Our Volunteering & Internship Programs
INN offers a wide range of volunteering & internships program in Naples, in differente fields (education, social work, environment) and with different target groups (Migrants & refugees, homeless, ecc.). We offer placement, support and we have a volunteer house in Naples, where you can stay with other volunteers.
Teaching English in Public Schools
You'll support English Teachers in providing classes and doing conversation with students of different ages (6-18y.o.) in Naples public schools.
Available from October - June starting from 4 weeks.
This program aims also to work on the Italian problem of the low level of the English language.
Thanks to the help of volunteers they can realize that English is not just a subject in school, but a way to communicate with people abroad and a fundamental in get opportunities of explore the world or get a job.
This project is well suited to volunteers who are passionate about working with young learners to help improve their English language skills.
On the Teaching English project, you will be placed in a public school in Naples where you will assist teachers in their daily English classes. You can expect to follow the local school curriculum and either assist the local teacher on your own or alongside another volunteer.
Help in a Dog Shelter
Help a Dog Shelter and its volunteers in taking care of more than 100 abandoned dogs!
Available all year (except Christmas holidays) starting from 2 weeks
Combine your love for dogs and desire to improve the unfortunate situation of abandoned street dogs in Naples taking good care of them!
The program is managed by a local NGO who protects dogs in Naples with the aim to improve the situation of animals living on the streets. The NGO is managing a dog shelter in the suburbs of the city. The shelter is an home for more than 100 dogs who were abandoned or grew up on the streets. The shelter is leaded by a small group of volunteers who divide their time between different activities ranging from veterinary care, cleaning cages, preparing food and of course playing, as well as coordinating volunteers and struggling to receive support. You'll help the local volunteers in taking good care of the dogs: they'll be very rewarding and they'll be your best friends!
Given the above mentioned lack of resources, volunteers could help the NGO in fundraising activities, promoting some crowdfunding campaigns, or help in small renovations and maintenance of the shelter.
Dental and Medical Assistant
Shadow and help dentists and doctors in providing care to homeless and migrants in a clinic run by doctors volunteers!
Available all year (except August and Christmas time) starting from 3 weeks
We work with 2 NGOs who provide assistance to homeless people and have small clinics where they can provide free general care and medical examinations with an equipe of volunteering doctors which are present on rotation (cardiologist, dermatologist, orthopedist, ENT, oculist, gynecologist, ecc.).
In one of them there are also 2 dental rooms where there are dentists and is the only place in Naples who provide complete dentist care for free. Dental interns and volunteers will work alongside these dentists to gain experience in practical techniques such as prophylaxis, sealants, restorations, and extractions and in preparing the tools. Volunteers and Interns will be given a level of responsibility according to their level of training and expertise, and the lenght of their staying.
Volunteers/interns in the medical area can have the following tasks:
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Observation and shadowing
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Supporting in doing examinations (such as. electrocardiogram)
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Clinical Assistant and Prep-Room duties
Migrants and Refugees Assistance & Integration Support
Help the refugee and migrant community to gain a foothold in Europe by supporting shelters, integration
Available all year (except Christmas) starting from 3 weeks
Organisations that work specifically with migrants and refugees in Naples, generally have limited resources and rely heavily on local and international volunteer support to run their various initiatives.
These organisations require volunteer support in a wide variety of activities such as administration, management skills and community workshops, supporting migrants with their daily activities and needs, cleaning, food distribution, event organisation, research, communication and outreach. Daily volunteer tasks vary as required by the organisation in which volunteers are placed and according to their current initiatives. Volunteers with relevant experience can be given the opportunity to participate in counselling and legal support for migrants seeking humanitarian asylum.
After School Care
You'll help educators and social workers in providing educational activities, school support and playing activities with the kidz of underprivileged areas of the city.
Available all year (except August and Christmas) starting from 4 weeks.
You would volunteer in an after school care and young centers of one the most underprivileged areas of the city.
