Each country participating at the YES 2008 will send International Group Leaders (IGL) who are, first of all, in charge of accompanying the exchange students to and from the YES.
During the YES, the IGLs are responsible for leading group sessions, carrying out a variety of tasks, enforcing the rules of the YES, and most importantly, for the security and well being of the students.
Around 30 IGLs from more than 25 different countries will gather at Werbellinsee to take care of more than 400 students. Being an IGL requires responsibility and YFU experience, but has also a lot to offer: the possibility to gain more knowledge and to meet new people from all over Europe and, of course, a lot of fun!

What an IGL does…

Among the many tasks for the IGLs the most important one will be leading the “Leaving Home Session” and “Going Home Session”. In order to support the IGLs in the preparation and execution of the sessions there will be an obligatory IGL training which focuses on methods and skills needed for group work. During the training, the volunteers from different countries with different levels of experience have the opportunity to ask questions and share their knowledge. Workshops are of great importance for the YES. They allow the students (and the staff members) to get a deeper understanding of the topic of the YES and will enhance interesting discussions among the participants. IGLs will function as assistants to workshop leaders and can thereby participate content wise at the seminar, too.
Additional tasks are more practical, however very important for a seminar of this size. IGLs will be responsible for helping with free-time activities as well as for supporting the logistics team with certain task, e.g. overlooking the cafeterias, guarding the premises at night, supporting the Information Desk and the YES Café and, last but not least, saving the students from drowning (only IGLs with lifeguard certificates J).
All in all, being an IGL is a challenging but also a rewarding experience – and definitely unforgettable!

The IGL Management Team

A group of around 30 people need coordination to a certain extent - which is the task of the “IGL Managers”. They prepare the IGL Manual and the Training Session, send out preparatory material prior to the YES and offer support to the IGLs whenever needed. Furthermore, they facilitate the IGL Meetings, which are a good opportunity for the IGLs to get to know each other and to share information and best practices.

If haven’t done so yet, please do register now!

The IGL Management Team
igl@yfu-yes.org

Marijke Hendrickx   Melmun Bajarchuu