The NGO Service Civil International

The NGO Service Civil International is part of Service Civil International (SCI), one of the largest and oldest international volunteer organisations in the world, a consultative member of UNESCO, a member of the International Coordinating Committee for Voluntary Service (CCVIS) and a member of the European Youth Forum. Service Civil International is a secular volunteer movement that has been promoting for more than 90 years the twinning of peoples through volunteer camps, awareness-raising activities for peace, environmental preservation, international solidarity, interculturalism and social inclusion. It is important to highlight that SCI is a horizontal organisation in which any volunteer can participate in the structural and strategic decision making process of the organisation, encouraging the active participation and commitment of all its members. SCI's philosophy is that when working voluntarily on a common project, barriers based on stereotypes and prejudices tend to disappear, building new bridges of trust and collaboration between people and cultures. The main objective of SCI is the creation of volunteer projects in which people from different cultures and social strata can come together to develop a common volunteer experience. The fundamental tool to favour this encounter between volunteers of different nationalities, ages and social strata are the volunteer camps. The SCI camps are designed so that only two people of each nationality can participate in each one, thus creating the ideal conditions for the coexistence of people of different nationalities and cultures in the framework of volunteer work. Our fundamental task in this process is to connect people from all over the world who wish to collaborate in a volunteer camp with local organisations which has a project that benefits society. Volunteers actively participate in the organisations by collaborating in their project, initiative and/or activities for a period of time that can range from 3 weeks to several months. Likewise, SCI Madrid has been a collaborator since the beginning of the Youth in Action Programme, Erasmus+ and the current European Solidarity Corps as we consider these programmes to be fundamental in promoting volunteering, solidarity, cohesion and understanding between peoples, as well as the empowerment of young Europeans in the promotion of their active citizenship and human development. Our speciality is to accompany volunteers in their international and local volunteering projects, we have a wide experience in what it means to send and receive volunteers in projects; the problems and difficulties that may arise, the training needs, interculturality, commitment, motivation, as well as any other aspect related to volunteering. Finally, SCI has a wide network of local volunteer groups in Madrid which, created and promoted by volunteers, act in the following areas: - Norte Sur: Awareness-raising, study and training on the problems of the countries of the South and their relationship with the North. Contact and solidarity camps with counterparts in the South. Training and accompaniment of volunteers who carry out North-South camps. - Ecosfera: The main objective is to promote environmental volunteering in the Community of Madrid. Environmental outings, reforestation, awareness campaigns, creation of environmental camps, etc. are carried out. - Bocadillos en la calle: Its ultimate aim is to fight against the social exclusion of the Homeless. This group goes out every week to offer food, conversation and visibility to people living on the streets in the centre of Madrid. - Profes de Español: Dedicated to facilitating the social integration of the migrant population through the free teaching of Spanish. Three times per week there are Spanish classes of various levels for all people who want to learn Spanish for free. - Regenerando: This is a newly created group at the beginning of 2019 by a group of volunteers interested in introducing the gende