IBG

IBG was founded in 1965 to promote international understanding and international solidarity. From the beginning, international volunteering has been the main focus of IBG to contribute to these goals. Therefore, various activities are offered such as international voluntary service projects (mainly in groups as workcamps), seminars, trainings, workshops, annual events, activities in external relations and others. Through the participation in these activities, young people should also be supported in their personal growing, they should acquire new competences and become active, open-minded and responible citizens. At the same time, it is important for IBG to provide volunteers with meaningful opportunities for engagement that respond to local needs. The local community is one of the target groups for IBG; locally, in addition to the results of the work, sustainable impulses should be left behind. IBG's target group are mainly youth and young people from 16-30 years old, regardless criteria such as their origin, education, religious affection or others. All national and international activities provide an open access for all, with a preferably heterogene structure of participants as well as the inclusion of (young) local people of the communes who are given the chance to participate. IBG has developed specific instruments to promote the inclusion of young people with special needs. In addition to structures for individual support processes and a special bursary, this topic is also an integral part of the training and further education of volunteers. In 2019 more than 400 international volunteers participated in IBG projects in Germany and more than 200 young people living in Germany were sent to projects abroad, including youngsters with fewer opportunities. About 120 young people participated in different seminars and trainings of IBG, especially offered for volunteers. Some of them were organised on a national some on an international level. Various activities were carried out within the framework of ERASMUS+ or ESC. Since April 2020 IBG has also been experimenting with different approaches to virtual volunteering. Here, even more will certainly develop in the coming years. IBG is a registered organisation of non-formal education, member of the international network "Alliance of European Workcamp Organisations" (ALLIANCE), member of the "Coordinating Commitee of International Voluntary Service" (CCIVS) and the German network "Trägerkonferenz der Internationalen Jugendgemeinschafts- und Jugendsozialdienste". IBG is also part of the regional network "Landesarbeitsgemeinschaft Offene Jugenbildung Baden-Württemberg (LAGO)". IBG has no political or religious affection. The aspects of particular importance for IBG are 1. inclusion: the participation of young people with special needs is a real enrichment for international groups. In this way, international encounter is combined with "intersocial" encounter. At the same time, the potential for learning outcomes in international projects is particularly great. 2. sustainability: Our international projects are well suited as a learning field to teach young people different aspects of sustainability: Both in the work project as well as in travel, food and the organisation of everyday life. The international groups offer a good basis for discussion and reflection through exemplary approaches. 3. local community: The local community is an elementary component of a volunteer project. A project can only be considered truly successful if the volunteers are satisfied and at the same time, in addition to the results of the work, further impulses remain on site. At the moment, five paid staff members and about 100 volunteers are working in IBG. Volunteers have a very high value for IBG, in our self-image we are an association by and for volunteers. In concrete terms, this means that volunteers are involved in all activities and at all levels, can gain experience, take responsibility and partici