Are you interested in other cultures?
Would you like to make a difference?
Are you free to travel this summer?
EIL Ireland has a number of fully funded travel and volunteer opportunities for people who want to experience life in another culture. The EIL Travel Awards aim to provide an experience beyond tourism, an experience that promotes self-improvement, open mindedness and global awareness for people aged 16+.
You can apply for a fully funded cultural adventure and volunteering opportunity (4-8 weeks) to locations such as Japan, Ecuador, Mexico, Thailand and the USA. Here, you will spend time living with host families, immerse yourself in the culture and volunteer with local organisations.
There is a Travel Award to suit all ages and interests, from young leaders, to third-level students, to the active retired. EIL Ireland seeks to support people who have a history of voluntary involvement in their school, college or their community. The Travel Awards are aimed at people who have demonstrated or who believe they can demonstrate leadership potential and people who would not ordinarily be able to avail of such travel opportunities due to financial restrictions.
Applicants for the EIL Travel Awards must complete a short form and submit a creative work, which can be an essay, project or short video that highlights why they wish to participate and, more importantly, how their experience might benefit them upon their return to Ireland.
This year, the intercultural organisation celebrates its 50th Anniversary and has included two new Travel Awards to the programme. One of these is the Martin Luther King Commemorative Travel Award, which is aimed at a young person who has demonstrated leadership potential while promoting civil rights.
EIL works closely with Universities and Colleges around Ireland to offer awards to students in Access programmes as well as mature students. Previous winners have spent time volunteering in countries such as India and Guatemala. EIL has also partnered with Active Retirement Ireland to offer its members the chance to win a fully funded volunteer placement in a country of their choice.
Could you be a Travel Award winner this year? Check out the EIL Ireland website and download an application form. The closing date for applications is Wednesday, 5th March. http://goo.gl/BG4Cn1
By Jo-Anne Higgins
