Insight into ICS
My name is Tom Boon and I was a volunteer on a VSO ICS
programme in Tajikistan in March 2014. I
have decided to write about my VSO ICS experience to help future ICS volunteers,
just like yourself to prepare for your ICS programme. Going away for 12 weeks can be quite
daunting, especially if this is your first experience away from home. The aim of this blog post is to help you
prepare for your ICS programme so when it’s time for you to depart, you have a
good idea of what to expect when you land.
I will write about: In Country Training (ICO), work placements, living in a host home, counterparts, CAD’s, GCD’s, plus general
things which I recommend in order for you to get the most out of this
experience. I hope this will give you a good insight into what an ICS programme
entails and I wish you all the best for your future placements!
In Country Training (ICO)
What is In Country Training you may ask? Well, it is pretty
self-explanatory. In country training is
the training you have in the first week of your programme. It is a great way to get settled in to your
country and to bond with all the UK and host volunteers. ICO normally lasts a week and during that
week you cover a wide variety of topics. I can’t say specifically what you will
cover as it will be different depending on which country you go to. The main
aims of ICO are to meet and bond with both your international and national
volunteers and your programme supervisors, to educate you on the country that
you are living in, to give you a brief idea of the work that you will be doing
and to educate you on the culture and the social norms of your host country. You will also find out information about your
host home and you will be paired up with your counterpart. I will talk about
host homes and counterparts later on in this document. ICO is a great way to start the ICS programme,
it is nothing to be nervous about! When the ICO is over you will be itching to
start your placements.
Work Placements
The work that you do completely depends on the country that
you are working in. If you are reading this document I am sure you briefly know
what type of work that you will be doing in country. Even though I can’t say specifically what you
will be doing, there are a few things I recommend in order for you and your
placement to get the most of the time you have.
Get straight into it –
This was something that I wish someone had told me before I departed. On my placement we spent the first two weeks trying
to get to grips with what needed to be done over the 10 week period we had
left. It is time that we could have
spent much more productively. On the first day of your placement set goals and
objectives of everything you want to achieve in the remaining weeks. When you
have a goal in mind, it is easier to achieve and all of the people involved
will be on the same page.
Don’t always expect to be given work – You might think that all your work will be thoroughly
planned out for your 12 weeks, but that might not be the case. There may be
times that there isn’t much work for you to do on the placements. If you feel like you could be doing more,
take a step back and analyse your situation. Think to yourself what else could
I do to make a difference? You may find a way to improve your placement or you could
even find something else to do like working in an orphanage part time. The
possibilities are endless. Your ICS
experience is completely determined by what you make it out to be.
Communicate – If you are
unhappy with something to do with your placement, say something. Don’t be afraid to tell anyone that you are
unhappy with your work or that your placement isn’t quite what you expected it
to be. The sooner you tell someone, the
quicker it will change. Nothing will change if you keep it to yourself.
Think of the bigger picture – Think of the people that you’re helping, think
of all the people in your community that will be looking up to you. Think of them if you are finding it hard.
The more you put into it the more you will get out of it – This sentence speaks for itself. The more you
put into the experience, the more you will learn about yourself and the more it
will benefit yourself and your future. There isn’t a better feeling in the word than
returning home knowing that you did everything that you could in the time that
you had.
Community action days (CADS)
CAD’S are an extremely important part of the ICS programme.
I would say that they are just as important as your placement. CAD’S are an
opportunity for you and your team to work together on a project to help raise
awareness of an issue or to do something that you think will have a positive
impact within your local community.
There are no limits to what you can do for your CAD, it is completely up
to you. You can do anything from teaching English in a local school or doing
some litter picking within your community. Find an issue you would like to
address in your community and dedicate a CAD to doing something about it. If
done correctly, CAD’s will be one of the most rewarding experiences you will
have on the ICS programme.
Global Citizen Ship Days (GCDS)
Once a week a pair of counterparts in your team will
organise a Global Citizenship Day (GCD). GCD’s are days where you and your counterpart
will educate the rest of your team about a global issue you feel strongly
about. You can do GCD’s on absolutely
anything and you can present them in any way that you like. Here are a few examples that volunteers in my
teams did their GCD’s on: Education,
Overpopulation, Labour, Climate change, Power and corruption, plus many
more... It’s completely up to you!
Here are a few tips on how to make your GCD a successful
one:
·
Choose a topic
you are interested in – If you choose a topic that you are
interested in you will find researching it much more enjoyable.
·
Prepare it well
in advance – You don’t want to be standing in front of your team
with nothing prepared. GCD’s can last 2-3 hours so it would be extremely difficult
to wing it for that long! Do your research and don’t leave it to the last
minute!
·
Make it fun and
interactive – It doesn’t matter what you are talking about, but
if you’re talking for a few hours your team will very likely get bored. Make it
fun and interactive and get your team involved as much as you can!
What was it like living in a host home?
