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Ten Reasons to Volunteer
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Ten reasons to travel and volunteer with Gap Year for Grown Ups.
The best way to really experience a country and its true culture is to get off that well trampled tourist trail and get involved in something…
Working all over the world, Gap Year for Grown Ups pairs passionate people with the projects that need their help. REAL people give their time to projects that help animals, support children and work with vital environmental causes.
Take a look at the Top Ten reasons for volunteering with us…
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Help from the very beginning
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“My travel advisor was great, she explained what I'd be doing, what to expect and answered any questions I had. They provided me with all the right information before I left.”
Qamran Hussain, Goa Volunteer
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Talk to someone who knows the score - on weekdays between 8am and 7pm or on a Saturday between 10am and 4pm.
All our staff are experienced travellers, we understand what planning a trip/career break is like, so we make sure that you get an experience that is everything that your looking for, as well as something that will suit your skills and interests. So that you have all the information that you need for your trip, you will receive a detailed pre-departure pack to make sure you are prepared before you leave.
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Feel like you've got nothing to offer?
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Of course you have! Anyone can make a difference and the projects we work with need as many volunteers as they can get. All it takes is a little enthusiasm and you can accomplish anything, whether you have special skills or not. We want as many of you as possible!
We believe that bringing communities together, from all over the world brings about a better understanding between them - and sending volunteers out to project is a great way to get this interaction going and getting people to understand what life is like in other countries.
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“ I thought I was too old and ‘over the hill' but apparently not! The project touched my heart - I went for adventure and came back home with commitment.”
Julie Jones, Kenya Community Outreach |
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A defined role and purpose
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“When I arrived in Ghana I felt nervous and excited but felt that they had prepared me as much as possible.”
Alice Richens, Teaching English in Ghana |
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We make sure that you are in the know before you go about the role that you will play as part of your chosen project. This is to make sure that you're comfortable with what you are doing before you decide whether to commit to go and to make sure that you know what to expect.
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First impressions count
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Having made a really big decision, maybe even a life-changing one, its great to made to feel both supported and confident in your choice. To make sure you do feel good about it, you'll be met at the airport and give you a chance to settle in before you get a thorough orientation with all sorts of tips and advice about your chosen destination.
We'll also make sure you get introduced to all the key people on your project - your project leaders, fellow volunteers and the locals!
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“Upon arrival I met many volunteers, and also Mary and James - my project leaders! Immediately they were very welcoming and I felt straight at home.”
John McClelland, Kenya Community Outreach Project |
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We choose our projects carefully
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“ Volunteers have made all the improvements at this wildlife centre. It is their donations, hard work and dedication that drive the project forward and give orang-utans in this part of the world a great chance of survival.”
Guillaume Feldman, Malaysia Orang-utan Experience |
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We work with all sorts of people - individuals, organisations, NGOs and Christian groups. We know each of our partners personally and we know that they know how best to use your skills and time in the areas that they are most needed. We are also in regular contact with them, making sure that all is running smoothly.
It's great to know that by investing you time, energy, skills and providing a bit of financial aid (many of our volunteers carry on raising money after they return home) you are make a big difference to someone's life.
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24 hour safety & security assistance
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If for any reason you need help whilst you are away, they'll always be someone on hand to help whether it is one of the onsite team, or someone in the UK office on the 24-hour emergency phone. We assess all our programmes regularly, to make sure they are operating up to standard, identifying potential risks and minimising them for the best possible experience for all concerned.
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“The trip was better organised than if I has planned it myself. Also they made me feel more safe and secure whilst I was out there”
Kate McCue, Kenya |
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Where does my money go? - Pay to Volunteer
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The cost of a programme depends of several factors; the destination, the amount of time you are going for and the particulars of the programme. So, you money goes between, first and foremost the project donation, services at your destination - food, accommodation, transport and your project coordinators and covers the cost of managing and developing the Gap Year for grown ups business.
The success of the Real business directly affects and contributes to the partner projects, in a very positive way! Our business is committed to and focused on our customers and charitable partners.
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Can I make a difference in just a couple of weeks?
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All contributions make a difference to the long-term goals of any project. You will find out about the work carried out by previous volunteers and the effects that it has had in your orientation, you will then be able to build on that work with your own contribution. We encourage you to document the work that you do, to help new volunteers to build on the work that you have been doing.
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“Each contribution - no matter how small - can help make a difference”
Kofi Annan |
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Can I keep track of projects from the UK?
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Having experienced the day to day challenge faced by less fortunate communities all over the world, we would expect our volunteers to come back with a changed outlook on life. We hope that this deeper awareness and interest in global issues will bring about a greater understanding of the situation of others and that this will stay with you wherever you go.
As for keeping track of your project - we are developing a regular bulletin to keep you up to date with how they are getting on, how they are developing and their recent achievements.
We also ask that all of our programme participants fill in a feedback form, to help us evaluate our programmes to make sure they are top notch and meeting our standards, as well as helping us to develop them further and to make sure we are responding to our customers and partners needs.
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What's Gap Year for Grown Ups' contribution?
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The success of Gap Year for Grown Ups is very firmly based in the success of our projects - they are what we do! The commitment of the volunteers, collectively, have improved lives in communities spread across more than 40 countries on hundreds of projects.
Thousands of pounds have been contributed to projects all over the world by the REAL Development Fund.
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Volunteering Not For You?
If volunteering isn't your cup of tea, we still have something for you. Up to 50% of our programmes aren't about volunteering, our sports, expedition, adventure travel and paid work programmes are all about having fun and getting a Real taste of a Real place and culture.
We are a member of the Year Out Group. This association of UK registered organisations promotes models of good practice. All the member organisations are carefully evaluated and provide annual confirmation that they continue to abide by the Group's Code of Practice and Operating Guidelines.
 Further information on Where We Go
More Career Break Advice
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