EIL Intercultural Learning

🌍 🇨🇭 Explore Scholarship Winner: Sophie in AFS Switzerland!

Our Explore Scholarship winner, Sophie, is currently spending three months in Switzerland, immersing herself in Swiss life, living with a host family and attending a local Swiss school. 💛

Sophie has recently been settling into her new community, meeting other AFS students and experiencing everything that comes with living and studying in another country, from new friendships and school life to discovering a different culture and way of life.

At the end of her exchange, Sophie’s journey will continue to Brussels, where she’ll take part in a three-day Peace Camp alongside AFS students from across Europe. 🇪🇺

She’ll visit key European institutions, explore global issues and learn more about peace, active citizenship and what it means to be a global citizen.

We can’t wait to follow the rest of Sophie’s Swiss adventure and hear about everything she learns along the way! ✨

🏉 🇳🇿 NEW FOR 2027: AFS NEW ZEALAND RUGBY SEMESTER!

Take your passion for rugby to the home of the All Blacks and Black Ferns! 🌍
EIL/AFS Ireland is delighted to introduce an exciting five-month Study Abroad programme combining secondary school education, rugby training and cultural immersion in beautiful Aotearoa New Zealand!

Based in Ōamaru on New Zealand’s South Island, participants will become part of their school’s rugby team while experiencing everyday Kiwi life, making international friendships and developing their skills both on and off the pitch.

✨ Programme highlights:
🏉 Join your school’s rugby programme and experience New Zealand’s rugby culture firsthand.
🏫 Boys: Attend Waitaki Boys’ High School, with boarding accommodation during term time and a host family stay during school holidays.
🏫 Girls: Attend St Kevin’s College and live with a host family from the school and rugby community.
🌏 Experience cultural immersion, personal development and international exchange.
🌊 Discover Ōamaru, a beautiful coastal town known for its beaches, wildlife and welcoming community.

📍 Location: Ōamaru, New Zealand 🇳🇿
📅 Programme dates: 22 April – 25 September 2027
⏳ Duration: 5 months
💶 Programme fee: €8,900 (excluding flights)
📝 Application deadline: 15 February 2027

📩 Interested in applying?
Contact our Study Abroad team at [email protected] for programme information, application guidance or to arrange a call.

Your rugby journey could take you halfway around the world! 🏉✈️

🇻🇳✨ 8 weeks of volunteering, cultural immersion and unforgettable experiences in Vietnam!

Meet Michelle, one of our EIL Explore Access UCC Award winners, who spent her summer volunteering in Hanoi through our partnership with CSDS VN and Volunteers for Peace Vietnam - Hochiminh, with the support of Access UCC. 🌏❤️

From teaching English to primary school children and supporting university students with their language learning, to sharing everyday life with volunteers from around the world, Michelle’s experience was filled with opportunities to learn, connect and grow.

As a medical student and future doctor, a particularly meaningful moment was visiting Vietnam Friendship Village, where she learned about the lasting health and social consequences of Agent Orange and the rehabilitation, education and medical care provided to those affected.

The experience offered Michelle a powerful perspective on compassionate, community-based care and the kind of doctor she hopes to become. 🩺💚

And, of course, there was time to explore! From the bustling streets of Hanoi to the incredible landscapes of Ha Giang and Ha Long Bay, Michelle experienced so much of what Vietnam has to offer. 🏞️

💬 “While I went to Vietnam to teach, I found myself learning just as much from my students and the people around me.”

We’re so proud of Michelle for embracing this opportunity and returning home with new friendships, skills and perspectives that will stay with her long after her summer abroad.

A huge thank you to Access UCC, CSDS and Volunteers for Peace Vietnam for helping make this experience possible.

🇻🇳❤️ Cảm ơn Việt Nam!

🌍🦁 Kenya Climate Change & Wildlife Conservation Programme 🇰🇪

Looking for a summer experience that goes beyond the ordinary?
EIL Ireland, in partnership with AFS Kenya, is offering an incredible 15-day Climate Change & Wildlife Conservation Programme for young people aged 14–17, taking place in July.

Travel through Nairobi, Kitengela, Naivasha, Narok and the Maasai Mara, learning first-hand how climate change affects communities, ecosystems and wildlife, while discovering the conservation initiatives working to protect them.

🌱 Take part in climate change & sustainability workshops
🦓 Experience wildlife conservation in the Maasai Mara
🌬️ Learn about renewable energy, including geothermal and wind power
🏡 Experience a homestay with a Kenyan family
🤝 Take part in community service
🌍 Learn about Maasai culture and visit a traditional Manyatta
🛶 Take a boat trip on Lake Naivasha
🦁 Experience a Maasai Mara game drive and, depending on timing and conditions, the Great Wildebeest Migration

The programme includes accommodation, full-board meals, excursions and tours, wildlife safaris, community-service activities, airport transfers, orientation and 24/7 local support.
📅 July 2027
⏳ 15 days
👥 Ages 14-17
💶 Programme fee: To be confirmed
✈️ Flights not included

Interested in climate action, wildlife, sustainability or simply experiencing a completely different culture? This could be your summer adventure.

