Volunteers

ICVolunteers is an international non-governmental organization that makes available competences of volunteers in the field of languages, new technologies, welcoming services and logistic support for projects and conferences. The organization works in the humanitarian, social, environmental and medical fields at local, national and international levels.

The volunteers of ICVolunteers are aged from 16 to over 80 years, which creates an important dynamics of intergenerational exchange.

Our vision

Our vision is to help develop a future where both individuals and communities can reap the benefits of personal commitment and free will. Through volunteering, we seek to link knowledge with needs.

ICVolunteers contributes to the development of society by participating in non-profit projects and conferences, and offer the possibility to people from all walks of life to actively get involved as volunteers. ICVolunteers promotes volunteerism and its recognition.

ICVolunteers is a bridge between different cultures and favors the discovery of the Other and the personal development of each individual.

ICVolunteers works in the spirit of complementarities with both the private and public sectors. ICVolunteers' activities are based on the commitment of volunteers and the cooperation with partner organizations.

In order to ensure the smooth operation of the volunteer activities, ICVolunteers has elaborated the present Charter for everyone who is getting involved in our organization as a volunteer, in order to outline both rights and obligations.

The role of the volunteer

A volunteer offers his/her time out of his/her free will for the well-being of the community or society as a whole without receiving a remuneration in exchange of the services rendered.

In certain cases, we do reimburse the expenses of volunteers (e.g. costs for travel, accommodation and food).

The volunteer is motivated and committed to defend the interests of ICVolunteers.

He/she fulfills the tasks given with precision and reliability.

He/she may be in a situation where he/she is representing the organization in different activities (working groups, associations, commissions) and/or gets involved in an internal working group of ICVolunteers.

He/she respects discretion and confidentiality. Being a volunteer entails having rights and obligations that are outlined in the present Charter and confirmed by the Agreement for Volunteers of ICVolunteers.

Rights of the volunteer

He/she will:

• Receive relevant information and training related to ICVolunteers and the project(s) for which the volunteer has been recruited
• Be informed in advance about the tasks to be carried out and the framework and limits of action to be followed
• Be respected and supported by the coordinator and the other volunteers/colleagues
• Make available his or her knowledge and experience to important non-profit or humanitarian projects
• Have the opportunity to acquire new competences
• Become a member of ICVolunteers if he or she so desires
• Get involved in other volunteer activities of ICVolunteers in accordance with his/her competences
• In some cases, obtain the reimbursement of expenses if this is possible and if an agreement has been established beforehand
• Be recognized for his or her volunteer contribution
• Obtain a certificate of collaboration and/or acquired competences

Obligations of the volunteer

He/she will:

• Adhere to the Code of Ethics of ICVolunteers, in particular respecting others in the spirit of tolerance towards race, ethnicity, religion, sexual preferences, physical handicaps and by excluding any kind of discrimination
• Be honest and trustworthy in all circumstances
• Accept a training for the missions entrusted
• Have the professional and/or personal competences for which ICVolunteers and/or partner organizations are looking for
• Respect, in a professional way, the modalities of the tasks to be fulfilled
• Respect the commitment made once signed up for a project
• Be flexible
• Have one's own insurance (health, accident, civil responsibility, etc.)
• Present an authorization from the parents if volunteering at an age younger than 18
• Behave in a way that is in agreement with the aims of ICVolunteers and/or its partner organizations for which the volunteer has offered his or her services
• Participate in different meetings (information, training, working groups) according to the sector of activity chosen
• Respect the commitment for the mission and period agreed upon in order to fill the position for which the volunteer has been selected
• Notify the ICVolunteers coordinator in case of a change of availability immediately, in particular in the case of a conference or event, in order to allow ICVolunteers to find a replacement
• Participate and contribute to the internal evaluation process of ICVolunteers
• Adapt to local customs and laws in place in the country where the volunteer is volunteering
• Accept to sign ICVolunteers' Agreement for Volunteers

© 2006  ICVolunteers