Intercultural Management

Europa-Universität Viadrina Fachbereich Kulturwissenschaften

Management in International Youth Voluntary Organizations IJGD, a Case Study

Seminar: Intercultural Communication in Management Zentralmodul 1: Theories of Intercultural Communication Prof. Dr. Jacek Sójka Date: 31.05.2011 Author: Leni Kinzli ECTS: 9 Master of Arts in Intercultural Communication Studies Matrikelnummer: 39783Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. History 2.1 International Youth Work 2.2 The Workcamp Movement 2.3 International Youth Community Services (IJGD) over the Years 3. International Youth Community Services 3.1 Introduction of IJGD 3.2 Vision and Philosophy: The Six Pillars 3.3 Managerial Structure of IJGD 3.4 General Administration Division 3.5 Long-Term Voluntary Services Division 3.6Short-Term Voluntary Services Division 4. International Partnerships 4.1 German Umbrella Associations 4.2 International Networks 4.3 Foundations and Sponsors 5. Management within the Short-term Voluntary Services Division 4.1 Volunteer Placement Department 4.2 Group Leader Department 4.3 Project Management Department 6. Conclusion

1. Introduction
Voluntary work is a service that dedicated individualsdeliver to a community by offering their time, energy, and effort to projects that will benefit their neighbors, communities and local, national, and global surroundings. In turn, volunteers have the opportunity to learn and grow through personal and collective development. This

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development is especially significant for youth volunteers, whose experience in community service influencesthe way they define themselves, their communities, and the world around them and are often times experiences that youth volunteers carry with them throughout their lives. Specifically, youth voluntary services with an international focus shape and mold adolescent's understanding of international and cultural issues. Central to youth voluntary services are non-governmental organizations that play apivotal role in the management of community services through the preparation,execution and financing of voluntary projects, and implementation and education of youth volunteers through the definition of their goals and visions. My motivation to intensively concentrate on management within international youth voluntary organizations stems from my experience and successful completion of aninternship at the non-profit organization International Youth Community Services (Internationale Jugendgemeinschaftsdienste, IJGD) in Bonn, Germany in the summer of 2010. Thus, in this paper I will focus on the organization IJGD and examine how the different departments within IJGD contribute to the management of voluntary service projects in the form of international workcamps1 and what roleintercultural communication plays in the management of these projects. In order to do this, I will begin with an historical overview of the political framework in which international volunteer work developed, the beginning stages of what is now known as international workcamps, and a detailed history of IJGD starting from the year 1948. Next, I will introduce IJGD as a non-profit and nongovernmentalorganization, its philosophy and vision, its managerial structure and the divisions that constitute the organization. Then, I will present the international
1 International workcamps are community service projects in which groups of 10-20 international volunteers and 2 group leaders live together in a simple setting, such as in a gym or tents. The group works together for 25-30 hours per week over atime period of 2-4 weeks on a project that has a specific focus such as ecology, social work, or renovation. The workcamps typically take place in the spring and summer, from the months of June to September.

partnerships of youth voluntary organizations and the alliance organizations that make the work and management of service projects on a global level possible. In section 5, I will delve...