WHO VOLUNTEERS
GAP YEAR & STUDENTS
Gap Year & Students:
1 week - 6 month gap year programmesVoluntary work and placements where you can make a differenceFully supported programmes to ensure high levels of quality and safety
Can accommodate friends / couplesIf you are leaving school and not planning to take a full gap year, you might still want to spend your summer holiday abroad doing something challenging and exciting.
These programmes are also suitable if you are a University student looking do something interesting during the summer break.What can you do and where? Please see the full list of our projects and destinations.
Our approach to Gap Years:
Opportunity to work in a beautiful environment in the developing world and get to know a community and small area of the county. You will be contributing a great deal to the people, animals or environment you work with and making a real difference. You will meet many people, make new friends and the placement is a good way to prepare you to travel on independently during your gap year if that is your plan. At the end of your time you’ll have had an unforgettable experience, acquired new skills and independence, and we’ll even write you a reference to put the finishing touch to your CV.Preparation, training and support.
Being in a developing world environment is a very exciting opportunity, but we recognise that it will also be an unfamiliar one to people on their gap year.A comprehensive information will be given to you after you apply so that you can fully understand the placement before making a commitment. Support and advice is then available throughout the period leading up to your departure.
On arrival in-Sri Lanka, you will receive training appropriate to your role and location. Through the training and local staff in your selected project, we aim to provide a framework of support within which gap year volunteers can live independently. In each project you work , local staff provide support and assistance. The staff understands the needs of gap years and are experienced at dealing with all kinds of issue that may arise. They are always available in case of emergency.
UNIVERSITY GROUPS
University groups:
We offers a range of standard and bespoke volunteering opportunities to university groups, with a range of long term projects overseas which university groups can join to gain experience for their course whilst actively contributing to the project.Whether you are a university student looking to join one of our volunteering projects with a group of fellow students in order to gain experience for your course, or a placement manager/head of department looking to arrange a volunteer placement for your students, then we have projects to suit you.
We offers volunteering opportunities to university groups and we can also offer bespoke expedition volunteering opportunities which can also include adventure, exploration, cultural and relaxation components to the trip.
Why should you consider volunteering as a university group?
Volunteering as part of a university group has great benefits for both the group and for the project itself. By choosing a project that is closely related to your course, you can gain hands on, practical field-based experience to complement your theoretical knowledge gained from your lectures.Many university courses require students to participate in placements in order to build up a portfolio of experiences and work a set number of hours in the field. Volunteering overseas is a fantastic way to do this as you are able to build up a lot of hours and gain lots of practical skills within your time at the project which are often not possible within your home country.Depending on which project you choose, it is sometimes also possible to carry out your own research project at the project; the results of which volunteers have used for their dissertation, MSc or PhD.
The graduate employment market is very competitive. With this in mind, employers will often be looking for candidates who have both academic qualifications and experience in the field that they wish to go into. By volunteering on a course-specific project , you will gain practical skills and experience which will make your CV stand out from the crowd and show a passion for your chosen career path. Not only that, but volunteering as a university group is also a lot of fun!
As well as the benefits that you will receive through volunteering as part of a university group, the projects also benefit considerably through having volunteers join them. We work with long term projects and volunteers are part of a bigger picture of development. University groups are welcomed as volunteers allow the projects to continue with their fantastic work and often enable the projects to develop further. The theoretical knowledge that university groups bring is also highly valued and the results of research that groups carry out is always welcomed and utilised by the project.
projects for university students?
We offers projects from 1 week – 6 months in Sri Lanka. Our projects include animal care, child care, teaching, conservation and community development so we have projects which suit a lot of university courses. Most of our volunteer projects are able to accommodate university groups.All our projects will have comprehensive risk assessments and we have an excellent reputation for providing handpicked projects that we know personally, offering a friendly, knowledgeable and professional service and providing supported placements at affordable prices.
CAREER BREAKS ABROAD
Career Breaks Abroad :
A career break is your chance to do something new and exciting from your normal job whether you choose to escape for 1 month or a whole year. By taking a break from the normal 9-5 grind you can explore the world,
volunteering in Sri Lanka using your time off to help make a meaningful difference.A career break gives you the chance to do something you have always dreamt of, whether it is diving and helping to protect coral reefs, helping rescued elephants, digging a well or teaching children in orphanages. Travelling to a new country and volunteering could be ideal option for you if you are considering a new career path, taking a sabbatical or your kids have flown the nest.
Why should you consider volunteering on your career break?
Volunteering is no longer just aimed at teenagers on a gap year, volunteering is open to a wide age group up from families up to retirees. All volunteers come with the same ideas and motivations since they want to give up their time to help at projects around the world so when you arrive volunteers bond over their shared interests.You do not need any specific skills or experience to join our volunteer placements since you will be given your required training and inductions when you arrive at the project. However you can link your current career to the volunteer placement by sharing your skills and experience with the project. If you have experience teaching, why not teach English in schools and orphanages in Sri Lanka. If you have experience in media then you could help with the Film and Photography project in Sri Lanka. If you have experience with animal husbandry we has over 5 projects who would love you help.
Information for people on career breaks?
The projects are from 1 week up to 6 months in Sri Lanka. Our projects include animal care, child care, teaching, conservation and community development so we’re confident that we’ll have a project to suit you. All of our projects are available to people looking to take a career break and volunteer overseas.
LIFE CHANGING EXPEDITIONS FOR THE CADETS
Life changing expeditions for the Cadets:
Exciting expedition and some truly worthwhile projects to volunteer at and support.focused volunteer work with local communities, animal care centres and conservation projectsadventurous trekking, diving, white water rafting and mountain bikingclose up experience with local people and spectacular historical, cultural and natural world sites.
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We’ll take you to places you’ve never dreamed of and you’ll do things you never thought you would:
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You can work with local people in their home villages.
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You can join conservation work in wild and remote rainforests,
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You can care for exotic rescued wildlife,
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You could find yourself trekking, diving, on safari or in Sri Lanka.
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You’ll also learn about and explore some incredible cultural locations
Its your expedition and you won’t see the world the same way again!
Our cadet expeditions:
provide deep leadership and resilience trainingwork with and strengthen your unit's rank structuregive a focus to your annual training programmeequip cadets and leaders with self-confidence and world travel experience,add strength to your recruitment campaigns, enhance your unit's profile in your local community.All our expeditions are in locations where we have detailed local knowledge and structured sustainable development programmes.
This means that when your cadet team volunteers at one of our projects you can be sure that your contribution is part of a long term development plan. We only ever create expeditions that we would love to travel on ourselves!
