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Our ‘Schoolies Trips’ are for students in their senior years of high school and as they prepare for adulthood. The trips provide an opportunity ? contrary to schoolies traditional parties ? for youth to experience another culture first-hand and to learn about social justice and charitable work.

These trips are scheduled towards the end of the school year to ensure they do not impact on academic progress and to match favourable travel and weather periods in the countries in which Asian Aid works.

We consider Schoolies Trips ?edutours’ because we want students who go on these trips to ask the questions: ?Why am I doing this?? ?What is my motivation?? and ?Who am I doing this for??

In a roundabout way, we hope these trips are the first and last development trips students take. Why? Because we believe the challenge of poverty is not resolved by Western society. We believe poverty is best addressed when all people work together, empowering local and indigenous populations to develop the systems that work best for their culture and yield safe and sustainable results for their communities. These trips are about learning about culture and need.

Schoolies Trips provide an overview of:
? How development actually works
? What/who governs how we operate
? A hands-on initiative/exercise of actual development practice, when possible.
? The history of partnerships and how such partnerships have grown/developed
? What plans and challenges exist for the future
? Aspects of tourism/sightseeing

If your school is interested in sending your students on an Asian Aid Schoolies Trip, please download, complete and return this form to us.??CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD FORM.

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Vision of Change Trips are for anyone visiting a project that Asian Aid facilitates overseas. These trips are for people over the age of 15 [if travelling with family], or 18 [if travelling on their own]. Visiting development projects and activities will help trip participants understand Asian Aid?s work in locale.

The trips take place towards the end of the calendar year when the autumn weather is at its best in the countries where Asian Aid works. These trips do NOT provide opportunities for sponsors to meet their sponsored child/children.

When a Vision of Change trip is possible, the trip will be advertised through various channels. A limited number of people ? up to 14 people – can join a trip. And once numbers are reached, it may not be possible to organise another trip to that same locale in the same year. We do this to ensure our project staff overseas can concentrate on the extensive work they do to help communities and people. Hosting numerous trips can be taxing on limited resources overseas.

We consider Vision of Change (Group) Trips ?edutours’ because we want people who go on these trips to ask the questions: ?Why am I doing this?? ?What is my motivation?? and ?Who am I doing this for??

In a roundabout way, we hope these trips are the first and last development trips students take. Why? Because we believe the challenge of poverty is not resolved by Western society. We believe poverty is best addressed when all people work together, empowering local and indigenous populations to develop the systems that work best for their culture and yield safe and sustainable results for their communities. These trips are about learning about culture and need.

Vision of Change (Group) Trips provide an overview of:
? How development actually works
? What/who governs how we operate
? A hands-on initiative/exercise of actual development practice, when possible
? The history of partnerships and how these partnerships have grown/developed
? What plans and challenges exist for the future
? Aspects of tourism/sightseeing

Upcoming Trips

To be published December 2015.

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Vision of Adventure Trips are for the adventurous amongst us. These trips provide an opportunity for people to visit an Asian Aid project overseas, while enjoying an experience of a tactile nature. This can include experiences such as: white-water rafting adventures or mountain bike tours in the Himalayas; or riding an?iconic Royal Enfield through the beautiful landscape of northern India.

Only people above the age of 18 can participate in Vision of Adventure trips. And adventure aspects will combine with activities that help participants understand development work.

The trips take place towards the end of the calendar year when the autumn weather is at its best in the countries where Asian Aid works. These trips do NOT provide opportunities for sponsors to meet their sponsored child/children.

Because of their nature, these trips suit tertiary-aged people and corporate groups and are capped at up to 12 people.

We consider Vision of Adventure (Group) Trips ?edutours’ because we want people who go on these trips to ask the questions: ?Why am I doing this?? ?What is my motivation?? and ?Who am I doing this for??

In a roundabout way, we hope these trips are the first and last development trips students take. Why? Because we believe the challenge of poverty is not resolved by Western society. We believe poverty is best addressed when all people work together, empowering local and indigenous populations to develop the systems that work best for their culture and yield safe and sustainable results for their communities. These trips are about learning about culture and need.

Vision of Adventure (Group) Trips provide an overview of:
? How development actually works
? What/who governs how we operate
? A hands-on initiative/exercise of actual development practice, when possible
? The history of partnerships and how these partnerships have grown/developed
? What plans and challenges exist for the future
? Aspect of tactile / adventure experience
? Aspects of tourism/sightseeing

Upcoming Trips

To be published March 2016.

