ICYE - International Cultural Youth Exchange

by **gap** Sat 11 Jun 2011, 17:57

ICYE - International Cultural Youth Exchange

What is ICYE?

ICYE is...
- a leader in international youth exchange programmes with more than 60 years of experience promoting young people’s active and global citizenship
- an international voluntary service programme with significant presence across all continents
- an experience based programme to enhance young people’s intercultural understanding and commitment to peace and justice
- an international network of local organisations providing volunteers with the necessary orientation, training and support
- long and short-term exchange programmes for 4.000 participants annually

ICYE’s affiliations
The ICYE Federation is affiliated to and works with the support of the following international organisations:
- UN-Economic and Social Council – ECOSOC (Consultative Status)
- United Nations Department of Public Information, DPI-NGO Committee
- UNESCO (Official Operational Relations)
- UNESCO-NGOs Liaison Committee
- World Council of Churches (working relations as international ecumenical organisation)
- European Commission, Directorate General Education and Culture
- Co-ordinating Committee of International Voluntary Service (CCIVS)

Our Programmes:

Long-term Voluntary Service
ICYE exchangees live with a host family or in a live-in project and work as volunteers for periods ranging from 6 to 12 months, in a variety of community service organisations in education, youth work, teaching, health education, and environmental protection.

Short Term Programmes – STePs
ICYE member organisations offers also various types of short-term exchange activities, called STePs, for interested individuals and groups. The main stay are individual volunteering placements - ranging from 2 to 16 weeks, which are designed to offer young and older volunteers as well as groups, a combination of reliable and meaningful volunteer work with a direct exposure to the rich cultures of the host countries.

Hosting
Host a young volunteer in your family or your voluntary service organisation for a few weeks, few month, a semester or a whole year. Voluntary service organisations and host families, are, together with the volunteers, the main actors of ICYE’s exchange programmes.

To find out more information and the contacts for ICYE in your country, visit ICYE website here