I am not going to lie, the thought of living in a host home
for twelve weeks scared me at first as I had no idea what to expect. You are
one of a kind if the thought of living in a host home for twelve weeks doesn’t
cause you any anxiety. I will never forget the drive before I met my
host family for the first time. I was experiencing several different types of
emotion and so many things were going through my mind. I was nervous, apprehensive, excited, you
name it I was probably experiencing at that moment in time. When my programme
supervisor introduced me to my host family for the first time all of my anxiety
went away. You will realise when you meet your host family that there is
nothing to worry about. They would have
been waiting for your arrival for several weeks and they will be so excited to
meet you. Just like my family were with me.
My host family welcomed me into their home with open arms and accepted
me as one of their own since the minute I met them.
Leaving my host family was one of hardest things for me to
do. I had built such a close relationship with them all, I felt like I had been
a part of their family my whole life. It may take a couple of weeks for you to
fully settle in and adapt to your new environment, but once the introduction
stage is out the way you will feel like you are a part of another family.
Things I recommend for you to get the most out of living
in a host home
·
Go into it with
an open mind – It is really important not to have any
expectations, have an open mind and accept everything for what it is. It’s not
about where you are, it’s about the people you are with.
·
Be grateful –
Remember, your host family are welcoming you into their family and
letting you live under their roof. They
will look after you as if you are one of their own.
·
Be respectful–
It is really important that you respect your host family just like you
would your own. You need to respect their house, their rules and their culture
in any way that you can. If you are
unsure of anything, tell them they will be more than happy to answer any
questions you have.
·
Look at it from
there perspective – How would you feel if you applied for someone
from a completely alien country to live at your house for 12 weeks? How would
you want them to act and behave?
·
Spend time with
them – Your host family will be very eager to spend time with
you. It is key to have a good balance between spending time with your team
mates and your host family. After all,
it is not very often they will have someone from the UK living with them.
What was it like having a counterpart?
If you don’t know already, a counterpart is a local
volunteer that you will be paired with for the duration of the VSO ICS
programme. You will not only work with your counterpart, you will also spend
the majority of your time with them and you may even live with them depending
on your placement.
I think having a counterpart is one of many great things that are
included in the ICS programme. I will
tell you a little bit about the relationship that I had with my counterpart
Inomjon. Inomjon and I got a long as soon as we met so it was meant to be from
the start. We worked hard on our friendship throughout the programme and the
majority of good times I had, had my counterpart involved.
You shouldn’t be
nervous about being paired up with your counterpart. Your supervisors will do
everything that they can to put you with the local that you are closest
with. In my teams case, our supervisors
observed our relationships during the ICO so they knew who we all got a long
with. They then based there decisions on the observations that they had made.
You will build an
extremely close friendship with your counterpart as you will spend the majority
of your time with them. My counterpart
wanted to spend every second of his time with me and as soon as we went off to
the city after our ICO he wanted to introduce me to his family and show me
around straight away. I got the impression that all the locals felt responsible
for our welfare so they would do anything they could to make sure that you were
okay. You may find it slightly
challenging at first, it’s rare that you build close bonds within the first few
weeks, be patient and give it time. Hopefully your counterpart will become a
lifelong friend. If you don’t get on
with your counterpart for the first few weeks, it’s okay, I am sure it happens
and it will be resolved some way or another.
All I have to say to that is don’t give up on the relationship too
easily, it may take some time for your friendship to truly prosper. Be patient
and work hard at it. This could be the first and last time some of these people
will have an opportunity like this, so do your best to give them an experience
of a lifetime.
What did I enjoy about my ICS experience?
·
Being so close
to all the volunteers – You will make friends for life on the
ICS programme, both from the UK and your host country there is no doubt about
it. On my programme are team was like one big family and we spent as much time
as we could together.
·
Experiencing a
different way of life – It is not very often were you have the
opportunity to go to the other side of the world and experience a completely
different way of life. I learnt a lot from my ICS experience and I now really appreciate
all the small things in my life.
·
Making a
difference to people’s lives – When you are one the ICS
programme you will see how much of a difference you will make to the lives of
the people within your community. Just by being there you will be making a
difference to the lives of many people, even if you are completely unaware of
it.
·
Having the opportunity to learn more about
myself – I truly believe that you only know what you are truly
like as a person if you take yourself out of your comfort zone, face new
challenges and learn how to adapt and thrive in an unknown environment. This is exactly what the ICS programme does.
You will be living and doing things in an environment which is completely
unknown to you. This experience will
make you realise what type of person you are and it will give you a better
understanding of what you would like to do with your future.
Things you
may find challenging
·
Language barrier
– The language barrier is a challenge that all UK volunteers will face when
going out on placement. Try to pick up
as many words as you can before you depart, the more words you know, the easier
your life will be when you are in country.
·
Adaptation to
culture – It doesn’t matter what country you go to, you are
bound to experience a culture shock and a different way of live to your own.
