Who we are

Norfolk International Projects (NIP) is a voluntary community group, established in November, 2003 by a small group of young people and 2 qualified youth workers.

The organisation’s main aims are to organise cultural youth exchanges both in Norfolk and abroad for young people. Our target group includes young people with fewer opportunities, some living in remote rural communities, some with educational, social or financial difficulties.
We have a Board of Trustees that includes a number of young people and a membership / management committee comprised mainly of young people. Many of the young people are Millennium Volunteers.

During the past three years we have been involved in, and organised, more than 20 youth exchanges involving in excess of 700 young people from 25 other countries.

How we do it

All of our projects are funded by the Youth in Action Programme.

Norfolk International Projects is affiliated to the Norfolk Council for Voluntary Youth Services and is a partner organisation in the Eurodesk network in the U.K.
Our members meet on a regular basis in Norwich and also hold residential weekends in Norfolk 3 or 4 times a year. The young people help plan NIP youth exchanges & EVS projects and local fund raising activities.

 

What we do

Exchanges

The youth exchanges aim to promote one or
more of the following themes:

• to foster young people’s sense of European citizenship and help them to understand their role as part of the present and future of Europe.

• to reflect a common concern for European society, such as racism, xenophobia and anti-semitism, drug abuse etc.

• to promote European values, such as equal opportunities, human rights and democracy, respect for other cultures.

• is of European interest, such as EU enlargement, European institutions, European projects;

A typical youth exchange will involve 10 – 15 young people from Norfolk who will participate together with a similar number of young people from four or five other countries in organised activities e.g. arts, crafts, drama, music & sports; workshops and visits to Norwich, the Norfolk Broads, the Norfolk Coast and to both Cambridge and London. Most of the activities and workshops are designed to promote the theme of that particular youth exchange in innovative, non formal, ways of learning. The duration of the exchanges are normally 7 – 14 days.

EVS

NIP also offers European Voluntary Services opportunities for young people from Norfolk to experience long term placements in other countries and young people from Europe to experience similar opportunities in Norfolk.

We are both a sending and hosting organisation for European Voluntary Service. During the past year we have sent two young people on long term (12 month) placements in Slovakia and Hungary and hosted two young ladies from Germany and one lady from Greece on placement in Norfolk.

During 2009/2010 NIP is hosting another young lady from Germany on a twelve month placement until the end of August. NIP is also hosting 1 young lady from Northern Russia and one young lady from Germany on 10 month placements at the New Eccles Hall School until the end of August.

Leonardo Mobility Projects

NIP has also managed a Leonardo Mobility project and we hope to extend our involvement in mobilities during 2008/2009 and have recently formed a project team to research projects and partners.