I’m Francesca, I’m 23 years old and I’m studying languages at the University of Venice. I’ve been an intern at EIL for three months, helping out by translating some programmes and itineraries into Chinese, Italian and making some worksheets about Spain, too. I'm going home now but I've really had a great time at EIL.  Everyone has been very kind and willing with me, I really enjoyed my time at the office and I learnt very much from them, they are a very valued team!

I think their job is very worthwhile, I met some young people about to leave with one of the programmes and they were so enthusiastic and exited that I felt delighted myself!!!

Victoria Perry will officially join the EIL UK team as Chief Executive in September 2011. She joins us from The Egypt Exploration Society, a charity with operations in Egypt and the UK, where she brokered partnerships and developed key relationships with major funders and stakeholders.

Much of her career prior to this was spent with the British Red Cross as a Fundraising Manager and latterly as an Operations Director, leading a large cross-functional team.

Today we say a sad goodbye to Mona. Mona is from Germany and has spent the last month volunteering in the EIL office. She came to find out what goes on at an international charity and chose EIL after spending 9 months on an EVS project at a local charity in 2008. She has been a great addition and we are sorry that she has to return home to continue her studies.

Mona said "I had a really good time here and I found it very interesting to see all the different programmes. It was really good to get an insight into everything and it was nice for me to help and to be involved in projects. Everyone was really nice to me so I really enjoyed it here."

Thanks for all your help Mona!

Some of our High School students recently celebrated Chinese New Year with a Chinese buffet. The students from Germany, Finland and Belgium are here on our High School Programme, living as a British teenager with a Host Family and attending the local Sixth Form. They joined their Local Rep for an international start to the Chinese New Year, which was "delicious" and enjoyed by all.

During a recent homestay weekend in Worcester a group of American students who are attending university in the UK spent time meeting with the Mayor of Worcester, Mike Layland, and visiting the Guildhall. The students all found this an interesting and very different experience and even made it into the local paper!

The homestay visit was organised by EIL on behalf of the ‘Arcadia Institute for Study Abroad’.

EIL have been hosting a group of American students visiting the UK for the past month to learn about film and to make a short film about young people in Britain and about their lives and culture.

The video is called 'Some Days...Some Lives...Somewhere in England' and follows the group from Malvern, to Bradford, Liverpool and Derby.

EIL UK is hosting an EVS (European Voluntary Service) Short Term Creative Arts Project from 8^th – 28^th July 2010 in Gloucester. 

The aim of the project is to give disadvantaged young people the opportunity to build up their basic / social / life skills in an informal way through a short volunteering experience. It also enables the participants to learn about life in another culture.