You are obviously not going to know all of the social norms before your
placement and your family and the locals will know that. Take your time and
observe your host family and how they act. This also includes adapting to the local food,
be open and try as much as you can within the first few weeks. You are bound
not to like a few things so it’s good to find out what you like and don’t like
early on. If you don’t like something make sure you tell your host family
because if you don’t they will keep making it for you!
·
Living off a
budget – You may find living
off a budget quite challenging, as a lot of us aren’t used to keeping track of
how much money we spend on a daily basis. At first you are likely to overspend
as it takes a while to get used to. I
over spent buy quite a lot at first, until it got to the point where I really
needed to try to stick to the budget as I was running low on money. So I figured out how much money I could spend
each day and I only took that amount of money out with me so I couldn’t over
spend. This worked really well for me and I started to actually save money
towards the end of the programme.
·
Being well known
within the community and having lots of attention
– This is something that you will just have to accept. Many of
the countries that VSO ICS work in will not be used to having UK visitors so
you are bound to get a lot of attention. Accept it and take it all in, you get used to
it after a while.
What I
recommend for you to get the most out of the experience
Do your best to learn the language –
If you know what country you are going to a few months in advance really do
your best to learn a few key words. The locals will be impressed by your
efforts and so will your host family when you meet them for the first time. If you know a few words before you set off it
will make your life that little bit easier.
Submerge yourself into the culture
– If you truly want to get the most out of the experience submerge yourself
into the local culture. Don’t see yourself as an outsider; try to fit in with
the locals as much as you can. Wear the local clothing, eat the local food and
live a different lifestyle for 12 weeks.
The locals will be very impressed by your efforts if you live the way
they do.
Make the most of every second – You
may think that 12 weeks is a long time, but it isn’t. It will be over before
you know it. The more effort you put into the experience the more you will get
out of it. It’s up to you.
Use your time effectively – Always
aim to get the most out of your days. When you finish work for the day, try and
organise a social activity with either your team mates or your family. It
doesn’t have to be anything special, it could just be going out for an ice
cream. The people you meet in country will be the people you will miss the most
when you return. Make the most of the time you have with them.
Be proactive – Being
proactive is key, especially when you are on your placement. Don’t expect your
placement to give you work. Especially at the start, it will take a while for
them to fully adapt to your presence.
Analyse your placement and see what you can do to make a difference.
Don’t rely on others to give you the work, try to find it.
Focus on making a long lasting difference
– The biggest aim in any sort of development is sustainability. You
want the work that you do on your placement to carry on going when you return
home. Leave your legacy behind and do your best to make a long lasting impact
in the community that you’re working in.
Keep analysing your situation – A
good way to make sure you are making an impact is by constantly analysing your
situation. Every couple of weeks look back on your time and think about the
work you have done and what you have achieved. If you feel like you aren’t
achieving as much as you would have hoped think about what you can do to change
that. Remember you haven’t got a long time, so if you’re not happy do something
about it. Nothing changes if nothing changes.
Stay open minded and Positive – You
will see and experience things that you have never seen or experienced before.
Stay open minded and accept everything for what it is. Do your best to stay in
a positive frame of mind and always try to find a positive twist to every
situation. Positivity is contagious so if you’re the only person in your team
who is positive it will boost the morale of your team.
What have I gained from this experience?
Self-belief - One of the
most important things I have gained is self-belief, knowing that I can do
anything if I put my mind to it.
Opened new doors – Before my
ICS experience I never thought of myself as an academic person. I didn’t go to university when I was eighteen
because I always told myself that I wasn’t clever enough. The majority of our
ICS programme was office work, spending endless hours in front of a laptop
completing written assignments and using spreadsheets to organise events. I proved to myself that I am capable of going
to university and I can concentrate for long periods of time if I am working on
something that I am passionate about. I have now decided to study International
Development studies through the Open University due to my experiences on the
ICS programme.
New understanding of different cultures – This is something that all ICS volunteers will
experience. I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to live and work in
Tajikistan as it is a place that not many people know about here in the
UK. I am also very fortunate to have worked with
Afghan refugees who educated me on what life in Afghanistan is actually like
and how it gets badly portrayed in the media. My mind-set towards Afghanistan
has completely changed and I am now sharing my knowledge about Afghanistan and
Tajikistan to my friends and family back home.
Personal Development – You
may not see this straight away, but you will defiantly notice it when you
return home. You will realise how much you have developed as a person
throughout your ICS experience. It will really open your eyes and you will
become much more aware of what you want to achieve in life.
I really hope this has given you a better insight into what
you may experience on your future ICS placement.
If you have any questions or would like to know more about
the programme don’t hesitate to contact me. I am more than happy to help! You
can contact me via email: tomboon94@Gmail.com
The 12 weeks I spent on my ICS placement in Tajikistan where
the best weeks of my life, I hope they are for you too.
I hope you have an incredible experience and make the most
of it. The more you put into it the more you will get out of it!