Activities are focused on services administered to minors in the after-school care area especially in relation to creativity workshops, theatre, arts, sports and family support. The engagement is centered on after-school programs addressing the needs of minors living in neighborhoods at risk of social marginalization. These activities include: homework support, game & recreational, art & craft and street activities. Your engagement on the basis of your skills may include support to educational and recreational activities including participation to games and creativity workshops.
The area where volunteers will work has a big population density and mostly inhabitated by poor families, migrants and children that drop out of school during the legal age. It is very characteristique, dominated by the oldest market of the city and small shops and restaurants which make the best traditional Neapolitan food.
Help in a Soup Kitchen
You'll help social workers or other volunteers in the kitchen who offer meals for homeless in one of the underprivileged area of the city.
Available all year (except Christmas holidays) starting from 2 weeks
Volunteers will preferably support workers during the morning in preparing meals and running the day service. The volunteer will help prepare ingredients, e.g. by chopping vegetables, bread, preparing dishes and helping to prepare meals. You will also have the opportunity to learn some recipes, such as the famous pasta carbonara or meatballs according to the Neapolitan tradition and you will discover that meatballs and chicken are not used as a condiment for pasta in Italy.
In addition to preparing about 20 meals for the sick homeless who are in the 24-hour service, volunteers will also slice and prepare donated food that needs to be frozen.
In the mornings, you'll support in particular one social worker helping him in the kitchen and sometimes with small tasks related to the running of the facility.
Special Needs Care
Volunteers will assist with daily tasks in a special needs center for young adults such as creative workshops, desk support or helping in occupational therapy & educational services.
Available all year (except August and Christmas time) starting from 4 weeks
A disability is not necessarily an inescapable condition resulting from pre-existing health issues. It is also a consequence of the negative interaction with an inhospitable and hostile environment. Any innovative initiative requires measures designed to break down the barriers that hinder the inclusion on a daily basis of people affected by disabilities within our society.
Special Needs organisations intend to focus not only on people with disabilities, but also on those who interact daily with them, such as teachers and parents, friends and colleagues. The aim is to create a best practice that can be duplicated overtime in order to ease the issues associated with these conditions. This approach depicts a multifaceted, non-partial and educational development method made readily available to those who have a disability and also to those who want to interact effectively with them.
Depending on the centre where volunteers will be hosted the various activities and tasks may include:
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Support to services provided to the centre's guests such as occupational therapy, psychotherapy, neuro-psychomotor therapy, educational training
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Support, participation or teaching in artistic or creative workshops (e.g. theatre, music and handcrafting), activities supporting the development of an enhanced personal autonomy and/or recreational activities
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Support to empowerment with training processes
Soccer Assistant Coach
Support training sessions with kids, girls and teens in soccer schools in underprivileged areas of Naples
Available all year (except July/August and Christmas) starting from 2 weeks
Neapolitans literally go crazy for soccer and the local team S.S.C. Napoli, for everyone here "Il Napoli". Naples is the city where one of the most famous soccer player, Diego Armando Maradona, was the star of the local team for 7 seasons and led the local team to win its first Italian Championship. Naples is also the city of the former World Champion and Fifa World Player of The Year Fabio Cannavaro.
We work with 2 organizations that used sports as a vehicle for urban regeneration, education and social inclusion. In Scampia, Antonio and his friends, find one public place, a green area surrounded by buildings which was abandoned and almost reduced as a dump: together with the help of some local people who volunteered with them and of one NGO, Antonio recovered the area and created a field for playing. He started a soccer school for the kids of the area and supported several boys team in participating in the local championship. The soccer school is a way to engage boys and girls, educate them and give a dream. Actually they work with more or less 300 boys and girls of different ages (from 6 years old to 17 y.o), divided in different ages according to their ages.
