V

Welcome

lntroduction

\i/hy Volunteering?

Northem lrelond os a host country

While you're here

Additionol Informotion

poge

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Hi! Welcome to the newest (ond in our opinion, most complete, honest ond

lriend[y) guide to Nofthem lrelond, creoted specificoLiy for intemotionolvolunteers, by intemotionol volunteers.

Whct rnokes this hondbook so speciol?

The informotion wos reseqrched, compiled ond onolysed by intemotionolvolunteers living in Northem lrelqnd. Much of this jnloimotion hos been possed

down verboLly through "generotions" of volunteers. Howeve4 becouse eoch ofus usuolly only plon to mol<e Northem lrelond our home for o period of 3-12months, tjme is impotont ond hoving oll the informotion BEFORE orriving con

sove o lot of seorching, confusion ond even embcryqssmentl

We reolise thot some people reoding this booklet probobly ore not completely

sold on the ideo of volunteeúng in Northem lreLond yet, so we hope thot this

helps to convince you thot this is the ploce to be.

Consider us to be the "unofficioL" officiol informotion guide to help the futurevolunteers coming to Northem lrelond. We oim to provide you with knowledge

obout the country volunteering oppodunities, customs, people, doily tife cnd ofcourse the "troubles" - which ore olwoys ossocioted with this ploce, but oftensugor cooted by toulist orgonisotions.

We reolly hope thot this guide wi[[ help you, os on internotionol volunteeü to

beter understond some issues you were unceftoin obout ond to occustom you

with Northem lrelond before leqünq your own country

This booklet is mode to help you - ond get you excited obout coming toNorthem lrelond, o country which populotion is over 1.7 mi[[ion. Thot is why weshore mony of our experiences deoling with culture, people, conflict,

tronspoftotion, the pub scene qnd the thoughts of mcny different voLunteers on

impoftont issues to them.

There is so much thot we could possibly include in our limited spoce ond some

infomotion moy chonge without notice. To heLp you hove the mosl updqted

informotion, we hove included phone numbers whenever possible ond

recommend thqt you use them, but if colling from your home country you willneed to diol 00 44 28 before the number

Beor olso jn mind the foct thqt olL the volunteers involved in preporing this

informotion pock hcve been Belfost bqsed, therefore most of the informotion is

on Belfost ond its surroundings.

So, reod on ond sove this book os o reference for sll of your volunteering doys jn

Northem lreiond. We beLieve you'll come to love the people ond iife of Ulsterjust Like eoch of us hove!

Good iuck ond hope to see you soonl

"l thfuk BelJast ís a very- specíuL plocc to come as o volunlccr bec(rlrse o.fthe confli.ct of reLigion and lhe opportLtnit¡es created by ¡t. It is sfrange

hov¡ I need tr:¡ ch(mge my r)a! of thitlk¡n.g in order to undersfand the wtqd thínking here. If tou don.1, ¡t ¡s impossibLe to understand the l.ives of thepeople wh.o dre |rcrc an(l th.e¡r ideas for the futtte. I ttas shocked at first

becatLse of the differcnces of buildilgs and the land in Belfast and v;herc It'ome fhnn, but alter livíng here.for tt. week, I begtut fo nofice morc üround

ne, rctrlisirtg that this is a un tun.az.ing place,.just different.front home.There is so much life ín Northern lrelsnd, bLÍ we neetl. to look belr.¡v, the

su¡fuce in order fo try- fo see ¿tn.¿ undersfttntl c¡tt, of it."(Helin, Austlia)

WHY VOLUNTEERING?There ore hundreds of reqsons to become o volunteer in o foreign country:

helping locol communities, getting to know onother trqdition snd cullure,goining procticol experiences, leoming o longuoge - they oll result in the mostimpoftont one: self-development!

As o volunteer, you will hove (unofficiol) rights which will include being given theknowledge, equipment ond suppoft to corD/ out your volunteering plocement,

to be free from discriminotion of roce, gender, sexuoliqr, disobitity ond to goin

self development.

Dont forget, howeve4 thqt you will olso hove (unofficiol) responsibilities cs o

volunteer which will jnclude to be octively committed to your volunteeringpiocement, to be honest qnd to keep your project infomed, to otGnd troiningond suppoft sessions qnd to respect confidentiolity. The most importontresponsibility of oll, however, is to enjoy yourself ond moke the most ol your

experiences in ond out of work!

"l n¡el t lr¡Í ol othet roluuf eers.fiour dll. o\'(r llrc \t'orld dltd úll ollhc¡¡¡ urt r'¿/r', r'¿t'r' nit:e. \Ye ut" going ouf lo tlr¿ PLI), lo llte tittttttrt,

tu p(trtitt. I Iike lit,ing x,illt tlrctn bat:rtus¿: fhet help rne to intlt¡¡,¡'.n¡, Enulit't ull the lintt'lnd tltet ultrur:; ltalp tne t¡'itlt et.ct.¡'tlút¡g Inead. I ¡ht.utk íltem all, e.tptciullt t'br tln hel¡t rhet gure uie I t¡t\'trt iyal. in Belfinl, u,lten I.felt ullne otttl so.fhr avut .fhnt lnnte. I

di¿ln'i knt¡tt anyottc, but tltet' were rery fricnd/\j lo rne.fitsrn fhtbcgittrLittg nrcl tlrct rrtatle lhirtg.s etsier.for tne."

lFouarl. Fl ance)

NORTHERN IRELAND AS A HOST COUNTR'Y

Popers ond Permits

lf you ore o citizen of the Europeon Union, you will not need o residency pemitor viso. lf you ore from outsjde the EU or Nofth Americo, you must opply for o

üso or entry cleorqnce cetificote (lM2A form) issued for the purpose of trovel to

the United ](ingdom. Contoct the British Embossy in your country of residence

for the forms ond odvice. There is olso useful inlomotion under the UK poft of"volunteers' mobility" on waal¡r'.sosforevs.org lfyou ore o citizen of the

Europeon Union, you should complete en "E111" form in your home country to

ollow you to occess the medicol ser¡¿ices in Nothem lrelond.

Trovelling into Northern lrelondNorthem lrelond is senr'ed by Belfsst lnlemotionol Airpoft, Belfost City Airponcnd City of Derry Airport. ln oddition, Northem lrelond is just o shoit distonce

from Dublin, Scotlond ond Englond.

