Volunteer Now

Volunteers are the fuel that powers our progress. In 2010, more than 350 individuals in the community served as professional resources, sharing their knowledge and expertise with visiting international leaders. Our hospitality volunteers welcomed visitors from around the world into their homes for dinner and conversation, demonstrating Hoosier hospitality in action. At events including ‘The International Feast’ and The Center’s International Citizen of the Year gala, volunteers work alongside staff, strengthening Indiana’s global connections.

To better help you understand our different types of volunteer opportunities; a brief description for each program is listed below. In order to be considered for any of these opportunities, we kindly ask that you fill out our volunteer application, which helps us to better match our volunteers with these prospects. You can do this by clicking here.

We welcome your support. We need your help!

If you have are any additional questions about volunteering for The International Center, please contact Jessica Coffin, The Center’s volunteer coordinator, at (317) 955-5150, ext.227, or jcoffin@internationalcenter.org.

Volunteer Opportunities

Dinner Hospitality for International Visitors

One of the most rewarding ways to become personally involved with The International Center is by introducing international visitors to Hoosier hospitality. The overall goal of the dinner hospitality program is to provide international visitors the opportunity to meet a typical American family and to learn more about American culture, customs, and traditions. We feel that Hoosiers offer a great representation of America’s diversity, and by offering to host an informal dinner in your home to a small group of emerging leaders from around the world, you have the opportunity to experience a memorable evening and create connections that transcend borders.

You are encouraged to volunteer to host as many guests as you feel comfortable and able to host, but typically our volunteers host one to three visitors at a time. You are welcome to invite any interested neighbors and friends to your dinner as well.

We kindly ask that hosts provide transportation for their visitors to and from their hotels. The standard pickup time is 5:30pm. Visitors are typically housed at one of three downtown Indianapolis hotels: Homewood Suites, Hampton Inn, or the Conrad. If there is difficulty in providing transportation, please consult with International Center staff and we can look into the possibility of providing alternative arrangements if this is a problem. To learn more about the IVLP program, please review the IVLP Factsheet attached to this email. To learn more about IVLP, visit here.

Professional Resources

The International Center encourages local professionals to volunteer as a resource for relocated international families and professionals that have recently moved to Indiana. The primary programs where volunteers are used as professional resources include our Community Orientation Program for Expatriates (COPE), Global Competency Training sessions, Orientation Program for International Employees (OPIE) and the International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP). Below is additional information on each program, along with links to their respective websites.

Community Orientation Program for Expatriates (COPE)

The Community Orientation Program for Expatriates consists of 8 seminar sessions for spouses and partners of recently relocated professionals. The program is aimed at helping newcomers feel quickly at ease in their new country, enhancing a family’s cultural adjustment and ensuring a successful assignment in Indianapolis. Each session will focus on a different aspect of life in Indiana and the United States. Topics covered include Bridging the Culture Gap and Self- Development, Change and Stress Management, American Social Customs and Holidays, Legal and Health Care, Personal and Family Safety, and Volunteerism.

Volunteers would need to attend an informal three to four-hour training session during business hours and provide their cultural insights and perspectives on life in Indiana. To learn more about COPE, visit here.

Global Competency Training

The International Center designs customized Global Competency Training programs to help companies, organizations and agencies interact more comfortably and productively with people from other cultures. Training is often used to prepare executives for meetings abroad or to host visitors from another culture. Volunteers will be asked to share insights about how their culture affects business practices, particularly in regard to communication, management and leadership styles.

Volunteers that are interested in participating in this program will be selected based on their cultural experience in the countries covered during these training sessions. Volunteers will need to attend a one to three hour training session and will be asked to provide insights based on their cultural and business experience in these countries. To learn more about the Global Competency Training program, visit here.

Orientation Program for International Employees (OPIE)

This is a single-session program which gives new assignees the opportunity to get acclimated quickly and effectively to life in Indiana, meet international employees from other global firms in the state, and access resources to enhance their work-life experience here. The program includes an internationally focused orientation and city tour, luncheon and facilitated discussion highlighting strategies for stress management, the phases of adjustment, constructive opportunities to get involved and develop a local network of resources to relevant ethnic and cultural organizations.

Volunteers to this program are usually asked to have a one-hour informal lunch discussion during the week with a recently relocated international professional. These meetings take place in the downtown Indianapolis area and can range in conversation from professional topics to general questions about life in Indiana. Lunch will be provided. To learn more about OPIE, visit here.

International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP)

The International Visitor Leadership Program is a U.S. Department of State program that organizes emerging leaders from international countries to come to the United States to confer with business professionals in identical fields.

Volunteers that are interested in participating as a professional resource for the IVLP program will be required to give an informal, one-hour long presentation to these visiting delegations based on their area of expertise. These presentations typically take place during the week through normal business hours either in the business office of the volunteer or at The International Center located in downtown Indianapolis. To learn more about the IVLP program, please see the IVLP fact sheet that is attached to this email. To learn more about IVLP, visit here.

Events

The International Center periodically holds events which require volunteers, including our International Citizen of the Year and annual meeting. The assistance of our volunteers is vital to the continued success of these events. As the date is set for each event, we will send out an email to all of our volunteers asking for your support.