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As exciting as international travel and volunteer placements can be, there are some worthwhile tips to also ensure a sense of safety. ?With any international placement in any country that Asian Aid currently works in, these tips will?all?be worthwhile noting. ?If you are a part of an upcoming trip, you will receive a detailed itinerary which will include more specific travel tips for your trip.

  • Take plenty of pictures and/or video but please be weary of being ?voyeuristic?, Asian Aid is not leading a trip for you to visit our projects as if they were zoos. In the same sense, children will often be happy for you to photograph, but be mindful to have a chat with them and be friendly and?always?ask permission before taking a photo; it shows and offers respect.
  • Be prepared to tell stories, play games with children, and generally be involved.
  • Be aware of the language barriers that exist and please be sensitive. Please remember, speaking slower and louder doesn?t make our language any easier to understand!
  • Keep in touch with those back home ?with trip updates via email/Skype/Facebook/Instagram/Twitter. Also share photos and stories while they are happening, this will increase the ?buzz? around your involvement on the ground visiting Asian Aid projects and keeps your memories documented and in order as they happen.
  • Make copies of your passport and keep it on your person; many hotels in South Asia?require a copy, it will save time at check-in.
  • Keep extra passport photos with you. Should you lose your passport, having these are essential, as are the copies of your passport, for obtaining an exit visa to leave the country.
  • Be mindful to the modest level of dress and appearance in many foreign countries?? especially in rural areas where women often dress very conservatively.
  • Bring enough medication to ease any instances of a stomach bug. If you are travelling with a family and/or friends, bring extra!
  • Roads and in-country transportation in many South Asian countries?are something unique to experience. There are often accidents, plenty of traffic in the cities, and in cities there is often a great deal of pollution. If you suffer from any carsickness, it would be wise to bring some medication for that.
  • For more information visit:?http://www.smartraveller.gov.au

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Asian Aid Australia was built on the altruism of volunteers. Thank you for continuing this tradition.

?Everybody can be great.?Because anybody can serve.?You don’t have to have a college degree to serve.?You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve…. You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve.?You only need a heart full of grace.? A soul generated by love.???[Martin Luther King,?Jr.]

Whether?you seek an opportunity to serve in Australia or abroad, Asian Aid can provide you with the means to give back to others. Your contribution can?help keep administration costs to a minimum, ensuring we maximise the funds sent overseas.

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The following questions may help you determine whether volunteering with Asian Aid is what you would like to do.

Can I volunteer overseas with Asian Aid?

We offer a small amount of specialised?volunteer positions overseas, but we prefer to recruit local volunteers as much as possible so that local people develop skills, the local workforce builds their employability and gain experience(s).?All volunteer positions based overseas will be based on specialised framework where skill-sharing and training is the key focus of the placement. ?Engaging the local population in our work is paramount. ?Locals have the obvious benefits of speaking the local language(s), understanding local laws and the dynamic ability to be instantly relevant to the people they are working with. ?This level of efficiency is required when engaging in projects that you, our generous supporters, have donated funds to implement.

Who can volunteer?

Everyone over the age of 15 can volunteer within Australia or overseas if travelling with a group. ?If travelling alone overseas, volunteers must be 18 years of age or older. ?You must be eligible to work in Australia according to the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs guidelines. All our volunteers must complete a Police Reference Check and sign our?Child Protection Policy and Working with Children Code of Conduct.

What skills or experience do I need?

Some volunteer roles, such as Student Intern roles or overseas positions, may require specific skills but most only require a positive attitude and motivation. On-the-job training and orientation will be provided, as necessary.

When can I volunteer?

Volunteers can contribute from a few hours a week to one or two days a month, but we can accommodate other short or long-term commitments. Volunteers can work with us during business hours, by distance or after hours/on weekends when helping with events.

What opportunities are on offer?

Most volunteers help us with administrative tasks but we also have roles where you can use your skills in finance, marketing or communications, and resource development (teachers).

What is the difference between a volunteer and an intern?

Interns are volunteers who wish to gain workplace experience while they study at college, university or another tertiary education provider. Most tertiary education providers require students to undertake workplace experience, or an internship placement, as part of their course of study. Completing an internship placement at Asian Aid would be beneficial to the student and to our agency.

Can I get a paid position after I volunteer?

It is unlikely that a volunteer position becomes a paid role at Asian Aid, but the skills and experience you will gain while volunteering can help you build your resume and lead to paid positions with other organisations.?