All three oiports in Northem lrelond ore smoll compored to most oirpoltt ore

eosy to find your woy oround ond provide very friendly stoff

As on intemotionoL volunteer orriving in Northem lreLcnd, your hosting

orgqnisotion should co[ect you. lf this is not possible, oll three oirports hove

buses thot go into the cjty centres. There is olso o bus which connects the City of

Derry Ailpolt to Belfost. Betlost City AirFoft olso hos o troin connectioÍl wiLh

the City Centre.

Trovel Documents

You wi[[ need your posspolt, insuronce ond lD cord. it is olso wjse to bdng o

student cord with you if you hove one. US ond Concrdion visitors do not need o

viso. lf you ore on EVS voluntee¡ you wi[[ be covered by the AXA insuronce

poliry which your sending orgonisotion will hove oronged foryou. lfyou ore

not on EVS volunteer, you ore odvised to toke out proper insuronce to cover

heolth, mojor trovel costs ond possessions. Check thot ol[ your personoI

belongings ore included.

Electricol Equipment

The voltoge in Northem lrelond is 240V, 50AC. qnd mostly three pin plugs ore

used. 1f you ore trovelling from o country outside of lhe United Kingdom, you

wjLL need q proper odoptor in order to operqte your electricol opplionces. You

con buy odopters in Northem Jrelond, or buy o plug before you leove your

country to fit different socl<et configurotions.

The WeotherNorthem lrelond's climote is mild ond temperote, with mild wintert very littlesnow qnd sometimes the summers con be quite wolm. lt tends to be breezy,with sudden chonges from cloud to sunny skies qnd vice verso. lt does rqin olot, even in the summeÉime.

Lightweight wool ond cotton clothes ore suitsble in summer; with thicker woolsweoters orjockets For spring ond outumn doys. Pqck o rsincoot ond sweote$,whotever the seqson.

If l w'ould futve tt¡ choose a word.for dertning n1y sta! üs volllxteer in.

Northem lrelcutd, it ^)ould

be experience. All is a uniEte, greet andexL:iting expcrience over here because you are Leanúng constantl)t.Mv rttlt,ice is tlnt yt¡u must fry to be positil,e, even at tl,Le beginningwlich it is ctlv,-ct¡,s cliJJicult, w-hen yolt caru1ot understo.nd very --ell

tlta terrible accent.frotn Northern Ireland, when you miss your familyttntl ctll thctt yor,t leJl at lutme. But in a.fetv days .tott will discover alL

tlte.fantastic' fl'Lings what this cotntry has got: ntost of people Jronlhere is exf remely polite utd friendly and very- soon yoLr --ill be

having a drfuk fu a pub and l't.lvitl.g o. good conversation with them.

To meet the rest of the intentational volunteers is one of the bestthings too. I ant sure that all whot I learnt.from tlrcm is more

t).iuoble and useful than.for example, to llave ünproved my English.BLtt of cottrse, not everythü'Lg is good: tlrc rteatlrcr i.s terrible, it is

always rctining!!!

(Diana, Spain)

Currency

Nofthem lrelond's currenry is the British pound (€) sterllng divided into onehundred pence (100p). Notes o¡e issued to the vqlue of f5, f10, E2O, €50 ondf 1 00. Coins ore issued to the volue oF E2, E\, 50p, 20p, 1 0p, 5p, 2p ond'1p. 1n

oddjtion to the Bonk of Englond notes, the locoi bonks in Nofthem lrelond printtheir own f,5, f,10, f20 notes, so be coreñ¡l to check the denominotion of thenotes since oll the notes look different.

WHILE YOU'RE HERE

Culture & TroditionSpofts ond pubs moy often be seen os o Lorge ond exclting port of Northemlrelond culture. These venues proüde countless oppoÉunities for sociolising, os

there is never o pub for too for owoy ond olwoys o footboll or rugby motchbeing ployed on the locol pitch or television. Vy'hite pubs ore obviously know.n os

being o centre of drinking. they ore more commonly seen os o meetjng pointond source of music, enteltoinment ond socio[ising. ln oddition to pubs,

Northem lrelond (especiolly Belfost) is full of clubs, discos ond cofes of everyvoriety to suit ony mood.

Sports

Footboll (soccer & goelic) moy be consldered the moin sport of Northem lrelond,but mony others receive notoble qttention. 1ce hockey is one of the fostestgrowing os the Belfost Gionts, Nothem lrelondt professionol ice hocl<ey teom,ploy thei¡ home mc¡tches in the city! Odyssey Areno. lce skoting, ten-prnbowling, gott ond billiqrd holls con olso be found in ond oround Belfqst qtreqsonqble rotes. Fitness gyms ore becoming increosing\ populo¡ but con oftenbe quite expensive. 1f you hove o student cord ond ore Bellost bosed, it ispossible to get ocsess to the Queenl University Physicol Educotion Centre, whichis not too expensive. For more informotion obout ony sports in Northem lrelond,contoct the House of Sport ot 9038 '1222.

Entertoinmentln Belfost there ore severol dnemos. including the Queenl Film Theatre ("theQFT", ot 20 University Squore), which often shows more culturol qnd

controversiol films thon moinstreom cinemos. QFT olso hos greot rstes onddeols, mokinq it offordoble for volunteers. ALso in Belfost ore the Time WqmerCinemos ond Big Screen IMAX ot the Odyssey Areno. The Odyssey is not only

home to the Belfost Gionts ond cinemo, but olso restouronts. concetts ond the

W5 honds-on interoctive museum - o greot woy to experience modem science

- but be womed, thot eoting or being entertoined ot the Odyssey con be more

expensive thqn other cinemos ond restouronts in Belfost.

The Crescent Atts Centre provides closses in everythjng from yogo to breok

donce. The Belfost Circus School is olso o populor hongout for volunteers ond oqreot woy to meet both loccls ond foreigners while trying out your luck ot

iuqqlinq, tropeze ond mony other unusuol tolents.

