Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Our friends at the National Union of Students told us that they believe volunteering abroad
can prove a life-changing experience for gappers.
“One way of using a year out is to see at as a break, a way to re-think your options, take
some time to do the things you always wanted to do, or do things to open up doors and ac-
quire skills you don't necessarily get in the classroom. Volunteering can be a rewarding and
useful way to gain some skills and make beneficial contacts and you might want to get some
valuable work experience in a field that interests you.
“If you do decide to volunteer abroad you should be careful about which organisations you
support. Look for projects that emphasise learning and you can learn much from the com-
munities in which you will live and work with.
“The most rewarding projects will not necessarily be most the glamorous but will be the
ones where you really feel benefited a community in a way that simply sending money
would not have.”
Being realistic, voluntary work can be tough. You may be out in the middle of nowhere, with
no western influence to be seen; food, language - the entire culture is likely to be totally
different from what you're used to and there might not be many English speakers around:
so you may have to cope with culture shock or feeling lonely, isolated and homesick at first,
but if you stick with it you'll usually find those feelings will go as you get more involved in
what you're doing.
Steffi Collaco, 21, applied to do law at Bournemouth University but decided to reconsider
due to the fees involved. After working on projects with Raleigh International she realised
she wanted to be a teacher.
She says: “I was inspired by children I worked with and motivated by meeting people from
all over the world on Raleigh; they had a certain fire in their bellies and were very inspiring.
I wanted to feel like that. I haven't been to university yet, but each step ahead of me is now
more targeted. I feel more motivated because I know that I'm doing exactly what I want to
do, having had time out to think about my options.”
