Projet de développement communautaire

As we have limited spots available in our programs and we serve on first come first basis, it is strongly recommended to apply for the program and reserve your spot in the program well in advance. You can book your spot in the program by filling an online form and pay the application fee.Once you complete your application, your individual My Account will be active in which you will receive your placement confirmation after which you can pay the program fees. You can pay the program fees later as well in installments, but 45 days before the program starts.

After you complete your application, your personalized ‘My Account’ will be active. You will need to upload your CV/Resume along with your photo in the same. Our backend team and the placement site takes around 10-12 days to review your application. After we review your CV and documents, your booking is confirmed and booking confirmation is updated in your ‘My Account’.

• You must be respectful of other cultures
• You must be tolerant towards others and respect the differences
• You must welcome teamwork but also be able to work alone
• You must be at least 18 years old at the time of joining the program
• You have to be a proactive person, we welcome volunteers with initiative and creativity
• You must have at least an Intermediate level of English

For individual volunteers:

You will arrive on the same start date as other volunteers joining at the same time and will be part of a cohort for your program. This means you’ll share the same orientation day, accommodation, and overall experience; a great way to meet new people and make friends from around the world. The best time to join if you want to meet lots of other volunteers is July and August as these are the most popular months.

For groups:
If you already have a group, we also accept applications from university and college groups, high school groups, corporate teams, families, and groups of friends. Your group can fill in our Group Application Form, providing details such as the number of participants, preferred duration, budget, and destination. We take special care in providing your group with a placement that best suits your goals, and we can customise your itinerary to ensure you get exactly the experience you’re looking for. For groups of five or more, we can even design special group programs that combine meaningful volunteer work with cultural immersion and travel opportunities. All our programs, whether individual or group, are designed to be safe, affordable, and rewarding, offering every volunteer a memorable and impactful experience

Yes, most definitely you can as we believe every participant brings something new to the project. If you do not have previous experience, we offer you the opportunity to have a great start with us. We make international volunteering easy – not only are our Volunteer Abroad opportunities rooted in offering you extensive support, but they are also very affordable.

Yes, we will provide you with the Certificate after successful completion of your program. The certificate is provided on request.

After the orientation workshop and the lunch, participants take part in a 2 hour walking tour of Cork City. During the tour, they are provided with practical advice, cultural and historical information.
At the end of the tour, participants are brought to the bus or train station and go to their project location. In some cases, depending on the location and availability of project mentor, the transfer could be done the following morning.

Ireland is a wonderful country; it is safe, friendly, rich in heritage, history, and culture. From vibrant, exciting cities to the spectacular countryside – it’s a magical place to visit. It’s also a wonderful place to stay and immerse yourself. The best part of an experience in Ireland is probably connecting with local people. Visitors find Irish people friendly, welcoming and very supportive.

There is in Ireland a strong sense of community with many initiatives taking place at local level. We have selected very specific community-based projects where participants can have an authentic and worthwhile experience. If you are keen to learn and experience something new, then there can be nothing better than this!

Participants can leave either on their last Saturday or Sunday. Project mentors provide them with information on how to reach the airport. The airports are well connected by public transport it is something participant find easy to do.

We encourage volunteers to get in touch with former Volunteering Solutions program participants and also other program participants joining our projects. You are recommended to join the Volunteering Solutions Facebook Group to communicate with other participants. To read alumni interviews from past participants, visit the Meet a Volunteer page on our website.

Ireland is well connected with other major cities in Europe as well as with direct connections to some cities in North America. Participants need to arrive at Cork Airport. You can also arrive at Dublin and take a coach transfer to Cork city.

It is the participants responsibility to make sure that you have checked the visa requirements before traveling to Ireland. Citizens of most European countries and USA/Canada do not require a visa for travel to Ireland to stay up to a certain period. You can check with us for more details once you’ve applied for the programs.

Some routine vaccines like Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Tetanus are required before traveling to Ireland. You can check the CDC List of vaccines and consult your doctor for any specific medication that you might require.

We have carefully selected several host projects which provide participants with worthwhile and challenging volunteer work programmes. We select quality projects that are well established and that have an excellent track record of welcoming and supporting volunteers. Our projects are spread all around the country including in Counties Cork, Tipperary, Kerry, Sligo and more. Most of the programmes with host family accommodation are based in small, medium and large towns with a friendly atmosphere and with a strong community spirit.

You can book your slot by filling the online application form and pay the application fee. You can pay your program fee later and also, in installments, however, the complete payment should be made 45 days prior the start of the program. If you are volunteering in a group, you can also fill a group application form. The initial application fee is refunded in the unlikely event that we’re not able to offer you a place on the program, and you have the flexibility to request a change of start date up until the 45 day payment deadline (this is subject to availability for other dates).

Yes! On our application form you can detail the name of the friend(s) or partner you are applying with. You will be placed in the same project and accommodation with your friend.

We will refund your application fee if the program isn’t available after you have applied.

On arrival in Cork, volunteers are provided accommodation at a hostel in the city.The hostel is located in the city centre, a very short walk from all the shops and attractions of the city.

Hostel facilities:

• Bed in shared dormitory bedrooms (4 to 8 beds per room)
• Free Wi-Fi all over the hostel so you can stay in touch wherever you are
• Free Home Cinema with big plasma screen, comfy beanbags
• In-House Sauna
• Always Open Coffee Dock and shop
• Personal Lockers

While on the project, volunteers will live in local host family accommodation allowing you to get a real sense of life in an Irish family and community. Staying with a host family allows participants to be fully immersed within the Irish culture. Our local team in Ireland has developed a network of host communities in different part of the country. Host communities are managed by the local coordinators who deal with local families. Every host family goes through a thorough selection process, we make sure our participants are placed with welcoming and supportive hosts. Host families come in different shapes and sizes: e.g. parents and children with a spare room, a single host mother, or a retired couple. Families give participants an instant support system and help them learn the local language and culture. Most host families offer participants generally their own single room. On occasion participants might have to share a bedroom with another participant from the same gender. Many families are living at a walking distance from the projects while others can be based a bit further out of town. In this case volunteers are either given lifts, use bicycles or local transportation (cost not included in programme fees).

Yes - please do ensure that you inform the local team about your food preference and they can help ensure you are able to order the best food! Also, please do mention your specific food preference in the application form as well.

Weekends are free for the volunteers to explore the country. Volunteers travel to see beautiful countryside or other parts of the country such as Galway, Cliffs of Moher, Dublin and other locations.

We can only provide contact details for former volunteers who have consented to having their data shared. However, there is a Facebook group for past and current volunteers which you are welcome to join. There are also hundreds of reviews online from our former volunteers as well as social media posts on Instagram, TikTok and our You Tube Channel.