People

\y'/hen meeting people for the first time, it is most polite to greet them with o

hondshqke. Unlike other pofts of Europe, people from No¡them lrelond do notusuolly huq or kiss people on the cheek if they do not know them very weIL ]n

doity life, it is expected thot conversotion will be exchonged ond people

ocJ<nowledged. whether it be co-worl<ers, shop workers, or strongers on the

telephone. lt is polite to speok to people formolly when first meeting them,

olthough mony people - young ond old, will prefer to be colled by their firstnome ond will tell you this. lt is best to osk first if you ore not sure.

NoÉhem lrelond moy be considered to be o "reserved" culture. lt is not very

typicol to pubticly show emotions or offection ond while hord work ond effott is

qpprecioted ond recognised, it might not be done in the woy of o spoken thonkyou. People ore extremely giving, especiolly to foreigners ond volunteers, tend

to be very culturol ond enjoy good conversotion. Be coreful though, it is best to

ovoid osl<ing or commenting obout topics such os politics cnd religion unless you

know the people well. The lrish/British or Cotholic/Protestont relotionship js

sti[[ o very difficult subject ond should be ovoided, especio\ in pubs or oreos

thot you do not know very well.

Food

The "Ulster F1" breqkfqst ond "fish ond chips" for lunch or dinner moy be

considered the notionol meols ond cqn be found ot olmost ony pub or restquront.

A pub lunch will often provide o lorge selection of meols ond is very filling (while

being offordoble). Mony restouronts hove very reosonoble lunchtime deqls

compored to dinneí so ore q greqt wqy to eot out on o limited budget.

There is o greot deol of ethnic food ovoiloble from restouronts ond shops.

especiqlly oround Belfost. Ploces like St George's Morket (Thurs-ki-Sot ot MoyStreet in Betfost) olso offer fresh vegetobles, meot ond fish. The Asion

Supemorkets (open seven doys o week I Ormeou Rood, Belfost) sell food from

every culture imoginoble ond often ot reduced prices for lorge quontities. Belfostolso hos o monthly food co operotjve ot Girol Cofe. Severol vegetorion dishes

con usuolly be found on ony menu ond restouronts ore usuolly hcppy tooccommodote requests if it is not o busy time of doy Mi[k, butter ond cheese

ore o big port of diet here ond moy be ingredients in mony dishes, so Vegons

should osk specificolly obout o dish before they order. Locols like their coffee

neorly os much os their tec ond, like teo, drink it ot oll hours of the doy, ollseosons of the yeor: Coffee ond teo con be ordered from pubs ot ony time.Smoking cigorettes or tobocco is still widely occepted ond most ploces offersmoking oreos. Howeve¡ smoking is usuolly bonned on tronsportotion ond inpubtic buildings. Driving while under the influence ot olcohol is not occepted.

Seqtbelts must qlso be wom qt oll times ond is strictly enforced.

Events

Closing times ol pubs, cofes ond djscos con vory but generolly mointoin set

hours. Cofes ore open eorly momings weekdoys for coffee. Pubs ore open from1 1om until 1om (some close 1 1pm eorly in the week) ond discos get going

oround 1Opm. Only o few clubs stoy open until the eorly hours of the moming.Restouronts will usuolly close by 10 or 1 1pm. There is no shortoge of live music

in Belfost, from troditionol sessions to modem rock, oltemotive, or blues - monyof them qre free! Most pubs will hove the lotest schedules posted. The Big List is

published every two weeks - it highlights the lotest jn entertoinment news ond

con eosily be picked up free from pubt groceD/ stores ond troin stotions. Posters

on wolls, old buildings etc ore olso o good woy of finding out whot's on, os is

the Belfost Glegroph on o Thursdoy (reviews) ond hidoy (tistings).You con findout obout goy ond lesbion life in Nothem lrelond on the following web site:

wlrrv.glyni.org.uk .

"l think that Beffast cir!* is u really interesting pkice to live in. Atthe arrival it can be very dilficltlt, because at tlte beginning youmiss your.family, country ond.friends. Soon enough though, youstaft to enjoy being here. In my view, one of the best things in

Nonhern lrelancl is the pubs, tvhere you can have o good pint ofGuinness in a very .friendly atmospherc. I ctlso like the way the pubsare decoraÍed here, os they have that old look making youfeel likebeing in the past century. Everybotl¡t drinks beer here, so my advice

to you, present or futttre volunteers, is to enjoy yourselJ! It is tt. Ltnique experience!

(José, Spain)

Atthough the cities ore full of lively nighdife, excessive nojse is not occepted(especiolly in residentiol oreos) ond violotors moy olso foce expensive fines frompolice. The lows hove chonged recently on the clossificotjon of connobis, but thepossession or use of dn'lgs remoins illego[. Volunteers should think corefultybefore getting involved in ony questionoble behoviour; os this would be lool<edqt poorly not only by police, but olso by the sending ond host orgonisotions.Locol lows moy be quite djfferent from other countries qnd o1l of us, regordlessof notionolit¡4 ore subject to the lows of Noithem lrelond while he¡e.

ln coses of extreme emergency, telephone 999 to contoct the poLice, emergenrymedicqL selvices or fire services.

It is qlwoys best to be qwore of suftoundingl secure belongings, lock doors qnd

ovoid trovelling olone lote ot night. \\¡tren visiting untsmjlior oreos, find outqbout bus ond troin schedules (90666630) oheod of time to ovoid beingstronded, especio[y on weekends. Avoid Loyo[ist or Republicon neighbourhoodscrI nigl-]t, os these qre often oreos where everyone knows eoch other ondsLrongers moy be seen os suspicious. These types of neighbourhoods ore mosteosiiy identified by the lorge pointed mu¡ols ond Fiags. or the troditionol coloursoI red/white/blue (British) or green/white/oronge (lrish)pointed on sidewolksond lomp posts. Howeve¡ often ollegionces moy not be quite os obvious to ovisitoÍ These qreos ccn (ond should!) be visited ond leomed obout from locolpeople ond proper guides ond jt is recommended thot volunteers moke on effortto do so in order lo leom more obout the lifestyle ond culture of Northemlrelondl people - butjust be sensitive in how you do thisl

Some Procticolities

Medicol Services

lf you ore on EU citizen, you witt hove the right to occess the heolth services forfree in Northem lrelond. You should complete on "E111" lorn before you leove

home.

