September tends to be the month of new beginnings for many. It marks the start of the school year, going back to college or university, and the return to ‘the routine’ after the summer holidays.

Likewise at Corrymeela the month of September represents the beginning of a new chapter. As the Community catches its breath at the end of August after our busy summer schedule, we prepare to welcome, train and support a new team of international volunteers.

This year’s team of 12 volunteers arrived at The Corrymeela Centre in Ballycastle on the last day of August and will remain here as full-time residential volunteers for one year.

They hail from as far away as India, Sri Lanka and El Salvador to as close to home as Co. Armagh! In all, nine different countries are represented in the team, the others being Sweden, Germany, USA, Turkey and England. During this time the volunteers will support our work by linking with the diverse range of groups who come to the centre for residential experiences. Over the course of the next 12 months more than 180 groups and 8,000 visitors will pass through the doors of Corrymeela and it is the long-term volunteer team who will primarily welcome, host and support their programmes.

For the volunteers themselves the long-term programme will be a ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity to learn new skills in peace-building and conflict management. They will specifically learn how to plan, design and facilitate group programmes. They will also learn how to work safely and in a creative way with children and adults from various backgrounds and cultures. These skills will serve to significantly enhance their prospects in further education, training and employment when they return back home at the end of their year.

But more importantly perhaps the volunteers will learn a lot about themselves and others who are different from them. Through their experience of ‘living in community’ the volunteers will develop skill-set that will remain with them long after the summer of 2009. Learning to acknowledge our interdependence and appreciating diversity are just two such skills that will remain with these young people throughout their future careers in youth work, social work, community work and education.

For anyone interested in finding out more about volunteering opportunities (short-term, mid-term or long-term) at Corrymeela then please get in touch with Robert or Sonja on 2076 2626 or visit our website www.corrymeela.org. We have a range of volunteering programmes and opportunities to suit people of all abilities (applicants must be over 16 years of age). Corrymeela particularly welcomes applications from those with disabilities, learning difficulties or other special needs.