International Citizen Service

International Citizen Service (ICS) is a global volunteering programme. It is aimed at young people, and sees volunteers from the UK working alongside volunteers from the developing world. ICS works with projects that have specifically requested help, with emphasis placed on measures that combat poverty. Funded by the Department for International Development, ICS is led by VSO, in partnership with a number of development organisations.

Prime Minister David Cameron has said the program was inspired by the Peace Corps.[1] The forerunner programme to ICS was Platform2, which was initiated under the previous Labour government.

ICS and ICS Entrepreneur are led by VSO in partnership with a group of development organisations.

Volunteers to the ICS are asked to fundraise, and receive support to help them meet their fundraising goals.

ICS consortium

The ICS consortium are a group of organisations that aim to use their experience in running overseas volunteer programmes to work towards the Millennium Development Goals. Collectively, the ICS agencies work directly with around 3000 international volunteers every year and have partnerships in over 60 countries.

Criticisms

The International Citizen Service was criticized for a lack of value and basically providing holidays on taxpayers expense.[2] Questions have been raised as to whether the cost of £7,633 per volunteer for the flights, visas, accommodation, food, insurance, a certain amount of living expenses and training of young people offers good value for money.[3] The same report showed however that those volunteers raised £2.148 million to support the programmes during that period which covered the majority of that cost.[3]

References
  1. "UK volunteers abroad to get grant". 2010-10-06. Retrieved 2019-06-05.
  2. Gilligan, Andrew (12 Feb 2012). "Gap-year holidays that reveal the madness of overseas aid". www.telegraph.co.uk.
  3. "Evaluation of the International Citizen Service: Phase 1 Report" (PDF). www.gov.uk. Retrieved 4 March 2015.

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