Shortly ofter your orrivol in Northem lrelond, you should register with o doctor(see beLow). A doctor is colled o GP (Generol Proctitioner) ond ifyou need tosee the doctoL you will first hqve to moke on oppointment. ]f your GP is notovoiloble to see you, the receptionist wi[[ try to orronge on urgent oppointmentfor you with onother GP ot the some surgely. Locol surgeries ore open Mondoyto fÍidoy, usuolly from 9.00 om to 6.00 pm. A few open on Soturdoy moming,but o1[ ore closed on Sundoys.

"l thutli that tlte nteclir:ol sert'ic( itl BclfLtst is very' good, becau.se Ire(:e¡ed Jiu irnnrc¿iale ússistutu:e u:lrcnet,er I got .sick ritld ha(l fosl)ettl sotne tinte itt hospilIl- Dock¡rs und nur.se.s rterc greol, ver|polile ütld pt1)fessktttuL, llrc¡'tt'eoted nrc rer:\'w(ll, de spite tlrc.futttltru I u'ostt't liot11 Norlhern Irelont]. I atn yerf groteJir! nt thanr.lor

their lrclp nn(l ,tuppl rt. "(Milianr. Romania)

For mild medicol problems, it is possible to consult o Phoimocist. AllPhomocies hcve a quolified Phomocist who con sometimes moke o diognosisqnd recommend treotment. lf they connot treot you, they wi[[ recommend yousee your GP

ln cose of on emergency, cosuolty or occident ond emergenry (A&E) depoftmentsin hospitols ore open 24 hours o doy. At the hospitol, you con be exomined ond

treoted by GPs ond speciolists. No fees ore requested in hospitols (from

Europeon citizen volunteers)for medicol exominotions, treotment/medicqtion orhospitolisotion. \iVhen possibLe, olwoys bring identificotion ond someone who is

fluent in English to help you to receive the most efficient qnd proper treqtment.

Medicol services within locol surgeries ore olso tree of chorge but you must poy

for ony medicotion (prescription dn.igs) recommended by o doctor A doctor willgive you o prescriplion note, which con be brought to ony phomory to collect

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ond pqy for the medicotion. EVS volunteers ore entitled to cloim this money

bock (o[so for dentol treotment) under the EVS Group lnsuronce Plon. Keep yourreceipts to moke the cisim ond reod your leoflets ond AXA lnsuronce "volunteer

guide" corefully.

How to Register With the DoctorFi[ in o CSA fom, in order to become entitled to receive o Medicol Cord. The

form is ovoiloble from the Centrol Services Agenry for the HPSS, 25 AdeloideStreet, Belfost BT2 8FH; Tel: 90 324 431 . Ask your co ordinotor to help yougetting ond fi[ing in the form ond to help you ñnd o locol docto¡r

Foreign Consulor Offices in Northern lrelondWe think thqt it would be in your ourn benefit, qs volunteers in o foreign

country to know where the consulote from your home country is, (see

ww1¡r'.tourismirelond.com) lor sofety ond security reosong for ony legoI motters,qs well os for finding out useful informotion obout your country of origin. Weodvise you to olso contqct your consulote in the event of tocing locol difficulties,such qs serious illness or occident (when friends/reloüves ore unovoilob[e), forqdvice on procedure for tronsferring money from the UK or elsewhere, in orderto contoct friends/relotives/bonks if other chonnels ore unovoiloble. in cose youlost your possport, you¡ lD cord or your plone ticket, in cose you need to beissued q new posspoft etc.

The Consulqte could olso inform you or your fomily from home of ony impodontnews, potentiol dongerous situotions in Northem lrelond for you, etc. They moyolso hold speciol events for people from your country thot you would probobly

like to know obout ond they ore the ones oble to shore informotion to eose yourtronsition to living in Northem lrelond.

Trqvel & Tronsport

Driving in the UK cnd lrelond is different from most other countriet so

remember thqt cqrs dúve on the left side of the rood. Otherwise the first sightof o cor possing by might knock you down! So qnother importont rule to lotlowwould be this: Alwoys look right first - then look ogoinl

Do not be ofroid to osk people in shops or buses if you ore worried oboutñnding your woy. They ore usuotly very friendly ond hetpful.

Bus: 1n generol, we hove found the Ulsterbus system to be quite relioble ond ocheop wsy to trovel when trovelling oround Nothem lrelond (informotion ondschedules: 90666630). There qre two kinds of buses - Express ond Regulor.

Express is foster thon the first. but moke sure it stops ot where you wont to go

Both buses generolly cost the some. olthough certoin Express buses moy be

more expensive. You con buy the tickets in speciol kiosks, certoin shops ond

usuolly on the bus. The best woy to get off the bus is to moke o move towords

the doot even if the bus is proüded by o "Stop" button lfyou do notknowwhere to qet off or how to reoch o celtqin destinotjon, oll you hove to do is tell

the bus driver where exoctty you wont to 90 ond he will tell you where you hove

to get ofl The bus sewice usuolly stops before 1Opm eoch night

Troin: (lnfomqtion ond schedules Te[: 9066 6630)Troin tickets ore olso very

cheop, olthough the ffoin sewice is not olwoys relioble ond the network is not

very lorge. Buy tickets ot the stotion when possible, or on the troin if the stotion

is closed. Atwoys keep your troin tickets with you on the troin ond in the stotion,

os there ore big fines for onyone without o ticket ond tickets ore often collected

when you aÍive qt your destinotion stotion. Troin schedules qre different on

Soturdoy, Sundoy ond holidoys, so olwoys check oheod. Pick up free troin ond

bus schedules trom ony stotion.

Toxis qre ovojloble in most oreos. ln Belfost there ore both minicobs (which

often need to be booked in odvcnce - they ore ordinory cors with the nome ond

telephone number of the cqb firm disployed on the top of the cor) qnd toxis

(torge¡ usuclly block - there ore o few "tqxi ronks" in the city centre where you

con get o toxi). ln North Belfost there is olso o "block tqxi" seryice which octsos

o bus seryice.

Student Bus/Troin Trovel Cords

With your lSlC cord, which you con olso buy in Notthem lrelond if you hove o

student cord. you moy buy o Trovel Sove Stomp from ony mojor bus or troin

ststion, or from USIT NOW student trovel ogencies in NoÉhem lrelond.