📩 Contact [email protected] for more information.

🇵🇱 Study Abroad in Poland ~ Transition Year 2027!

Looking for something a little different for your Transition Year? Spend 3 or 5 months living and studying in Poland with AFS Polska and experience life in the heart of Central Europe.

🏡 Live with a volunteer Polish host family
🎓 Attend a local secondary school
🌍 Immerse yourself in Polish culture and everyday life
🗣️ Learn Polish while sharing your own language and culture
🤝 Meet other young people and become part of your local community
🥟 Discover everything from pierogi and Polish traditions to vibrant cities, mountains, forests and the Baltic coast
AFS Poland provides local volunteers and mentors to support students throughout their exchange, as well as orientations and opportunities to connect with other exchange students.

August 2027 programmes:
✨ 3-Month Trimester - €4,150
✨ 5-Month Semester - €5,900
✈️ Flights not included

Challenge yourself, experience a new culture and find a second home in Poland. 🇵🇱💙
📩 For more information, contact [email protected]

💙 We’d love your vote! 💙

We’re incredibly proud that EIL / AFS Ireland is part of this year’s Charities Institute Ireland Charity Excellence Awards, and now we need a little help from our community!

For more than 60 years, EIL has been bringing people and cultures together. From scholarships and study abroad opportunities to welcoming international students, supporting volunteers and helping people become active global citizens, everything we do comes back to one simple belief: when people understand each other better, we can build a fairer and more peaceful world. 🌍

Every year, more than 1,800 people take part in our intercultural learning opportunities, but behind every number is a person, a family, a volunteer, a host community or a life changed through a new experience.

That’s why being recognised means so much to our small but passionate EIL / AFS Ireland community.

🏆 We’re asking for your support in the People’s Choice Award.

If EIL has been part of your story, perhaps you travelled with us, hosted a student, volunteered, received an Explore scholarship, worked alongside us, or simply believe in what we do, we’d be so grateful for your vote.

👉 Vote for EIL / AFS Ireland here:
https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=HYPIv75oJUurmkdqHejI97rwlwW_CzRKiOiPhHtdy2hUN1U4VzBRUFk0VFhUNjdEUkNaSE1JN0pITi4u

And please share ~ every vote really does mean a lot to us. 💙🌍

Fill | People's Choice Award 2026 Vote for the 2026 People’s Choice Award.  The Charities Institute Ireland Charity Excellence Awards celebrate outstanding work and achievement across Ireland’s charity sector. While the winners of our award categories are selected by an independent judging panel, the People’s Ch...

🎬🍿 Looking for something to do for Cork Arts Culture Night this evening?

Why not pop into EIL / AFS Ireland on Washington Street and discover a little bit of Cork history, and a whole world of intercultural experiences, under one roof? 🌍

You may know our building better as the former Classic Cinema, and tonight we’re opening our doors from 5pm–7pm for Culture Night!

Come in, have a look around, meet our team and volunteers, and find out more about what we do at EIL / AFS Ireland.

We’re also delighted to have some of our recent Explore Scholarship winners joining us. They’ll be sharing their experiences and stories from their recent adventures, so if you’ve ever wondered where an EIL opportunity could take you, come and hear it directly from the people who’ve experienced it. ✈️🌍

And, of course, what would a night in a former cinema be without popcorn?! 🍿🎬

A HUGE shoutout and thank you to The Arc Cinema, Cork and manager Charleen, who have very kindly provided us with lots of delicious freshly made popcorn for this evening, along with some complimentary cinema tickets! ❤️

📍 Classic House, 11–13 Washington Street, Cork
⏰ 5pm–7pm tonight
🎟️ Free – no booking required

So if you’re in Cork City this evening, come through our doors, grab some popcorn, meet some great people and discover what EIL / AFS Ireland is all about.

We’d love to see you! 🌍🍿

🇲🇽 Nirzaara’s 8 Weeks in Mexico 🌎🐢

From Spanish lessons in Oaxaca to volunteering with children and working alongside a turtle conservation project on Mexico’s Pacific coast - Explore Scholarship winner Nirzaara spent eight incredible weeks immersing herself in Mexican life and culture. 🇲🇽

Nirzaara began her adventure with two weeks in Oaxaca, studying Spanish at the Instituto Cultural Oaxaca and living with a local host family. Along the way, she met people from all over the world while experiencing everyday life in one of Mexico’s most culturally rich regions.

She then travelled to Barra de Potosí, Zihuatanejo, where she joined another host family and got stuck into community life - volunteering at a kindergarten, spending time with local children and working at a sea turtle conservation camp alongside local people and scientists. 🐢🌊

EIL’s Explore programme is all about going beyond simply visiting a country. Participants spend eight weeks living locally, improving their Spanish and getting involved in meaningful community or environmental projects. The programme includes host-family accommodation, two weeks of Spanish lessons and in-country support.

Eight weeks, two host families, a new language, new friendships and a completely different way of life. 💛

This is what Explore is all about - seeing more of the world, but also discovering more about yourself along the way.
🇲🇽 ¡Bienvenida a casa, Zara!