Become a field volunteer

The work of PBI volunteers is indispensable.

Teams of volunteers provide moral and physical support to human rights defenders and organisations working for social change and the development of civil society, whose lives and work are threatened by violence.

Preparation process

Each volunteer goes through a training period so as to be to be fully prepared for the challenging work within the PBI projects. If you are interested in volunteering, you must meet the language requirements of the project you're interested in. If you are living in the UK, the UK office should be your first point of contact for information and support throughout the application process.

The application process involves two residential preparation sessions:

1. An Orientation Weekend in the UK
2. A project-specific Training

Orientation weekend

The first step in becoming a volunteer is to attend a PBI orientation weekend which provides a useful general introduction to the principles, aims and policies of Peace Brigades International. It is designed to be an informative and enjoyable weekend for anyone wanting to learn more about the work of PBI and international accompaniment.

PBI UK organises two orientation weekends a year. The weekends are led by returned field volunteers and take the form of an intensive residential training over 2-3 days. In the sessions, the trainers deal with the principles of non-violence and non-partisanship together with their practical application to the specific country where the project works.

Book yourself on an upcoming orientation weekend

Read about one persons experience on an orientation weekend

Orientation weekends are held in May and September each year. Contact the office at the address below if you are interested.

Training

The second stage for joining the team of volunteers is participating in the Regional Training. Each project holds several trainings each year in Europe, America and the Asia/Pacific region.

In the 7-10 day training, potential volunteers will look at the history and current political situation in the project country, the causes of the conflict and PBI?s role in that situation.

Participants will explore concrete situations in which a team member may find themselves. At the end of the training, a decision is made if candidates are suitable to join the project.

Read about our current field volunteers.