The Global Citizen Award is for all international volunteers (18+) with a minimum of 1 week overseas volunteer experience* who are up for a challenge and new experience! There is no restriction on when your volunteering placement took place. Volunteer sending agency must be signatory of the Comhlámh Code of Good Practice. If you are unsure please contact your volunteer sending agency or see www.comhlamh.org for more info.
Are you thinking of going volunteering or have you volunteered abroad for minimum of 1 week? Are you over 18 years old and up for a challenge and new experience? If the answer is YES to all of the above then the Global Citizen Award is for you! The Global Citizen award offers 3 tailored options to suit your motivation. The next step is to find out which award; Bronze, Silver or Gold is for you and register to start your journey today by Creating a New Application
Volunteer sending agency must be signatory of the Comhlámh Code of Good Practice. If you are unsure please contact your volunteer sending agency or see www.comhlamh.org for more info.
Have you been volunteering in the past?
That’s great! The Global Citizen Award supports reflective thinking and is open to anyone that has volunteered abroad there is no time limit to when you last volunteered. If you have answered yes to the questions above the next step is to find out which award; Bronze, Silver or Gold is for you and register to start your journey today by creating a New Application
The Global Citizen Award is a personal development award that enables you to share your overseas volunteering experiences and help raise awareness of global issues in Ireland. The Award is free and open to all returned international volunteers. It offers you an opportunity to take what you have experienced overseas and continue to make a difference to Global Justice issues right here at home.
Are you an Irish Volunteer Sending Agency? Are you a signatory of the Comhlámh of Good Practice? Do you want to further support your volunteers to take action and increase awareness among the Irish public by supporting them with a structured avenue for engagement? Then the Global Citizen award is for your organisation!
The Global Citizen Award motivates returned international volunteers to take action to increase awareness among the Irish public. It does so by supporting them with a structured avenue for engagement which recognises the outputs of awardees and provides a framework for accreditation. The GCA is a free programme to run, and has been designed to work for your organisation and volunteers.
What is involved?
3 structured award options tailored to suit the motivation of each volunteer:
Bronze:
- Accessible activities
- Low time commitment
- Achievable for all volunteers!
Silver:
- Variety of Development Education activities
- Moderate time commitment
- Feasible for most volunteers!
Gold:
- Variety of Development Education activities
- Significant time commitment
- Attainable for some volunteers.
Why become a partner?
- Free resource that benefits your organisation and volunteers.
- The aim of Irish Aid’s Development Education strategy (2017 – 2023) is to ensure that “Development education contributes to the realisation of Irish Aid’s vision for a sustainable and just world, by providing an opportunity for people in Ireland to reflect on their roles and responsibilities as global citizens and by encouraging people to take action for a fairer and more sustainable future for all”. This aim is reinforced by IDEA (the Irish Development Education Association) who states that the demand for development education multipliers in Ireland, particularly in the adult and community sector, is high. The Global Citizen Award provides a recognised standard for volunteer sending agencies to work together to support their volunteers to become development education multipliers, to meet the strategic objectives for Irish Aid.
- Recognition for your organisation on www.globalcitizenaward.ie.
- Partner with a number of growing Global Citizen Award organisations:
As a partner, what will you need to do?
- Inform your volunteers at their pre-departure about the Award and encourage them to fill in the registration form before they depart.
- Support your volunteers to reflect in a learning journey and document their overseas experience. A mentor can be assigned to the volunteer if requested or needed.
- Follow up with your volunteers during their debriefing workshop. Encourage them to complete their award activities. Send us on any updates (reflective posts, pictures, or developments) to [email protected] so we can upload their journey to the website and social networks crediting your organisation, and remind them fill in their award report. Once they have filled in their report form, Tessa will be in touch with the volunteer about receiving their award at the annual National Award Ceremony!
- The Global Citizen Award is an accessible and Development Education programme for your organisation and your volunteers. The Global Citizen Award Coordinator is on hand to help on: [email protected] or 021 4551535. Our Global Citizen Award Coordinator, Tessa can also provide free training on the award to your organisation staff, host a free webinar or attend pre-departure / debriefing sessions.
Sounds super, how do we start the journey and become a partner?
Contact the Global Citizen Award Coordinator i[email protected] to register your interest. In order to participate in the Award programme your organisation must be a signatory of the Comhlámh Code of Good Practice.
Start your Award Now!
Registering for the Global Citizen award is easy! Create a New Application here. Alternatively, contact your volunteer sending organisation to find out if they are participating in the Award.
Whats next?
Once you have registered you will need to plan and complete your Award actions with the help of your mentor and the free online supports. Be sure to keep us posted on your Award journey and actions here at home with pictures and updates to the GCA online community and by following @GCAIreland