The UK Government and VSO are immensely proud of everything International Citizen Service (ICS) has achieved to date.
Between 2011-2020, VSO and our partners supported over 40,000 ICS volunteers to contribute to sustainable change, working alongside community members in some of the poorest regions of the world.
The UK government announced in April 2023, that a new ICS programme will be launched in the coming year. The previous contract for ICS, led by VSO, came to an end in December 2020. VSO cannot accept applications for the new scheme until the government has decided how it will be delivered.
The ICS programme launched in 2011 and since then nearly 40,000 young people have volunteered across the world.
92% of partners involved in ICS have said that their organisation is better able to bring positive change.
74% of ICS volunteers say the experience has been very useful for their career development.
What can I do?
Youth networks
Our youth networks are unifying and amplifying the voices of young people.
Volunteer with VSO
Find out more about volunteering with VSO
ICS impact
Supporting development work on the ground, developing young volunteers and building a legacy of active citizenship. We're proud of the difference our volunteers have made.
ICS stories
By bringing young people from all walks of life together to volunteer on placement, and then back in their home communities, ICS has delivered positive changes beyond the 12-week volunteering placement.
The power of youth volunteering: Eight years of impact in eight ICS projects
Since 2011, more than 38,000 young people have taken part in ICS. Eight years later, we celebrate eight of our favourite moments of ICS impact.
Dieng’s story: Fighting polio gave me a passion for education
Rem Dieng, 26, was born with polio. It affects the way she walks – and her chances of getting work. Now a volunteer on VSO’s International Citizen Service (ICS) programme, she’s using her story to inspire youth club members to continue into higher education and better job prospects.
Meet the young activists fighting for Deaf rights
Youth volunteers Raabia, a young filmmaker from the UK, and her Kenyan counterpart, Enock, explain how badly marginalised Deaf people continue to be in both countries – and what they’re doing to help.
Our partners
ICS was funded by the UK Government's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), which projects the UK as a force for good in the world, including reducing poverty and tackling global challenges.