What is a group project?
Group projects offer a team of young people the opportunity to travel overseas and participate in a volunteering and cultural experience, tailor-made to their specific interests, budget and time commitment.
This type of project is ideally suited to members of youth or community organisations looking to find projects consistent with their interests and activities at home and build partnerships overseas.
A group project will provide an excellent opportunity for volunteers to develop intercultural awareness and communication skills as well as building teamwork and providing a focus for a group interest or challenge for example through a fundraising initiative.
What kind of work can groups do?
The project can have an environmental, social or arts focus and will be developed specifically to meet the needs of the local community.
We encourage full immersion in the host community and encourage volunteers to learn some of the local language and be prepared to learn about different cultures and ways of living as well as sharing aspects of their own life and culture.
Cardiff University group projects
UNA Exchange works closely with Cardiff University’s Global Opportunity Centre to offer groups of students the opportunity to participate in international volunteering projects. Projects are a minimum of 28 days long and bursaries are available to help with the cost of the project and travel. In 2017 we partnered with overseas hosts to deliver group volunteering projects in Japan and Vietnam.
If you are a Cardiff University student and interested in participating in a group volunteering project please contact the Global Opportunity Centre by emailing:
[email protected]
St John Cymru Wales group projects
Between 2013 and 2015 we supported groups of young people from St John Cymru Wales to participate in international volunteering projects in the Czech Republic, Russia and Japan. As well as the opportunity to make a contribution to their host community, volunteers were able to share their First Aid knowledge in local schools and meet groups with similar interests along the way. For St John Cymru Wales it was a fantastic way to reward their most dedicated volunteers, build a strong team and create new ideas for more activities within the organisation.
You can find out how the teams got on in their videos:
If you are a member of an organisation interested in creating a group project do please get in touch: [email protected]