Peppe with his friends asked to the City a small portion of one the biggest building in Europe, Real Albergo dei Poveri, and with the help of the community they renovated it and created a big sporting center and in one of the yeards they have their football pitches. They have about 200 players aged 6-16 years old.
Coaches assist and guide participating student athletes achieve a higher level of skill, discipline, sportsmanship and citizenship.
Instructors lead physical training and soccer practice, in particular working on game fundamentals and on game technical skills, and depending on the level and ages of their team they are focused on developing and implementing game strategies.
This sporting NGO has the important aim of creating a culture of commitment and trust particularly through mentorship and social development
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, assisting the head coaches in daily operations; assisting in all aspects of coaching in practices and games; assisting in overall program planning and organization; assisting with other duties assigned by the head coach.
Teaching Music to Kids and Teens
A music education project which involves 60 kids aged from 5 to 18 years. The main purpose is to facilitate social integration through learning and playing music together
Available from October to June starting from 3 weeks.
You would volunteer in an after school care and young centers of one the most underprivileged areas of the city.
INN is supporting a music education project started in February 2012, which currently involves 60 children aged from 4 to 16 years. The main purpose of the project is to facilitate social integration through learning and playing music together, so they reach two goals at the same time: the chance to teach music to unprivileged children and promote social integration. We believe that music is an important way to foster personal growth and social inclusion. P
laying music refines the cultural sensibility it builds the child character, educating to self-control, concentration and discipline. Furthermore playing music together strengthen civic sense, encourage integration and socialization, respect and collaboration.
40 children from the age of 7 regularly attend six classes where they learn playing clarinet, flute, french horn, percussions, trumpet and oboe. About 20 little children between the age of 4 and 7 years old receive music basics class.
Volunteers assist the teachers in creating a positive and collaborative atmosphere and supporting them in giving instructions to kids and in make them learn music and practicing an instrument. Volunteers will have the chance to see the kids enjoying music and according with the time they are going to spend with them, they will see their improvements as citizen as well as musicians
Musical instruments are lent by the organization to those who cannot afford to buy one.
The area where volunteers will work has a big population density and mostly inhabitated by poor families, migrants and children that drop out of school during the legal age.
Urban Forest Conservation
You will work in a forest grown in the crater of a volcano!
Available from June to October starting from 3 weeks
INN is partnering with Oasi degli Astroni, a natural protected area on teh borders of Naples.
The crater has an extension of about 250 hectares and a perimeter of about 6.5 km. The eruptive activity manifested itself in 7 different eruptions, which began about 4100 years ago and ended about a century later
The Oasis, with more than 600.000 trees (many of them grown over the centuries) is the home for many species of animals. Birds are among the most numerous animals and certainly among the easiest to observe with over 130 species populating the crater throughout the year: ducks, herons, birds of prey, woodpeckers, etc. The crater is the nesting site of five majestic species of diurnal birds of prey: peregrine falcon, kestrel, sparrow hawk, buzzard and honey buzzard. There are many species of reptiles, anphibex and mammals and a huge number of invertebrates (about 55 different butterflies among the others).
The Oasis therefore has a significant impact with its natural heritage on the city's ecosystem and makes a decisive contribution to purifying the atmosphere in the city's western districts.
Volunteers have the opportunity to help preserve the natural protected area their tasks will vary depending on their background. Volunteers can expect physically rewarding work.
Among the activties, in particular from Mid June to Mid August there's always to join activities of fire prevention with patroling of specific areas.
Fires are one of the most important threats during the summer season in the Mediterranean area and a few years ago, this area was also affected by a large fire that affected a large number of trees.
Other activities are always outdoors and of a physical nature, such as path cleaning and vegetation care. The oasis also has a beehive, which is useful for educational activities for children, but also for the conservation of a species that is fundamental for regulating the balance of the ecosystem. Volunteers take part in beehive and bee care activities.
For those with additional skills, depending on the needs of the oasis, desk support for translations, communication activities among others can also be considered.
