“Greenhill has had international volunteers since the 1970s, and it’s a fantastic experience for them and our staff”, said Alejandra Arcila, the Greenhill Marketing and Communications officer in charge of volunteers. “All our programmes are youth-led. We hold them for organised groups such as schools, churches, youth and community groups during the year, and we bring in additional volunteers for our summer Adventure Camps”.

With the opportunity to make lifelong friends, learn new skills and inspire young people, volunteers say they cherish the memories they make. Said Gabriela Ferreira, a volunteer from Brazil, “To be a Greenhill YMCA Volunteer is life-changing.”

To ensure enough time for interviews, obtaining visas and more, Greenhill works about six months in advance. Alejandra said there are generally about 18-20 year-round volunteers and another 12 during the summer. Volunteers pay for airfare and visa expenses. Greenhill takes care of the rest.

“From the moment they step into the UK, we look after them”, she said. “We pick them up at the airport, and bring them to Greenhill, where they stay in a big house we own. They have everything they need, and it’s only a 5-minute walk into town”.

Two young adult girls working on a computer

Volunteers learn many skills – administrative, kitchen, and maintenance, to name a few. Volunteers receive 65 pounds each week to cover food and personal expenses. Partnerships with local charities and supermarkets ensure very little of that weekly stipend is needed for food. In addition, the year-round volunteers receive a bonus of 500 pounds at the end of their term. “It’s our way of saying thank you to them for spending a year of their life with us”, Alejandra said.