Discounts ore ovqiloble for bus ond trqin tickets throuqhout N l , os we[[ os

services to Dublin, but moy not be occepted on locol city buses. Alwoys show

your lSlC cord ond stomp before buying tickets.

11 12

Religion & Ethnic Minoritiesln Northem lrelond, the mojority of the populotion is Christion, either Cothoticor Protestont, os you might olreody know

There sre olso numerous members of other fqiths in Northem lrelond includingopproximotely 3000 Muslims, 800 Hindus, 500 Sikhs, 500 Jews. 350 Bóhq'isond 50 Buddhists (the totol populotion of Northem ]relond is 1.7 millionpeop[e).

For more informotion for ond obout ethnic minorities tiving in Northem lrelond,contoct or stop by The Multi-Culturql Resource CenÍe, 9 Lower Crescent,Belfost, BT7 '1NR; Tel: 90 244639, e-moil: mcrc@mcrc.co.ul< The Multi-Culturol Resource Centre provides on oppoftunjty to meet people who speokLhe some longuoge os you ond who qre from the some country os you.

Metric to Imperiol Conversion

Within Northem lrelond, the oid imperiol system is used o [ot, though shopsmust show metric weights. 28 grqms (g) = 1 ounce (oz)ond 0.45 kilogroms (kg)

= 1 pound (lb). Distonce on roodsigns in Northem lrelond ore shown in miles(1.6 kilometres(km) = 1 mite) ond the old imperiol system is often used fortengths ond heights: 2,54 centimetres (cm) = 1 inch (") ond 30.48 cm = 1 foot(ft). For weother temperotures, 0C = 32"F Fohrenheit (F) 15C = 60'E 30C = 85'F

Opening o Bonk AccountAs o volunteei you con hove your own ñnonciol independence by opening obonk occount with one of the bonks or building socjeties, such os the NotionwideBuilding Society.

To open cn occount, you will need to complete on occount opplicotion form ondprovide the following:* o volid pqssport or lD* o letter from your hosting orgonisotion stoting thot you ore o volunteer* o letter thot you hove received with your nome ot your current oddress, os

on ofñciol proof of where you ore liüng during your stoy in Northem lrelond.

Leorning the Longuoge

Yes, people speok English in Nofthem lrelond ond no, jt is not similor to theqccent you moy hove gotten used to bock home while wotching Americon styletelevision shows or ot English clqss in school. lt js octuotly quite different ondeven voúes from oreo to oreo in Northem lrelond. Do not be emborrossed to

osk people to repeot words, spe[[ them out, or even show you whot they meon.Corry o smo[[ pocket tronslotion dictionory People will generolly be impressed

with your English knowledge olreody ond be hoppy to help you to understcndbetter

To toke English longuoge closses, we would recommend thot you first contoctthe locol colleges in your oreo in order to find out more infomotion obout theclosses ond the dotes to enrol. Ask your volunteer co-ordinotoí os the hostingorgonisotions ore supposed to guide you ond to give you odvice on whotcoleges there ore in town ond whot your options ore. They clso moy help youto poy for your closses, olthough in the cose of EVS volunteers Ccmbridgeclosses or exom fees connot be poid for

Common Phroses

Northem lrelond & Common Equivolent

Vúhot! the croic? = How ore you?

Pint = full gloss of beer (0,56 Litre)

Good croic = good fun time

Chips = (French)fries

Crisps = pototo chips

Slore = closet

To co[[ on someone = to visit them

Ponts/Knickers = undelweor

Troiners = sneokers, irnning shoes

Motes = friends

Blokes = boys or men

1l

1I

1

1413

:'*-.}i.. J¡

Politics ond tlistoryAs you might oLreody know, politics in Northem lrelond ore very complex. \Mi[eyou will cetoinly hove the oppoitunity to explore some of the issues ond to geto deeper understqnding of the situotjon, dont expect to understond it oll. Thereore, however, some bcrsic concepts which you should be qwore of (but these orevery, verry over-simplified !).

) remember thot it is olmost impossible to get o completely objective opinionin Nonhern lrelond - there cre olwoys 2 sides to the story!

) there is o very, very long history leoding up to the "troub[es", which officiollystofted in '1969

the conflict hos been between the unionists or loyolists (usuolly Protestont),who wont Noithem lrelond to remoin os polt of the United Kingdom ondthe nqtionolists or republicons (usuo[[y Cotholic) who wont Notthem lrelqndto unite with the Republic of lrelond

these ore often refered to qs the two communities - even though there oreother religions ond minority ethnic communities living in Northem lrelond.

o lorge port of the populotion in Northem lrelond live in "single idendrycommunities" (i.e. either o[L cothoUc or oll protestont). lt con be eqsy toidentify these oreos through flogs (the Union Jcck ond Ulster flog in loyolistoreqs ond the Tricolour in republicon oreos) ond murols (woll-pointings).People in these communities do not tend to mix with eoch other

flogs ond symbols ore very impoftqnt in Nofthem lrelond

both sjdes hove o number of poromilitory orgonisotions (i[egol ormies onthe loyolist side the UDA, UVE LVf, etc ond on the republicon side theProvisionql lRA, the Reol lRA, the Continuity IRA, etc) ond some of theporomilitory orgonisotions developed politicol pofties to represent them in([ocol) govemment

15 16

mojor politicol developments in the lote 1990s led to o peoce process ondthe colling of "ceosefires" by the moin poromilitory orgonisotions

olthough lhe ceosefires were cqlled ond the "peoce process" estoblished, theconflict still continues in some oreos, mostly jn the "interfoce" oreos betweencothoiic qnd protestont working closs communities

mony of the poromiiitcry orgonisotions ore now involved in the drugs trode

there qre two public holidoys specificolly for Northem lrelond - St Potrick's

Doy (St Potrick is the soint of lrelond) ond 12th JuLy (when the Oronge Order(o protestont orgonisotion) celebrotes the defeqt of o Cotholic King by oProtestont)

there is often civil unrest cround July - often becouse of the "porodes" issue(usuo[[y protestqnt bonds wishing to morch through cothollc oreos)

you might find thot people wjll try to find out whot religion you ore. You

wi[[ olso find thot mony Northem lrelond people do not wish to discuss thepoliticol situotion

there orc mqny good sources of informqtion on the situotion - the CAINwebsite (wavwcoin.uLst.oc.uk) ond the Linenhoil Librory in Belfost ore two offhe best

