Concordia is a charity based in Brighton. Our mission is to support people to develop skills and gain experiences so that they can thrive. We run programmes that change lives and nurture global citizens who care about each other, their local communities and the world.

We are part of a global community – we work with partners and people from all over the world. All our projects are impactful - whether they are just up the road from us or on the other side of the world. We do this by working with local communities delivering programmes that respond to local needs.

Concordia was founded in 1943 to recruit volunteer labour to encourage peace and reconciliation in the aftermath of the Second World War. Since then, Concordia has supported around three-quarters of a million people to undertake incredible programmes that support local communities all over the world.

Our work as a charity supplies five core services: CYA (Concordia Youth Action), International Volunteering, NCS (National Citizens Service), Seasonal Workers Programme and our Wellbeing Programme. Although all our programmes vary, they are all motivated by our desire to make the world a better place. 

CYA (Concordia Youth Action)

Concordia works to improve local communities across Sussex. The young people we work with locally are passionate about making positive change and we help them do so. Launched in 2020, Concordia Youth Action (CYA) is a programme of blended volunteering (on and offline sessions and social action) that enables young people in the UK to engage with their local community through regular volunteering and skills sessions. As an official partner of the National Skills Builder Programme, our CYA programmes improve participant’s transferable skills, supports engagement and improvement of the local community, and develops citizenship.

International Volunteering

Our international volunteering programme supports people of all ages to undertake meaningful and locally driven volunteering projects worldwide, either individually or as groups.

Group volunteering projects are organised in close partnership with our global partners who are based in the country where the project is planned to take place. Partners communicate with the local community to identify what problem the group of volunteers can solve. 

As part of two of the biggest international volunteer networks, the Alliance of European Voluntary Service Organisations and the Committee for International Voluntary Service Organisations (CCIVS), we share with them quality standards for our projects as well as the ethos that drives our work. Each year, we collaborate with our global partners, to develop more than 1,500 volunteer projects that take place all over the world. These projects are designed for individuals. Volunteer projects take place throughout the year and vary in length, so you can fit your experience around work and study commitments.

NCS (National Citizen Service)

Concordia is proud to be a Delivery Partner for the National Citizen Service programme (NCS) in the Sussex area. Over the last eight years, we have seen thousands of young people successfully completing the programme.  

NCS is a life changing experience available to all 15–17-year-olds in England, no matter what your background is or if you are at school or not. It is a Government funded scheme to encourage young people to become more active in their local communities. Many of our NCS grads go on to volunteer as part of our Concordia Youth Action programme and on international volunteering projects.

Seasonal Workers Programme

Concordia supports the UK farming industry through the supply of labour, skills and resources. We offer people of all ages from all over the world the opportunity to work in the UK on agricultural farms to learn skills, gain work experience and earn money.

We believe that the ethical supply of labour is vital to the UK farming industry and to promoting intercultural understanding and peace. Concordia is one of two Government trusted and recognised organisations that provides work permits to overseas workers. Our ethos of excellent customer service, professionalism, reliable labour provision and training ensures we are the number one choice for those wishing to come to the UK to work.

Wellbeing Programme

In 2020, we launched our new Wellbeing Programme. This programme gives young people the skills and tools to manage their emotions, mental health and wellbeing. It is supported and delivered by experienced facilitators, fitting seamlessly alongside day-to-day learning young people receive in-schools.

Over the past 10 years Concordia has seen a significant decline in young people’s capacity to cope with what life brings them. Increasingly, young people do not have the skills and tools to manage their emotions and this impacts on every aspect of this life – from their school grades to personal relationships.

Our programme consists of short, focused working groups, supported by experienced facilitators who lead activities and exercises with the young people to support them to understanding and manage their emotions. The programme is flexible and designed to suit the school’s curriculum and the needs of their individual pupils referred to the programme. Concordia’s programme is shaped around the academic year with the aim of support those students most affected and most impacted by COVID-19.