Day 4: Talking About ICS

We had a brief session about International Citizens Service ( ICS) which is one of Volunteer Sending Overseas' ( VSO) program for the Youth to experience volunteering and cross-cultural understanding. It aimed to help achieve a. Self Development by allowing the people (especially the volunteers) to learn and enrich themselves , b. Community Development through creating sustainable projects in a particular problem that they want to address in the community , and , c. Create Global Networks that will lead to an understanding of being a Global Citizen.

I first heard about VSO from Ate Hannah ( A Senior/Mentor/Friend both during college and SSEAYP Program). She shared about the chance to volunteer for the young ages 18-25 years old (A Volunteer Program called Global Xchange). Later, I heard about VSO's International Program (from Dr. Khasmin; a SSEAYP alumni and one of the founders of Health Organization for Mindanao) that sends skilled professionals ages 26 and above to a cross-cultural learning and volunteering to another country. Further, through National Youth Commission's email updates , I learned about VSO's  new youth program which is the ICS.

My journey as a volunteer started around 2004 when I joined a Religious Community of young people. Sometimes , we spend our weekends in a community called Gawad Kalinga. Playing with the kids and help organize birthday parties as one of our major activities. I find it very fulfilling to volunteer - making others happy is like eating icecream under the hot sunny weather. It's very comforting.

What's so interesting about ICS?

a. Living - It's a chance to live with British counterparts and stay with a host family;gain cultural understanding as well as develop deep friendships  that could last.

b. Working - You can have a chance to work on an issue that you really believe in and have cross-cultural working experience. 

c. Learning - It's a chance to develop new skills or enhance old ones - but - it's really up to you on what you will gain because after all, you can never gain what you never invested.

It's just an overview of what is to come for the next 90 days. And more that just knowing about these three key points is to actually experience them. It's not enough to look at the sea. You have to get wet. Run to the beach and swim. Get sunburn. Have a laugh. And at the end of the day, I experienced what feels to live the ICS VOLUNTEERING WAY! :)