VISION

An international community that celebrates diversity, lives sustainably, and embraces the capacity of young people to effect positive change.

MISSION

To empower young people and support community development both locally and globally.

VALUES

Collaboration, Accountability, Respect, Empowerment, Sustainability

WHY VOLUNTEER WITH YCA?

YCA is a not-for-profit, secular, youth organisation. We are an Australian based organisation which has been sending young volunteers on grass roots, community identified development projects since 1992. YCA is primarily a development organisation, working together with our partners towards the Millennium Development Goals. Our focus is equally on empowering the youth who volunteer with us, and on supporting effective community development both locally and globally. We work closely with long established partners in a select group of countries to ensure that projects are community identified and worthwhile. YCA is committed to bridging the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. As a result, we are currently the only organisation providing short term volunteer opportunities in Indigenous Australia for young people who do not have specific skills. In addition, we run a leadership and volunteer program for young Indigenous Australians, with funding support from the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.  YCA is a signatory to the Australian Council for International Development Code of Conduct, demonstrating an active commitment to conduct our activities with integrity and accountability. YCA’s volunteers receive ongoing support throughout the preparation and project phase, including fundraising advice. Upon return from their project, we recognise the importance of ongoing support as our volunteers readjust to life at home, and provide debriefing and support to help our volunteers deal with reverse culture-shock, and any other issues they may face. More than that, our volunteers form a like-minded network of socially aware youth, who engage with one-another both independently and through our Alumni program.

OUR PARTNERS

YCA has a number of long-established relationships with organisations which are highly respected in the communities where we work. We are a member of the Youth Challenge network (formerly called the Youth Challenge Alliance) which is a network of organisations which share a common aim, purpose, philosophy and programs. Being a member of the Youth Challenge network brings substantial advantages, particularly in access to local partners, as well as common understandings and methods. Involvement in this network does not preclude YCA from working with other organisations. YCA is open to engagement with new networks for the purposes of increasing our effectiveness, promoting solidarity, extending our reach and building alliances. A full list of our current partners is available here.

OUR HISTORY

In 1978, the Prince of Wales launched a two year, around-the-world youth expedition to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Sir Francis Drake's circumnavigation of the globe. Operation Drake involved 200 international youth in three-month programs centred on science, community service, and adventure in remote parts of the world. As a result of its success, past participants replicated the program in Canada. The idea of Youth Challenge Australia came from a group of Australian volunteers who had participated in ‘Operation Drake’.  Upon their return to Australia in 1991, these volunteers - mostly students at UTS, as well as UTS Senior Lecturer, Mark Darby, a Group Leader in Guyana - set about making this great opportunity available to other Australian youth. With dozens of Australian volunteers having participated on projects in Guyana and Mexico, Youth Challenge Australia was founded in 1992. In 1993, YCA completed the first of what was to be three consecutive Pacific projects in the Solomon Islands, with 16 Australians and 35 other participants from the Solomon Islands, Mexico and Canada. In 18 years, thousands of Australian youth have participated in YCA projects worldwide, and a staggering number of community development projects across numerous sectors have been completed through the participants' labour and fundraising monies.