"When I.first came to NortlTern lrelund I had different bits anclpieces of information in mr- head. Books thcLt spoke of British futrntr

coloniscttion ond then the pictures oJ the medíu - bunling útrs üt

the streets of BeAast at the time of the yearly parodes. The Jirst sighr

of Belfasr .fitted into the iclea of what I've hearcl before - yoLt ctlwo.y.t

see what yoLr expect to see - cololrre¿ povement stones, militúntmurals, h)hat o desperate place! But tllen afte r a while the picture

changes. There are many be( úiful sides to Belfast, people are

friendly and helpful and the city centre looks just like anywhereelse. The personal experiences of the people living here slowly

changed nxy opinion oJ Belfast and made me realise tlte conflict is adifficult issue without clear history or guilt. There is the history side

and terrible things lmppened in bt¡th communities but there is alsr¡

the people themselves with their hopes and fears ond theirextremists. You can't find the guilty people you're looking for. I

guess Northern lreland is similor to conflict in many otller parts ofthe ttorld. Besides political cutd idealistic n'tothes there is always

the big side of money and power stuggles. The flags and coloursmake it even tlrc more absurd. It's good fo see all the efforts that are

being ntade for better understandütg antl pecLce."

(Rebecca, Gemany)

Ploces to See in Northern lrelondThere ore indeed o lot of nice ploces to be seen in Northem lrelond, beoutifulsites, costles ond museums, cothedrqls, the coost ond the mountoins, the seo, thegreen grqss, botonic gordens ond they ore oll strong ingredients to tempt bothtourists ond locol people to visit them. You, os intemotionoL volunteers in ocompletely new country, shouid toke full odvontoge of being here, explore themond try to see os much os you con, becouse it is worth it! We ore now tolkingfrom our own experiences ond if you wi[[ ever hove o chonce to tolk to previousvolunteers, they will oll tell you thot they hqve visited Lots of ploces cnd thottl]ey were not ot oll disoppointed!

Tourist offices (including the Belfost Welcome Centre in Donegoll ploce, Belfost)will hove informotjon obout tours jn Northem lrelond. There is o lorge cmountot Hostels in oL[ lrelqnd ond UK. lt is o quite cheop wc¡y to stoy. You con book inodvonce in www.usitnow.com

The Republic of lrelond uses the Euro, so remember to convelt money whentrovelling qcross the border Bus qnd roil seryices thot cross the border wjll oftenoccept either cunency, but it is qlwoys best to be sure first.

And it you wont to trovel further by plone, you con find some cheop flights inwrvweosyjet.com or wmarryonoircom or ltrwr.fly-bmi.com lf you hove o

student or lSlC cord ot home, bring it with you to give you some trovel ondshopping discounts.

17

" I like Belfast becctuse of the pe opLe I met here and by this I mean

not only m¡ lnttse nlafes (there ore 8 of us üt the house now!), blttalso fhe locúl people. The weother is horrible, but I got used to lirewitlt it. I Love the nightlff? in Be(ast. There are plenry o.f goocl pubs

with ercellent, diJfe rent tltpes of beer cmd a lot of .finny people. The

Landscape is al.so beautiJul. Lots of green lcutds!"

(Jordi, Spain)

Keeping in Touch

Moiling lettersStomps for letters to Europe wi[[ cost obout 37p. Postcords require o 42p stomp

for the US ond Conodo; oirmoiL letters under '109m need o 47p stomp. Stomps

for regulor letters sent within the Ul( wi[L cost 19p for 2nd closs delivery ond

27p for 1st closs delivery usuoliy oniving onyr,,,,here in the UK the next doy.

Avoiloble from post offices (most ore open 9om-5.30pm Mon hi ond until12.30pm Sot), some newsogents, goroges ond wherever you see the red sign

'We se[[ postoge stqmps'. Lorge pocl<oges wi[[ usuclly be delivered to yourhouse. lf no one is home, o note wi[[ be left osking you to pick up the pockoge otthe locoi postol fociLity or contoct the postcl serrrice by telephone.

U sinq The Telephone

Pubs, hotels, restouronts ond lorge stores hqve public phones ond there orepublic phones on mony moin streets. Minimum chorge for o locol coll from o

pcyphone is usuoLiy 2Op. ]n cose of difficulty, diol the intemotionol operotor on

155. Cheopest time to co[ home: 8pm to 8om (UK time) ond weekends.

A prepoid phone cord, (e.9. Swift), ovoiloble in f5, f10 qnd f20 qmounts, con

be purchosed from newsogents, smoll food shops ond post omces, is convenientqnd often the cheopest woy to moke intemotionol colls. To ovoid lorge

unexpected phone bills, we recommend olwoys using o pre-poid phone cord forcolls. MobiLes (or poftoble ce[[ phones) ore extremely populor in the UK ond con

eosily be bought (but cost oround f80 for the cheopest pre-poy phone). Bewore

thot colling mobiles from o house or business phone is usuo[y extremely

expensive.

18

lntemet Access & Librories

There ore mony librories oround Belfcrst ond the rest of Nonhem lreLond. you

do not hqve to poy onything to register tor o librory cord. To register you l]ove tobring o letter oddressed to you, cs o proof of your curent oddress jn Nofthemlrelond.

lf you register either with o public librory or your locol college or universiry it ispossjble to get free lntemet occess. The Belfqst Centrol Librory is ot RoyolAvenue, BT1 1EA (Tel: 90 5091 50). Coll or stop by for infomotion obout thelibrory closest to where you live or work.

ShoppingShops in Belfost city centre ore open 9om 5:30pm Mon-Sot ond until 9pm onThursdoys. Most other towns close holt doy on one doy o week (different fromtown to town) ond smoll shops tend to close qt lunchtime. Some lorge shoppingcentres on tl.le outsl<its of town stoy open until 9pm.

