Inspire yourself and others both within the EIL network and in your local communities to appreciate and understand cultural diversity and to become more conscious of cultural differences in aspiring to acceptance and peace.
Join the EIL network of volunteers by sharing your knowledge, expertise and skills to inspire Global Citizenship
We call that the #AFSeffect!
Inspire change
Inspire community
Join a global community of change-makers and people like you. Serve as a change agent in your community.
Inspire yourself
Develop practical cross-cultural skills and find your place as a global citizen, leader and changemaker in your community.
Inspire others
Lead diverse teams at home or around the world and promote inclusive societies for sustainable development.
How to become an EIL Volunteer
Send an inquiry
To ensure the safety of and support to EIL participants, all volunteers must be registered. Our application process is thorough and provides what we need to make volunteers successful. Feel stuck? We’re here to help.
Meet EIL volunteers
Find out more about us and what volunteering with EIL is all about. Then together we can clarify the best role for you based on availability, and what you want to learn and do. We have a diverse network of people who are willing to share and learn from and with you. Come to one of EIL social events to get to know the network better.
Get trained
Participate and engage in various trainings/workshops in developing as an EIL Volunteer. This will include induction training and introduction to the EIL Volunteer Policy to prepare for an engaging, meaningful volunteer role with EIL. We have many resources to pull from and a pool of trainers both locally and internationally. Trainings and workshops include; intercultural learning workshops, facilitation workshops, peer mentoring training, etc.
Begin your journey
You will have an amazing time no matter what you engage in with EIL. You’ll meet interesting people, make friends from around the world, work with passionate volunteers and develop intercultural competence and other skills that will last a lifetime.
Every volunteer makes a huge impact at EIL
Support
- Mentor participants throughout their programmes
- Help select the next global citizen to participate in an Explore programme
- Be a local network point and ambassador for EIL in your community
- Introduce and welcome international student s to Ireland in orientations
- Become more active in global education and global issues
Plan
- Organise orientations for study abroad and other workshops
- Arrange fun, engaging social events and cultural events
- Organise enrolment days, pre departure workshops and debrief sessions for Explore participants
- Set-up information sessions for students, friends, peers and other people in your communities
Train
- Guide EIL participants and others through intercultural learning journeys
- Develop your own skills and knowledge by participating in workshops/trainings
- Facilitate learning through creative and engaging activities
- Share your own global experience and cultural insights
Manage & Lead
- Launch community projects helping others learn how to respect, appreciate and value other cultures
- Become active on local EIL groups, committees and boards
- Learn how to manage a team of volunteers and participants
- Inspire others to serve their community
- Have ownership of the events/activities/workshops/
orientations you carry out
Engaging with my community; meeting people from around the world
“It creates the space for my learning’s and experiences to be shared and vice versa. It enables me to meet likeminded people, striving for similar goals and inspiring one another to be the change in today’s society. I have personally gained so much from my experience as an EIL participant, it has played its role in shaping who I am today and where I hope to be and that is one of the major reasons why I want to volunteer with EIL, and to be part of other Explore participants journeys.”
-Nikki Chatham
“I’m passionate about volunteering and social activism. The EIL network is very welcoming and supportive.”
– Órla Ryan
Challenge yourself while supporting others
By volunteering with EIL you can:
- Work closely with experienced volunteers to find creative solutions
- Take on challenging situations for personal growth
- Polish practical skills to gain a competitive edge at school or work
- Train to become an intercultural learning facilitator
- Learn how to make better decisions and solve problems
- Develop leaderships skills you will use forever
EIL Mission
EIL is a membership based organization and has no shareholders and does not pay dividends. Any profits are ploughed back in to the organization or in to travel awards and scholarships. Anybody who shares the mission and ethos of EIL can become a member of the organization.
EIL supports UN Sustainable Development Goals
EIL works with and fully supports the UN SDG's
Empowering people of all ages to respect and appreciate differences
EIL Intercultural Learning is an inclusive and diverse community that aims to empower people of all walks of life to work together towards the EIL mission in respecting and appreciating differences across the board.
Our Vision: “People of different cultures working together to develop mutual understanding and create a fair, cooperative and tolerant world”.
Our Values:
We believe in the transformative power of international intercultural experiences
We believe in the importance of life long learning: education through travel is the cornerstone of all our work
We believe in the capacity of people to effect positive change
We believe in inclusiveness and encourage participation across all sections of society
We commit to the highest standards in all of our work, particularly safety and care
We cherish our not-for-profit status and measure our success by the delivery of social good over commercial profit
We believe that the entire EIL community, and external partners who share our values, have a role to play in achieving our goals
Training Resources
Welcome to EIL Ireland’s online platform where trainers and facilitators for EIL programmes, workshops and events can find relevant information, support and guidance to effective and efficient presentation and material resources.
The online source can be seen as a library of tools, relevant and globally recognised information made available for EIL staff and the Volunteer Network.