5 reasons to Travel, Study and Volunteer abroad
By Ellen Nayara Kotai Costa, Brazil / Poverty Activist team, August 2024
It's not a surprise that traveling abroad can be a change in our lives and bring remarkable memories. But have you ever thought about travel, study and volunteering all in one experience?
CICD - College for International Co-operation and Development brings this unique opportunity to people around the world. Check out the 5 best reasons to join CICD:
1. Make friends from different countries in the world
CICD is in England, a country that gathers people from everywhere and this also means that you will - for sure! - know people from different countries and cultures from diverse parts of the world. England, Sweden, Denmark, Italy, Spain, France, Switzerland, Portugal, Lithuania, Hungary, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, USA, and much more. It's a great opportunity to get closer to many cultures!
2. Practice English and learn other languages
As CICD is an international community, the official language is English and it means that if you have a good level of English or not, you are going to learn a lot. But it also means that we are going to learn different words and ways to say things. This is because we have many different and diverse people with different mother tongues. It's a funny and super enjoyable part that we learn without even realising it.
3. Learn by doing and develop new skills
We learn a lot about construction, maintenance, gardening, and cooking since we have a Building Weekend every month. They are weekends focused on repairing and improving the school’s buildings. Through the Responsibility Areas we also get involved in other areas of the school that need leadership and strategic care, such as food shopping, accommodation, cleaning, sewage, cultural events, and others.
And how do we learn all of this? There is a pillar of CICD that is called Learn By Doing, so we all can learn a bit or a lot when we want or are designated to do something. The amount of learning is a choice of each person, but the beautiful thing here is: nobody needs to be an expert to do so. And when learning by doing all of us can do amazing things!
4. Go for a 6 month volunteer period in Africa or India; or volunteer for 3 months in the Caribbean
We come to CICD to be prepared for a Volunteering Experience of 6 months (In Africa or India) or 3 months in the Caribbean. So, after living in community, studying, making friends and learning by doing with many kinds of activities and in many areas - many of them unexpected! - we go for the experience of volunteering in some of the places that have the most need. It's time to practice what was learned and leave a footprint in the world!
5. Personal Growth
A common point about all students and volunteers that complete the programmes is: we grow a lot! Technical learning is super important for the whole experience, but the main gain and growth is about the learnings that make us see the world with different eyes, and with real experience about poverty, climate change, injustice... and not only that, but also gratitude, faith and happiness.