My time in Belfast not even síx mont|t -was defrniÍel,\) foo slTort.Once you immersed yourself in the local comrnunit t- there arehundreds rf possibilitie,s Ío creete Jour leisure tíme - ond gain

erperiences which are conryLetely differen.t from the ones at yottr"fficial" project. Almost eve ry organísaf ion political, cr, tural,

e¿lLrcot¡onol - i.s grate.fúl for volunteers tlld offers greot possibilitiesto get in touch witll di,fferent issues, dffirent people and differe t

views on lfe. Most oJ tlle people are vetj kind and find ít ittferest¡ngto work with volunteers Jrcm anoth.er countr\-

(Inken, Gemany)

ARTS & CULTURE ACTIVITIES

There is o very vibront ofts sector in Northem lrelond. There is o feeling thotbecouse the funding for oús octivities is so low in Northem lrelond, the quality

of work produced hos to be reolly high to sur¡¡ive. As o result, it is possible to

find very diverse ond interesting work. The free booklet "ort" (olso otw1¡,/wort.je qnd wra,rarort.co.ni)which is printed eoch month gives listjngs of ons

events ocross Notthem lrelqnd.

Poetry/LiterotureNorthem lrelond hos o number of weil-known contemporory poets, most

fomously Seomus Heoney. There ore oLso mony locol outhors ond there is o

good ronge of fiction set in NoÉhem lrelond (Colin Botemon, Brion Moore,

Anne Dun[op).

IREE - borrow books from the Locol librory (it is usuolly possible to order books

if they ore not ovoiloble)

There ore o number of festivols ond reodinqs throuqhout the yeor The Crescent

Arts Centre in BeLfost n:ns o "Between the Lines" testivoi eoch yeor withreodings ond workshops. Sometjmes the Locol librqries hqve reodings ond the

Linenholl Librory ocross from the Belfost City Holl is worth checking out. lnDeny there is o Verbol Arts Centre.

FREE librories ond festivsls will hqve free events.

Film

The BeLlsst Film Festivol, the Foyte Film Festivol, Cinemogic (films oimed qt kids,

but not exclusively) ond Cineversity (films on humon rights ond world issues) ore

festivols which n¡n ot different times of the yeor A number of films hsve been

recorded in No¡them lrelond over the post few yeors ond the loccl film industry

hos become more vibrqnt.

FREE (or low cost) - the QFT in Belfost gives on excellent discount with oEuropeon Youth Cord. Sometimes there ore free films os potts of festivols.

Visuol ArtThe golleries in Northem lrelond ore free. ln Belfost the notoble ones ore

Ormeou Baths GoLlery (contemporory oftists, photogrophs, instoilctions), O[d

Museum orts cenhe (contemporory photogrophs, instollotions), Cotolyst Arts(contemporory usuo[[y locol), Ulster Museum (pointings, speciol exhibitions).

FREE - they ore I

19 20

Theotre

Northem lrelond hos o couple of professionol theotre componies ond mqnyomoteur qcting groups. There ore mony good theotres ocross Nofthem lrelond(Old Museum orts centre ond \ric in Belfost, Millennium Fon..¡m ond ployhouse

in Derry, Riverside in Coleroine) cnd they put on o ronge of locol, UK ondintemotjonol peformonces. At festivol times (see below), ploys ond otherperformonces ore put on in unusuol locotions (in the post q disused bonk ond onotd joil)

FREE - occosionolly there ore free peformonces, but not so often. Sometjmesthe theotres look for voiunteers. The O[d Museum ofts centre rewords itsvolunteers with tree tjckets to some performonces. The festivols (see below)normo[y involve volunteers.

Music

There is music to suit most tostes in Northem lrelond.

Troditionol - it is quite eosy to find troditionql lrish music in pubs. Sometimesthese will be pefo¡monces, but sometimes (cnd, ifyou con find o good one,these ore the best) it is possible to find o "seisiún", which is reolly o jommingsession where the music con toke on o life of its own ! This usuolly tokes ploce ínthe come¡ of o pub with ony number of peopte ploying trqditionol instruments.

FREE - sometimes you moy hove to psy to get into o pub if there is o bondploying, but seisiún ore nomolly free.

Clqssicol - The Ulster Orchestro perform regulorty ocross Nofthem lrelond. Thereore olso other smo[er orchestros (Ulster Youth Orchestro, Horp Orchestr.o etc).

FREE - the "lnvitotion ConceÉs" in Beifost ore recorded for rodio broodcost ondfree tickets ore ovoiioble for these concefts from the BBC, Ormeou AvenugBelfost.

Live Gigs - Nothem lrelond likes its live music! There ore mony live musicvenues ocross Northem lrelqnd ond the best in Belfost ore the Empire ond theLimelight ond in Derry the Newe Centre (wrarrr.nen/e-centre.org.ul<). These orethe smoller venues (holding up to 500 people) ond hove locsl ond intemotionolbonds ploying. The ticket prices vory depending on how fomous the bonds orsingers ore, but in these smoller venues ore usuolly f8-f15. There ore olsolorger venues which hold over 1000 people (Woterfront Ho[[, Odyssey inBelfosl). but these ore more e,.pensive.

FREE- not so often! Sometjmes during festivols (see below)

Donce - Nofthem lrelsnd hos o good club scene ond some of our locol Dfs oredoing well (Dovid Hoimes is now doing scores for mojor Holyrvood films). Shine(ot Queens University Students Union in Belfost) is probobly one of the bestcLubs, but there ore mqny others in Belfost ond Deiry.

FREE - not reolly! Occosionolty open oir music events, but these ore usuollyon[y ot speciol events.

World Music - Moving On Music orgonise concerts ond performonces bytroditionol ond jszz musjcions from ocross the world. Most of these toke plocejn the Crescent Arts Centre in Belfost. Salso music cnd doncing hos become verypopulor in Northem lrelond.

FREE - someümes ot festivqls or open oir perfornonces.

Festivols

Nothem lrelond hos mony festivols throughout the yeor. These cre some ofthem:

Belfost Festivol ot Queens (wr,tr,^",.belfostfestivot.com) - for 2 weeks in

October/Novembe4 Belfost is to1<en over by the most estobiished of thefestivqls. Events include musig comedy, visuol oÉs. film, theotre, to $ ondspeciot events. Events tol<e ploce ocross the city ond in some unusuol venues.

Cothedrol Quqrter Arts Festivol (wr,w,,.cqof com) - in Moy. Tokes ploce oroundlhe qreo which is being developed os Belfost's "culturol quofter".

