Catalonia, a privileged destination for international volunteering

Catalonia is a privileged destination for international volunteering. It is a privilege both for the wealth of the associative network and for the public image that the territory distills in the world, especially since the Olympic games of 1992, as well as in the day to day reality of geopolitics and culture.

At first glance, it may seem that for organizations it is easier to have a local volunteer who knows the culture and needs less accompaniment, travel, and supervision. However, there are entities, such as iWith.org, which have international volunteering as a key element to developing the culture of an organization.

"We have opened a multitude of doors around the world", says Ramon Bartomeus, director of iWith.org. There is a multitude of organizations that volunteer in Catalonia, organizations that range from universities in the United States that come to Europe in joint studies programs, volunteering, tourism, to projects set up by the United Nations. "At iWith.org we have had very good experiences with these well-established organizations in Catalonia, and we recommend that all organizations give themselves the luxury of opening their doors to new ideas and cultures", says Bartomeus.

A less commonly known initiative is the European Solidarity Corp, a new initiative carried out by the European Union with the aim of creating opportunities for young volunteers to collaborate in European projects.

Most of these volunteers come from Europe and the United States and can participate in a multitude of activities. Some of these tasks consist of translating, searching, contributing knowledge, dealing with communication issues and campaigns, programming, designing, and organizing activities. Additionally, beyond the specific jobs being carried out, this constant influx of young people from different cultures contributes to providing new ideas, points of view, and contacts for Catalan entities beyond the environment in which they exist.

Receiving international volunteering also requires having an organization be open to English as a tool for work and as a contribution to the learning space. It means spending time conversing, eating together, listening to extravagant ideas to manage small unimaginable conflicts, and devoting time to human relationships in order to make progress towards the construction of teams that reorganize organizations.