Like many enormous corporations, International Youth Fellowship Educational Foundation (IYFEF) is divided into branches. International Youth Fellowship (IYF) is one dimension of the larger non-profit organization that is IYFEF. IYF is a global youth initiative devoted to intellectual, emotional, and spiritual growth of the world’s youth. As a segment of the Christian-based organization, IYF consistently works toward spreading hope through faith.  Theresa Ha, the current director of the IYF New Jersey (NJ) branch, has been a part of IYF for 9 years now. She states, “The importance of IYF in society is because it will raise leaders of our next generation who possess the capacity to be selfless, sacrificing, and ones who embrace a global mindset. With this said, IYF is in the forefront of the battle in gaining back the hearts and minds of young people who are lost or in turmoil.”

IYF English camp is a short-term volunteering program that travels to “teach English and plant hope in foreign countries.” Through a varied mix of language learning programs, volunteers expose students of all ages to English and the basics of American culture. By overcoming obstacles and limitations caused by language, participants are gifted with a newfound perspective on their futures. Concurrently, IYF volunteers are experiencing the happiness that comes from helping others. Volunteers teach participants to fearlessly face the challenges associated with learning English. As a way of establishing a solid foundation, they place an emphasis the basics of grammar. Then, lectures are paced and singular. Ha states, “Volunteers can teach English in the various countries we host English Camps. Through this experience they could strengthen their hearts, challenge themselves, and change the world.” IYF covers all the dimensions of English language from reading and writing to speaking and listening. After which participants are tested by performing a job interview, writing a short essay, or reciting a poem. The barriers associated with not knowing English can be stagnating. When participants have succeeded in learning English, their lives are littered with new opportunities, hopes, and possibilities.

In 2001, IYF first ventured into language learning with the National English Speech Contest in Korea. Students were paired with IYF’s native English speakers to practice speeches, sharpen their English-speaking skills, and create confidence. English Camp exposed Korea’s youth to English in the context of American history, culture, food, games, and trends, and for many of them, this was their first opportunity to speak with a native English speaker. Following that, in 2012, IYF USA hosted its first English Camp in Monterrey, Mexico. A grand total of almost 400 American volunteers taught more than 1,300 Mexican participants from various schools.

IYF has various goals that contribute to their overall goals. They strive to create international awareness and cultural exchange, providing rich, remarkable experiences. Not only that, but they also facilitate short-term and long-term volunteerism domestically and overseas. This creates an atmosphere of togetherness, responsibility, and unity. As a volunteer, encompassing all of these things can be challenging, but the rewards are tremendous. Ha states, “It [the experience] will instill leadership skills and raise global awareness through a unique blend of innovative and educational youth-targeted programs.” Apart from their goals, IYF has 3 core values that drive all that they do, the first being challenge. They consistently challenge preconceived notions and narrow-mindedness. Separately, they create cohesion between diverse cultures and values. They do this by encouraging people to understand and embrace their difference, which in turn creates a platform for true heart-to-heart connections. Beyond that, they attempt to create change in hearts and minds of the societies and environments they visit.

Generally, applicants are college students and young adults who want to make a difference. While 16 and 17-year olds may apply, full parental consent is required. There are various reasons why they are the primary demographic. Ha states, “They are the targeted demographic because in this day in age many college students and young adults have been confined to digital technology—iPhones, texting, chatting, iPads—that communication the old fashioned way has died. This aids isolation in the youth. And when they face difficulties because there is no outlet for them they turn to drugs, alcohol, and violence.  We teach students the world of the heart and help them through various programs to exchange their heart with others to receive a new healthy heart.” IYF is an incredible way to combat the disadvantages of a society riddled with impersonal technology that impacts how youth solves problems, interact with one another, and moves throughout the world.

Make sure to not buy a ticket departing from Newark Liberty International Airport. The participation fee for the camp is a flat rate of $200 plus round trip airfare from New York to Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The fee also covers the mandatory workshop and transportation cost from campus to the airport. However, necessary travel document fees are considered the sole responsibility of the volunteers.

Volunteers will departure from New York (NY), either John F. Kennedy International Airport or LaGuardia Airport, on June 9, 2015, and return on June 20, 2015.

Before departure, volunteers must attend a workshop. The mandatory workshop will take place between June 6, 2015, and June 9, 2015, and it is an overnight experience will full accommodations provided. Because volunteers are not required to have any specific English as a Second Language (ESL) teaching experience, the workshop is a way of providing the necessary training and preparation for the task at hand. Volunteers are expected to bring a valid passport, Bible, sleeping bag, proper clothing—including long trousers—sneakers, medicine, flashlight, blackboard chalk, markers, hat, water bottle with built-in filter, watch, I-20 visa if necessary, and any additional personal belongings that are essential to the trip. Any luggage should be brought to the workshop, as everyone will be departing directly to the airport from the workshop. Beyond that, any volunteers who do not have transportation to the workshop at IYFs Mahanaim campus are expected to contact them before May 31, 2015 for assistance.

Currently, there is only one month left to register and pay for 2015 IYF Haiti English Camp! For more information pleases visit the IYF website, email newjersey@iyfusa.org, or call973-767-8720.