Feile (wrvw.feilebelfost.com) - Community Festivol in West Beifost. August.There qre some politicol ospects to this festivol.

Bonks of the Foyle llolowe'en Cornivol (r.twwdernrvisitorcom) - o hugestreet-porty time for Derry City ot the end of October

Young At Art (w1.\/1¡,/.youngotort.co.uk) - octivities for kids, fomilies & youngpeople. Belfost in Mo¡r

Cinemogic (wr.rr,,r.cinemogic.org) - Belfqst film festivoI for kids & young people.November/December.

Belfost Cornivol (wwla¿beifosicomivc¡L.org) - June

Belfost Film Festivol - Usuolly Morch.

Cineversity (w1,\,1¡,/.ulst.oc.uk/cineversity) - vorious films throughout the yeor invenues jn Belfost ond Derry Usuo\ hove politicol or devetopment theme.

Pride - the Northem lrelond versions of this goy & lesbion porode still tend tobe quite smoll

Between the Lines (w.ww.crescentorts.org) - literory festivol in Belfost. Morch.

21 22

Wolled City Festivol (r,u,r,rai.derrycit¡rgovuk) - Derry. June.

St Potrick! Doy (1 7th Morch) ond Oronge Porodes (1 2th July). Toke odvice

from locol colleogues obout ottending these - especiolly porodes in July The

12th July porode itself is colourful ond noisy (bonds from locol "Oronge

Lodges" porode through Betfost), but sometimes ossocioted porodes ore linkedto the sociol conflict. so be coreful.

There ore mony, mony others throughout the yeor - community festivols, hill-wolking festivols, seosonol & holidoy festivols. Just osk oround.

FREE - most festivols depend on volunteer involvement ond this volunteering is

highly recommended - you get involved with locol people & octiüties ond getto see some greot octivities ond performonces. And most of them hove on end

of festivol porty for stoff ond volunteers...

ADDITI ONAL INFORMATI ON

EVS (Europeon Voluntory Service)

Europeon Voluntory Service (EVS)is o Europeon Commission project thqt ollows18-25 yeor olds from Europeon Member Stotes, Pre-Accession Countries ond

some "Third Countries" to cqrry out o 3 week to 12 months volunteeringplocement in onother country There is olso the opportunity to opply for o

"Future copitol" gront to colry out your own project when your EVS hos

finished. More informqtion obout EVS con be found on www.sosforevs.org

You con find exomples of potentiol host plocements on the SOS web site qbove

in the dotobose (public) secüon snd more informotion on the Europeon

Commission (Directorote-Generol for Educotion ond Culture) othttp://europo.eu.int/comm/educotion / youth / pr ogr om / oction 2.html

Orgonisotions involved in hosting EVS volunteers in Northem lrelond

Bryson House

bryson.stu@dnet.co.ukwwwbrysonhouse.co.ukBrjaon House Voluntory Service; 97-UK 1345Environmentol Project: '1 UK 458Kerbside Rerycling Project: 1-UK 459Community Arts Outreoch (Crescent Ars Centre): 1-UK-464

City of Belfost YMCA

wr,trar.ym co-bfs. org

gory@belfost-ymco.org

IntemoüonqI Volunteer Progromme: O-UK-1 33

Conservotion Volunteers Northern lrelond (CVNI)

r.sheormon@btworg.ukConservotion; 96-UK-728

Eccoseeds (Strongford)

Tet OO44 (O\2844 881227Working with wjld flowers: 99 UK-1 35

23 24

Nl Woment Aid

Tet: 0044 (0)2890 666049Women's Aid Betfost: 97 UK-1960

Tools for SolidorityIeI OO44 lO)289O 7 47 47 3

Tools qnd Development for the Third World: 98 UK-2122

Clonobogon Comphill

TeL 0044 (0\2882 2s6114Eor\ Childhood Educotion Project: 98-UK-33

British Red Cross

Tel: 0044 (0\28 82251116Derry Under 5's ond intemotionoI Volunteerinq Projecl O-UK-404

CONNECT YOUTH

Connect Youth is o depoÉment of the British Council thot promotes youthprojects ond exchonges of young people between the UK ond other countrieswith funds it receives trom the Foreign ond Commonweqlth Office, theDeportment for Educotion ond Employment ond the Europeon Commission. ltis olso the officiol UK Notionol Agenry for the Europeon YOUTH Progromme,the progromme through which this Volunteer Guidebook hos been funded.

The Europeon YOUTH Progromme is open to young people in the '15-25 ogeronge ond those working with young people throughout 30 plus porticipotingcountries. The progromme torgets disodvontoged young people ond there oreno entry quolificotions required in order to toke poft. The YOUTH progrommerevolves qround the following moin themes:

& Youth for Europe group exchonges

Europeon Voluntory Sewice (EVS) - short ond Long-term

Youth lnitiotives - locolly bosed projects deüsed, run ond monoged by youngpeople

Support meosures - providing tools to ossist oll those working in the youthfield to develop projects reloted to the YOUTH progromme moin objectivesond oations

a&

*

Connect Youth is suppofted by o UK network of twelve Regionol Cornmittees.

one of which is locoted in Northem lrelond. Eoch Committee hos o Regionol

Coordjnotor ond proüdes o locol odvisory, jnformotion, troining ond suppoltrole, os well os moking decisions on most gront opplicotions.

To find out more obout the Europeqn Youth Progromme ond other exchqnge

progrommes offered vio Connect Youth, you first point of contoct should be the

neorest Regionol Committee:

Bemice Sweeney

Connect Youth Regionol Coordinotor for Northem lrelond

Youth CounciI for Northem ]relond

Forestview

Purdy! Lone

Betfost BT8 7AR

Tel: 02890 643882

Fox: 02890 643874

Emoil: bsweeney@youthcouncil ni.org.uk

Website; r,rruryouthcouncil-ni.org.uk

Or

Connect Youth

The British Council

1O Spring Gordens

London SWIA 2BN

IeI: O2O7 3894030

Fox O2O7 3894033

Emoil: connectyouth.enquiries@britishcouncil.org

Website: w¡¡vwconnectyouthintemotionol.com

25 26

NOTES AND NUMBERS

27

Enjoy volunteering in Nofthem lrelond!

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