worksite and housing selection. *Individualization of volunteer placement design to take full advantage of volunteer differences in skill, age, experience and diversity. *Effective evaluation of the experience and the Host Organization. *Strong efforts to enhance the volunteer's social adjustment to regional habits and customs. *Choosing volunteer service projects that are worthwhile, safe, meet the needs of the local community and are conducted responsibly with regard to environmental, social and local issues.