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National Youth Engagement Network (NYEN) Cambodia

NYEN Cambodia is a network of passionate youth volunteers with a shared vision – to drive youth economic empowerment and tackle environmental issues across…

Youth for Sustainable Development (YSD) is a youth-led network, made up of ICS alumni and community volunteers in Kenya. Read about how YSD is supporting local communities and making the world a fairer place. …

In the face of a global pandemic and increasing hardship in their communities, ten ICS volunteers came together with VSO to set up the UK's National Youth Engagement Network (NYEN) – an inclusive platform to…

ICS has worked in many of the world's poorest countries, in Africa, Asia and South America.

Recent programme countries: Bangladesh

ICS volunteers in Bangladesh have supported young people to improve…

For close to a decade, ICS has been transforming the lives of our volunteers and the communities they work in. As this phase of ICS draws to a close, volunteers share their personal highlights.

“My host …

Across the world, ICS alumni are doing incredible things to support their local communities and make the world a fairer place. Alumni Bharat Thakrar and Innocent Grant reflect on how their ICS experience inspired…

As this phase of International Citizen Service draws to a close, what can evaluation tell us about its impact?

Read on for five lessons from the latest evidence on the power of responsible youth…

When Jasmine Anderson and Siza Aryal first met in early 2020, they were excited to be working together on an ICS placement to support local communities through increasing access to education in the Lamjung region…

Thank you for signing up to take part in our celebration of ICS event on Thursday 10 December!

We’re excited to hear from volunteers, host homes and primary actors about the impact ICS has had on their lives, and together…

The UK Government and the ICS consortium are immensely proud of everything ICS has achieved to date.

Between 2011-2020, VSO and our partners supported over 40,000 ICS volunteers to contribute to…

Meet two winners of the ICV Alumni Grant, an award offering support and funding to ICS volunteers to create and run youth-led projects, including supporting girls to claim their rights to education.

What is…

COVID-19 is wreaking havoc with education globally. In many countries schools remain closed, while inequality grows for children stuck at home - especially girls. While the usual ICS placements have ground to a…

This August, we held a series of global events to mark International Youth Day. Co-designed by the UK’s National Youth Engagement Core Committee, who highlighted the climate crisis as one of the major issues…

ICS has been working in Uganda since 2011. Over that time, thousands of passionate young Ugandans have completed their ICS placements more committed than ever to highlighting youth voice. In a country with one of…

Youth voices are leading a global movement today, making urgent calls for action to halt climate change and protect the planet. Check out these ICS volunteers with practical initiatives to make a difference.…

Ready to act on the climate crisis and inspire others to do the same? You’re in luck. We asked two successful young activists what it takes to inspire people to change their attitudes and behaviour towards the…

The ICS programme is based on the evidence that young people, who are embedded in communities and who work together in a cross-cultural context, can achieve great positive outcomes to the people in those…

Equal Aqua Uganda, an NGO set up by ICS alumni, is boosting access to clean water in parts of rural Uganda, enabling communities to fight COVID-19.

COVID-19 has cast a spotlight on the importance of water…

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused massive disruption worldwide. Travel has been limited, economic activity has slowed, and the vulnerabilities of our systems and supply chains has been exposed. There have been some positive…

It is not enough to be non-racist – we need to be anti-racist. To move from passivity to an active position means calling out and challenging racism everywhere, from the workplace, to schools, to the community.…

Six ICS volunteers from around the world share testimonies of their lived experience as Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) individuals.

As anti-racist protests continue worldwide, we are grateful to…

We're running a series of online workshops, webinars and training sessions to support your active citizenship and personal development.

Upcoming webinars

Over November, we're hosting a special series of…

Youth voice is important. Young people have the collective power to make positive change and find creative solutions to many of the world’s problems.

Use this page to find inspiration, share your story,…

Learn about issues that are important to you, and access useful guidance and toolkits.

We have been supporting young people to make change since 2011 and have created a global community of almost 40,000…

In Tanzania, ICS alumni and members of the National Youth Engagement Network are finding safe ways to continue their voluntary efforts during the current pandemic. Suma and Paul explain how they are moving their…

When the government began advising people to self-isolate, Molly, 22, immediately started thinking about the impact on those most vulnerable. Inspired by her experience with ICS she set out to do what she could…

With almost a million recorded cases of the disease worldwide, the COVID-19 pandemic has required action from all corners of the globe. Here’s how ICS volunteers are tackling it. 

April marks five years since devastating earthquakes hit Nepal, which resulted in 8,790 deaths, 22,300 injuries and 755,549 houses that either damaged or destroyed. 

We speak to Nepali…

We’re living in unprecedented times and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.

But despite the constant stream of worrying news about the coronavirus pandemic, now is a great time for us to make positive moves to…

To celebrate International Women’s Day, ICS alumni Hope Carpenter attended the Women of the World Festival in London to hear from Ireland’s first female President and global climate activist, Mary Robinson. After attending panel…

My ICS placement and introduction into International Development

My first introduction to the international development sector was in 2014 when I went on a volunteer placement with International Citizen Service (ICS). Fresh out of…

International Women’s Day at London’s Women of the World festival was filled with talks about how the rise of gender equality is changing the world around us. Carry on reading to explore some of the ways women are using technology…

Tanzania is one of the largest countries in East Africa and home to over 120 different tribal groups. ICS volunteers carry out projects on the eastern island of Zanzibar and in rural villages in the central…

Whether you’re just back from ICS and want that first job in the sector or already have a career underway – we show you how to make your move into international development.

After ICS, many volunteers are inspired to pursue a career in international development. We spoke to four alumni who told us what you can expect from those first steps in the sector.