THE NATIONAL STANDARDS FOR INVOLVING VOLUNTEERS IN NOT FOR PROFIT ORGANISATIONS (DEVELOPED BY VOLUNTEERING AUSTRALIA) REQUIRE THAT ALL VOLUNTEERS ARE AWARE OF ORGANISATIONAL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES, THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF MANAGEMENT, THAT THERE IS A FAIR AND CLEARLY DEFINED RECRUITMENT AND TRAINING PROCESS AND THAT THEY ARE PLACED IN AN ENVIRONMENT THAT IS SAFE AND FREE OF DISCRIMINATION.

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There are currently no volunteer positions available overseas. Please fill out the form below to join our Volunteer Register, and when a vacancy opens overseas, we will contact you.
There are currently no volunteer positions available in our Australian office. Please fill out the form below to join our Volunteer Register, and when a vacancy opens or you have a research proposal you’d like to submit, we will contact you.

Oops! We could not locate your form.

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The following stories are from volunteers who have previously shared skills and expertise with communities overseas, or at the Asian Aid office in Australia.

Genevieve-web-665pxwebGenevieve Milenkov, a student at Avondale High School

For my year 10 work experience , I helped out in Asian Aid?s Marketing?department to see if it would be something that I would enjoy doing later in life. The experience became much more than just seeing if I could consider it as a career; it inspired me to want to choose a career path where I can make a difference in some way.

I learnt about many issues that Asian Aid is addressing, but human trafficking was an issue that really saddened me. It?s a serious issue that is plaguing many parts of Asia today. Each year thousands of girls (and others) in Asia are bought and sold, within and across borders. These girls ? who could be my peers ? are often?trafficked between 11 and 15 years of age.

I now know that contributing to a project focused on fighting human trafficking, or educating vulnerable children through sponsorship, are ways that we can help address this horrible problem and promote social justice.

IMG_3803webMerle Williams, retired teacher

Before joining Asian Aid as a volunteer I had been primary school teacher for 35 years. When an opportunity to help with Asian Aid’s Child Focused programming was presented to me, I jumped at the chance to use my skills and experience to create programs and resources that benefit the children in Asian Aid’s program.

It is amazing to think that the work I am doing with Rebecca [Asian Aid’s Child Focus Manager] will go on to enrich the lives and learning experiences of hundreds of students and teachers in Asian Aid’s partners schools. Currently we are making tactile games for Early Childhood classrooms in Nepal, creating Teacher Training resources on Classroom Design and Behaviour Management and working with partner staff to help them find relevant resources to be distributed to schools in India, Nepal and Bangladesh.

Being a volunteer for Asian Aid is not only rewarding but is fulfilling because I feel that I can continue to use the skills that God has given me to make a difference children’s lives.

Music-Program4webKylie Stacey, music teacher

I believe, like Asian Aid does, that each child is immensely important and should receive quality experiences, including musical experiences. I was privileged with the opportunity to show the early childhood teachers in Nepal how to make music easily accessible for the children. And what an experience it was for me too. We wanted the teachers to experience the benefits first hand and be encouraged to use the program to enrich their own teaching. We will continue to equip and support them as they begin to introduce music in their respective classes.

I have a passion for creating playful musical experiences in which kids can learn and thrive ? not only musically, but also holistically. We played instruments, learned English through songs and were involved in group folk dancing. I was delighted to experience music with the children in Nepal, and found the children to be eager to participate in the musical experiences.

It took about five minutes to fall in love with Nepal. The food was also incredible. Each meal was a culinary feast ? healthy and very tasty. It was a true blessing to be able to see how another culture lives life, and to use my ?Jar of Clay? gift for Jesus.

Delena-webwebDelena Caagby, physiotherapist and PhD researcher

My trips to Nepal have given me a greater understanding of the incredible work Asian Aid does with their local partners, and lifelong memories. In one trip to Nepal, I had the privilege of training local women?s health workers about pelvic floor muscle exercises, uterine prolapse (UP) prevention strategies and healthy bladder and bowel tips. At a prolapse screening camp set up by Asian Aid?s partner, COSAN, I observed a lady who had suffered from a severe UP for over 20 years. Once the doctor inserted a pessary ring, she stood up with the biggest smile and tears in her eyes. Something so simple and inexpensive had instantly changed her life.

The partner staff I got to work with show amazing commitment to increasing awareness of women?s health issues in Nepal. Being able to witness the inspiring work being done for women in Nepal has left me feeling an overwhelming sense of hope.

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