VES Abroad trustworthy?

scotty91

Hey guys,

VES Abroad were around the college during the week and im really interested in going, i've booked a place and everything. there's a snag though...my mom doesn't think its trustworthy because she researched it and once she saw the words "not a registered charity" she automatically presumed they would just rob our money. so my question to you is: Is VES Abroad trustworthy????

ValJester

They can be contacted through the Socs Website, and I'm sure that'll allay any fears you may have.

Lorrainetansey

Hi You are right to be concerned about this company. ALIVE is NUI Galway's volunteer programme and we are here to help inform you about your options when it comes to international volunteering.

There is loads of information on our website and we produced a very special booklet called - International Volunteering: A Guide for NUI Galway students.

You should pick up a copy today at ALIVE located in the Hub, Aras na Mac Leinn.

Lorraine Tansey
lorraine.tansey@nuigalway.ie

Lorrainetansey

Hi where did you see it on the socs website?

apoeiguq3094y

Lorrainetansey wrote: »

Hi You are right to be concerned about this company.

Is there a specific reason to be concerned? i.e. have there been any reports that this organisation are not a charity? or that their intentions are not charitable? or as the OP said will someone be sipping Piña coladas on a beach somewhere at the OP's expense?

sillybird

scotty91 wrote: »

Hey guys,

VES Abroad were around the college during the week and im really interested in going, i've booked a place and everything. there's a snag though...my mom doesn't think its trustworthy because she researched it and once she saw the words "not a registered charity" she automatically presumed they would just rob our money. so my question to you is: Is VES Abroad trustworthy????

As stated by the OP (in bold)- this would concern me. They may be a legit charity.

dapto1

Is that a new name for VSA?

shonaluciani

Hi all who have replied to this thread.
My name is Shona Luciani and I am the Director of International Programs for VESA (Volunteer Eco Students Abroad)
We did visit the campus a few weeks back and are still in the process of promoting our program across not just Ireland, but England, Scotland, Wales and Canada.
We have been running programs for university students since 2008 and this year is the first time we have extended the invitation to Ireland.
I understand that you would be concerned of scams, as they seem to be frequent these days, but this would have to be a pretty elaborate scheme for
a) the university to allow us to promote to its students on campus
b) have all of our facebook group and page in on the scheme... ridiculous!
c) have testimonies and pictures on our website indicating the incredible experience past participants have had on our programs.
We are not listed as a registered charity in Ireland as we are an Australian based organization. Please feel free to visit ASIC to view a profile of our organization online and a list of directors.
If you have any further concerns please contact us directly by sending an email to euinfo@vesabroad.com or calling us on 1 443 3092
or visit our facebook group titled "volunteer eco students abroad" to see what other students from your university are saying, and when they are traveling this year.
Sincerely,
Shona Luciani
Director of International Programs
VESA PTY LTD

Lorrainetansey

Shona many thanks for your post - I will be contacting you soon to learn more about your company.

In relation to permission from the university to be on campus - I would like to know who you sought and received permission from to promote on campus.

Many thanks,
Lorraine

Lorrainetansey

dapto1 wrote: »

Is that a new name for VSA?

Hi dapto1

VSA is NUI Galway's Voluntary Services Aboard - Medical students in their 4th year coordinate overseas volunteering. This is a recognised NUI Galway society activity.

VESA is not VSA, VSA did not change its name. VESA is stands for volunteer eco students abroad

Lorrainetansey

apoeiguq3094y wrote: »

Is there a specific reason to be concerned? i.e. have there been any reports that this organisation are not a charity? or that their intentions are not charitable? or as the OP said will someone be sipping Piña coladas on a beach somewhere at the OP's expense?

When considering international volunteering there are a number of things to think about and I encourage anyone thinking of volunteering overseas to be concerned on a number of points. These are all outline in the NUI Galway resource - A guide to international volunteering.

For example - if the organisation is non-profit/for profit/a company/a charity - you should ask them a number of questions, like how much of the funding goes directly to the people or community on the ground? how much to administration costs? what is the relationship of the organisation to the people and community on the ground that you will be volunteering with on a day to day basis? Do they provide training before, during or after your experience? Do they support you while you are there?

There are two really great websites to check out -
Idealist.org - have a great online international volunteering resource centre that outlines everything you need to know including choosing the right organisation to go with - and the ethical considerations.

http://www.idealist.org/en/ivrc/index.html

The Irish website volunteer options is excellent-
http://www.volunteeringoptions.org/

Sean55

The original concern was that VESA does not appear to be a registered charity, and it still seems that this is a legitimate worry. In 2010 a one-off poster on this thread, apparently speaking on behalf of the company, said—

shonaluciani wrote: »

I understand that you would be concerned of scams…We are not listed as a registered charity in Ireland as we are an Australian based organization. Please feel free to visit ASIC to view a profile of our organization online and a list of directors.[/I]

A look at the ASIC (Australian Securities & Investments Commission) register of companies shows that currently VESA ENTERPRISES PTY LTD is an "Australian Proprietary Company, Limited By Shares", in other words, a commercial company with no charitable obligations.

In light of this, the full 'official' reply above seems, at best, disingenuous or, at worst, deliberately evasive. It may be that this organisation is doing only good things, but if so it should be proud to publish online its full annual reports and accounts, alongside the extensive promotional presence it has already created here and elsewhere on the web.

So far there is no sign of this information. Caveat emptor! :eek: