March 19, 2008 “This programme has helped me rediscover myself. I now see myself in a totally different light: I appreciate and respect people more.” These are the words of Khumo Mogano, a young South African who took part in the British Council’s Global Xchange Initiative.

This is what intercultural exchange can do for a person. It is part of a life journey, enriching a person’s understanding of their world and of themselves.

The Global Xchange Initiative is a six-month exchange programme that offers young people the opportunity to share their skills and make a contribution to needy communities, while personally benefiting from intercultural exchange.

We run the Global Xchange Initiative in partnership with Volunteer Services Overseas (VSO), an international charity organisation that places volunteers.

From March 2008, six teams of UK and local volunteers will be working in Syria, Indonesia, the Philippines, Kenya, Egypt, Malawi, South Africa and the UK.

We advertise the programme in national newspapers. Young people aged between 18 and 25 can apply and go through a selection process.

Eighteen volunteers from the UK and South Africa recently arrived in Mooiplaas, a community in Mpumalanga, swapping the comfort of their homes for six months of community service.

British Council in South Africa programme manager Lion Phasha says: “The aim of the programme [in South Africa] is to encourage volunteerism in this country, engaging with youth on issues of cultural relations and community work.” The programme also encourages the exchange of cultural values and traditions between young people.

The volunteers spend three months living in host homes in South Africa and three in the UK. “We pair one South African volunteer with a volunteer from the UK in one host home and they visit schools, organisations and clinics, run campaigns, write reports and engage with communities. The first three months are spent in a South African community, and the next three are spent in a Welsh community. The project is now in its second year in South Africa and this year’s work is centred on HIV/AIDS.”

Phasha says this project is important for the South African youth involved. “For South Africans this exchange is a huge move to encourage volunteerism. It’s a way of getting young people to engage with different ethnic groups and with people from other parts of the world. It encourages sharing and learning about cultures and traditions, and helps to create learning networks. The young people are exposed to different parts of South Africa and begin to grasp the concept of globalisation.”

This project also changes perceptions about the role of young people in communities. “It emphasises the fact that young people are taking action and confirms that young people have the energy and creativity to engage in issues that our government fails to engage in.”

Mogano, who now works as a local project manager for the Royal Bafokeng Institute, applauds the British Council for creating these opportunities. He says the Global Xchange Initiative has had a huge impact on his life.

“I had a great time staying with my UK counterpart. We spent a lot of time together and developed a lasting relationship. The experience gave me a deeper understanding of people with different identities and people from different backgrounds.”

Mogano says the project also helped him overcome his own shortcomings. His initial prejudice against disabled people developed into a “passion” for helping them after he volunteered at a centre for disabled people as part of the project.

We cover the expenses of the programme and support host homes. UK volunteers arrived in South Africa on March 17 and are settling into their host homes in Mooiplaas. Read more in the coming months about the experiences of the volunteers in our News in Africa section.