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AVIS

Auroville Volunteering, Internships & Studies programs

AVIS Professional Volunteers

Feedback from volunteers

AVIS Unity Pavilion International Zone Auroville 605101 Tamil Nadu, INDIA email: Study@auroville.org.in

Independent students and volunteers
Who do we serve?

We receive requests from:

• Young people who have finished formal studies and would like to volunteer their skills to gain work experience.
• Young people who simply want to come and live in Auroville for some time and contribute to the life here as a volunteer
• Professionals who would like to come and volunteer their professional services for a time in Auroville
• Students who as part of their studies would like to have the opportunity to gain practical experience in their chosen field.
• University graduates and researchers who are interested to make an area of life in Auroville a theme of their research

What kinds of learning opportunities are available?

What is the process for organising a learning/volunteering opportunity?

Once you have decided that you would like to come study or volunteer in Auroville for more than 1 month:

• Email Study@auroville.org.in and indicate your interest. You will receive an application form to help us gather more specific information about your interests.
• A list of contacts at potential places where you could undertake a learning/volunteering experience will be prepared and sent back to you within 2 weeks of receiving your application.
• You can then contact the people recommended directly to see if one of them is interested in welcoming you, and working out the details. Please copy(cc) us your correspondence so we can track your progress. Most managers of services or units where you may seek engagement are very busy so you may not receive an answer straight away. If you do not hear back from them within 10 days, feel comfortable to send a polite reminder.
• Stay in touch with AVIS! Let us know when you find a suitable placement and when you come to Auroville, pass by the office and introduce yourself; we're located in the old financial services building near Aspiration. We are not only available to help link you to a placement but will also help in any way we can to make your transition into Auroville smooth and happy. We also regularly host gatherings for visiting students and volunteers so you can meet and exchange experiences with others who are exploring Auroville independently like you. We are keen to keep improving this service so we would like to hear about the highs and lows of your time studying or volunteering in Auroville.

Please note that in most cases, you will need to be able to finance your own expenses during your stay here. avguests@auroville.org.in can give you advice about accommodation possibilities.

Groups and learning communities
Who do we serve?

• Students from the US come for a semester abroad program coordinated by an organization called Living Routes 2 times per year. Through engagement with an integral approach to world issues that encompasses inner, cultural, and outer processes, students broaden and deepen their understanding of sustainability, ecology and community building, while exploring daily awareness practices such as yoga and meditation. www.LivingRoutes.com
• Each winter quarter, University of Washington , Seattle students come to study linkages among nature, spirit, and political theory, as well as sustainable development, resource conservation and community building.
  http://depts.washington.edu/chid/
• The Indian Council of Architects are bringing student groups twice a year for courses in sustainability.
• Naropa Institute in Bolder, Colarado includes Auroville in their Sacred India tours.
• Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) and Findhorn community in Scotland have conducted study groups in Auroville
• Vestoppland Folk Highschool in Norway who offer a parallel, more holistic alternative to formal education for young adults (over 18), have brought a number of visiting student programs and plan to increase their programs in the coming years
• We are increasingly receiving interest from other institutions and universities abroad that recognise Auroville as a “living learning centre” and would like to host programs on themes compatible with the ideals of Auroville. Recently a collaboration has been established with The California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) , which will be bringing 2 student groups to Auroville for programs in January 2005 for the first time. www.ciis.edu The University of California , Santa Cruz 's anthropology department are planning to bring a student group in the summer of 2004. During the 5 week program, students will be introduced to issues relating to sustainable agriculture, community building, women's empowerment and ecological movements through integrated field activities in and around Auroville.

What we can offer

Specifically we can offer:

• Advice and assistance for tailoring study programs to specific needs and information on resources within Auroville that can be available to your learning community. This could include providing the services of a full-time facilitator who would make arrangements for introduction to Auroville, service learning opportunities, Auroville resource people for special interest seminars, group bookings in guest houses, group transportation to and from airport, organising transport within Auroville and arranging for side-trips to Thiruvanamalai etc. A coherent fee structure for these services is available on request
• Access to specific study courses, such as programmes studying the work of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, environmental sustainability, health and body related therapies.
• We are in the process of creating a program of integral studies. More information will soon be available about this. This will be a program conducted by Aurovilian specialists in many fields.

How to contact us?

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