About Indigenous Community Volunteers
Indigenous Community Volunteers (ICV) is a registered charity and non-profit organisation committed to closing the gap on Indigenous disadvantage and promoting reconciliation. We work in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to improve quality of life, health, and social and economic wellbeing in the community.
At ICV we believe strongly in the importance of bottom-up and grassroots approaches. Communities need to own their development agenda if it is to be sustainable. We ‘listen’ rather than ‘preach’.
ICV is invited by communities to help them take control of their own futures. Local people have the best answers and can generate the best solutions to their own local problems and challenges. We help them draw these out and provide access to skilled volunteers on human and community development projects in areas where employment, economic development and education opportunities are often limited.
Our practices are participatory and inclusive. We ensure that we are doing things ‘with’ rather than ‘to’ or ‘for’ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities.
ICV hunts and gathers volunteers to work with communities on community-driven projects. We don’t hunt and gather projects for volunteers. Communities nominate the volunteer skills they require to help them achieve their goals, and select the most suitable volunteers. ICV Community Development Officers work closely with communities and volunteers throughout the project supporting, assisting and monitoring.
ICV’s community development work creates a unique two-way exchange. It provides Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with development opportunities and access to skilled people to help them achieve their goals. And it gives volunteers the chance to live and work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, to learn first-hand about their issues and culture. ICV is reconciliation in action.