International Volunteers Program
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The Youth Development Centre (YDC) is a project designed to give international volunteers the opportunity to live in South Africa and serve in local projects, working with at-risk and disadvantaged youth.
Whether volunteers stay for three months or a year, the interactions they have with the South African people and their culture will stay with them forever.

Volunteers stay in either Pietermaritzburg or Durban, and the YDC as a whole is able to accommodate up to 19 volunteers. Our volunteer coordinator manages the YDC program, and is a great mentor for volunteers while they adjust to their new lifestyle here in South Africa.

Shortly after arriving, volunteers meet with the volunteer coordinator who gives them a general overview of South Africa, the YDC, Youth for Christ and the project they will be working with. Books and videos about South Africa are available at the YDC, however the best way to find out about your new home and working environment  is to get involved in the projects and discover things for yourself. Two weeks after arrival, volunteers have an interview with the volunteer coordinator to assess how they have settled in. The volunteer coordinator also makes weekly social visits to the YDC to discuss any concerns and ideas that they volunteers may have.

A copy of the YDC manual, containing everything one needs to know, is given to all volunteers. However the most useful information (how to use the washing machine, where to get the best pizza, how to avoid marriage proposals) can be gained from the other volunteers you will be living with.

Three weekend excursions are planned each year, as well as several day trips. These include visits to the beach, mountains, picnics, hikes, cultural getaways, game reserves, and barbeques. Events are organised so volunteers see some of South Africa while they are here, but also so volunteers from the two YDCs can spend time together.

Four times a year, there are weekend camps at our wilderness training site, L’Abri. This is a great opportunity for YFC/KZN to get some free labour out of its YDC volunteers, and is also a chance for the volunteers to show their superiority over each other by clearing more bush, cutting cleaner trails and working harder at the general maintenance. Once pecking order is established, volunteers also get the opportunity to relax and enjoy the scenery and tranquillity of L’Abri.

We live where we work,
And we work where we live.
Through discussions and chats,
We’re taught how to give.
We’re here for the children,
For their smiles and tears.
Through their laughter and tantrums,
So they overcome their fears.

Whether we’re in the shelter,
Or out in the community,
The staff and interns we work with,
Offer us a sense of unity.
Though language can be a barrier,
We try with all our might.
Zulu is not easy to learn,
And we hardly get it right.

You can always hear us laughing,
When we’re at home at the YDC.
No matter which country you’re from,
It is yourself you are free to be.
The house might be a mess,
And the dishes might not be done.
It’s only ‘cos when we’re together,
We’re having too much fun.

We’re gaining new perspectives,
And seeing with opened eyes.
We’re becoming our own family,
Through the lows and the highs.
We’re always full of questions,
Though so much can’t be explained.
Because of all that we’ve witnessed,
Our hearts are forever changed.

by Lauren Pattison
(Australian Volunteer)