Work schedule depends on the current workload and the weather and will be discussed with the Oasis staff.
Marine & Archaeological Preservation
You'll work in the smallest Natural Protected Area of Europe.
Available from May to November starting from 3 weeks
INN is partnering with The marine protected area of Gaiola is an area of great historical and natural interest. The underwater Posillipo coastline still maintains an amazing environmental and archaeological heritage in a beautiful coastal landscape located close to the centre of the city of Naples. The study, the safeguard and the development of this huge, forgotten heritage of the city of Naples are the main aims of the Natural Area.
The objectives are pursued combining research activities with scientific popularization activities, with a multidisciplinary approach.
The Area works on several aspects:
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Monitoring and preservation of the marine biocenosis of the MPA Gaiola Underwater Park
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Geo-archaeological analysis: The team is concentrated on a research project based on the detailed survey of the underwater archaeological features and on volcanological and geo-morphological analysis of the coastline.
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Phyto-sociological analysis: This study concerned the botanic component of the tuff coastline of the MPA.
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Coastal Artificial Cavities survey
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GIS (Geographic Information System): All the data acquired during the different research studies have been integrated creating a GIS (Geographic Information System) map
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Guided tours are organized in the MPA Gaiola Underwater Park and in the Pausilypon Archaeological Park (an archaeological area historically connected to the MPA Gaiola).
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Since 2006 they realizes an environmental/cultural education project called “I Mari di Napoli ” (Neaples Seas) with school students. The aim is to teach the new generations to discover and respect the marine environment.
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University Project: “Training for the marine sciences”
Volunteers have the opportunity to help preserve the protected marine area and the archaeological site and their tasks will vary depending on their background.
Volunteers can expect a long day of physically rewarding work, requiring high energy levels.
Work schedule depends on the current workload and the weather and will be discussed every day with the volunteer supervisor.
To be considered to work within marine preservation volunteers are required to be good swimmers, although diving is kept to a restricted depth so volunteers do not need to have scuba diving experience.
Migrants Basketball Team Coach & Assistant
Join a Team made up of young teenagers of west African immigrants as assistant coach or helping with fundraising and in creating new partnerships
Available all year (except July/August and Christmas) starting from 2 weeks
INN is supporting this experience leaded by a former Italian basketball champion who decided to start a basketball team for the sons of the migrants settled in the area of Naples.
This story begins with a handful of teenagers gathered on a cracked asphalt basketball court in the grounds of an abandoned holiday resort to start training for the first time.
Founded in Castel Volturno, an area with 25,000 inhabitants of which 5,000 are registered migrants and many thousands more who are undocumented, the premise of the club is that it should be free to join. Based in an area with no other opportunities for young people to distract themselves, this team has emerged as an important project for younger members of Castel Volturno’s immigrant community.Ask to a team player why he loves basketball so much and the 13-year-old says it makes him forget everything and feel free. Such sentiments point to sport’s capacity to heal and to build confidence, empowering young people as they prepare for adult life.
Volunteers could be involved in this projects in three main ways: one on the court assisting coaches, one helping their fuindraising activities and one with the social interaction with the kids helping the psychological support provided to them.
Volunteers don't have to be an experienced coach to get involved; all you need is a general knowledge of the game, and a desire to enjoy the game with the kids.
Volunteers will work with the technical staff who he's in charge to plan and handle training sessions. You'll give a contribution in improving the kids play, helping them in practicing defense and offensive phases, their shooting accuracy. The main goals are increasing the ability of the young players, make them respect rules and strenghten team collaboration and identity.
On the social side of this experience volunteers could give a huge contribution in make them achieve skills such as self confidence, teamwork and discipline. Your presence there could be a precious opportunity to get in touch with another culture and increase their world perspective. Particularly if volunteers have any psychological background or you have sporting experience you could contribute in improving teamwork and collaboration.
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