Thursday 7 April 2011

Ollie's trip to India

Hi everyone, we're all in very high spirits here at Gapforce HQ as the sun is absolutely BEATING down in London.

Today's blog is a special one because its written by one of our volunteer's who is currently in India with Greenforce.

Below is an update we received from him earlier this week.

"I spent the second week living with a host family in Faridabad, a suburb of Delhi, working in a school for slum children. The host family were very nice and the project was great fun, teaching small children basic English and literacy.

For the last 2 weeks I've been working for the organisation Vatsalya, the NGO that runs the Udayan Children's orphanage in Achrul, just outside Jaipur. I spent 2 days there but seeing as the children currently attend school outside of the orphanage whilst preparing for their examinations, there was not a lot of contact time with the children and it wasn't giving me the volunteer experience I hoped for. Since then Vatsalya have been very helpful in transferring me to their Jaipur offices where I am involved in teaching young adults in English communications and also improving their website.

I have been ill once and Rajan was very helpful in accommodating me whilst I was in transit from Delhi to Jaipur. If you have any questions or request to view any pictures then please don't hesitate to contact me. Rajan is very easy going and is contact with lots of different projects and therefore it is easy for the volunteer to pick and choose and discuss with him which project suits the volunteer best. The fact that lots can be organised when in India, and different options/projects are available perhaps needs to be stressed more on the Gap Force personal pages.

All in all, I'm having a greatly inspiring experience and that is the most important factor. The projects have been great and when I wasn't comfortable at the children's village simple coordination by telephone to Rajan and with Vatsalya made a change to more appropriate work very easy.

I hope all is well in London and I'm very much looking forward to returning home and sharing some of the experiences with those who are interested."

Thanks very much indeed Ollie, we look forward to seeing you.

If you would like more info on volunteering in India or indeed on any of our projects, call 020 7384 3028 or email info@gapforce.org

Thursday 24 March 2011

Sportforce volunteers meet Premiership footballers

Just had an exciting update from Ghana where the latest group of volunteers have had the chance to meet with the Ivory Coast national football team.

Below is an extract of an email we received from our in country leader James

" Hi ,

Thought I will give you a quick update on the current volunteers we have out here.

We organise ticket to watch the biggest game in the ghanaian league last week sunday which we all enjoyed watching and had such a great time.

We also organise them to watch the training session of the Ivory Coast Team. They had the opportunity to meet the Ivorian national team yesterday in their training session here in Accra for the up coming cup of nations qualifier on sunday which we are all going to watch and will upload some photos after.

They managed to get autographs from the players and took some photos together as well so will be good to upload that on facebook if possible. You can imagine how excited they were to meet all these guys.

They met the likes of Didier Drogba- Chelsea, Yaya Toure- Man city, Eboue- Arsenal, Kalou- Chelsea etc"

It looks like the group are having the time of their lives, and they deserve it too for all they are doing for the local community.

To find out how you can join the fun, click here



Wednesday 23 March 2011

Gap Year in South Africa

Hi everyone, hows things?
We're enjoying a bit of sunshine here in London, not sure how long it will last so we're making the most of it.

Our blog today is about a location that is fast becoming one of the most popular amongst gap year students and all volunteers, South Africa.
Gapforce run a few projects in the country so we thought we would give you some more details on them.
Sports Coaching South Africa




This is run by Sportforce and is ideal for people looking to advance their own skills as well as gaining experience coaching their favourite sport.






As well as the sport you will also play a vital role in the promotion of health and social awareness. Your duties will include organising matches, planning tournaments and giving motivational talks.
Medical & Community South Africa

This project is for anyone who is already or who might be looking to study medicine. The placement will give you the opportunity to make a positive difference in these underpriveledged areas as well as learning loads along the way.

The project typically runs from Monday-Friday with community work invloved including visiting orphanages, townships and the famous Rasta people. Weekends are usually free to explore, enjoy some local activities or relax on the beach.






Great White Shark Conservation

This is a real gem of a project. Imagine working with local scientists to help protect the amazing Great White Shark?


You will primarily join cage diving operations to study these predators as well as undertaking research studies. Strictly monitored paying tourists are vital to help fund work in this area and thus you will have the opportunity to share your knowledge and help spread the word and correct the negative public perception of this primary predators.


Friday 11 March 2011

Jungle Training with Trekforce







Think you have what it takes?

Trekforce have been running extreme expeditions in the jungle for over 20 years, if you want to find out what you're really made of why not join us?


You can choose between Belize, Borneo and The Himalayas, or if you're really up for a challenge, take part in our expedition leadership course.





Belize:
You'll get expert jungle survival training before completing a vital rainforest conservation project, searching for lost Mayan ruins and caves, learning Spanish in Guatemala, making friends for life working in rural communities and then diving the world's 2nd longest barrier reef.



Click Here For More on Belize

Borneo:

Deep in the world's oldest tropical rainforest and last home of the endangered Orang-utan Trekforce and the indigenous tribes of the Kelabit highlands have been working with Borneo's largest NGO, Heart of Borneo, to combat the threat of deforestation.


Click Here For More on Borneo




Himalayas:

Starting in Kathmandu, the Himalayan capital of Nepal, you will spend your first week acclimatising, enjoying cultural visits around the city and most importantly, attending Nepali classes. Then travel to a captivating, remote rural region and undertake key conservation projects that will greatly benefit the local community.


Click Here For More on The Himalayas



Finally if you want to go that extra step:





Expedition Leader Training:







The Expedition Leader Programme provides you with the first step into this exciting world. Our Expedition Leader Training (ELT) course is unique and open to anyone.


It is a four month programme combining legal, safety and Mountain Leader Board training in the UK with with 3 months skills and leadership training in the jungle.

Click Here For More On ELT

Tuesday 22 February 2011

Gapforce pass Independent Assessment by YET


Gapforce are proud to announce they have been independently evaluated by The Young Explorers' Trust as being compliant with BS 8848 "Specification for the provision of visits, fieldwork, expeditions and adenturous activities outside the United Kingdom"

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the YET for evaluating us and advising us on ways we can improve even further. We are delighted that our commitment to providing safe, educational overseas expeditions has been recognised in this way. We strive to ensure all our volunteers get the best out of all of our expeditions and will continue to so.

Click here for more reasons as to why we are the ideal Gap year provider


Friday 11 February 2011

Medforce in Cambodia

Happy Friday everyone, hope you all have thrilling weekends planned.

Today’s blog looks at Medforce and some exciting new developments for the brand.

Our MD Marcus Watts is currently out in Cambodia visiting medical and dental facilities looking for exciting opportunities for medical elective students.

We are already enjoying tremendous success with our placements in South Africa, India and Ecuador not to mention our Physiotherapy course in Ghana.

However such is the success of Medforce we now are struggling to find places for everyone hence why Marcus is out in Cambodia looking for ways of increasing the number of places we can offer.

If you are a medical student looking for an elective placement and you’d like to find out more about how we can help, click here to get in touch.

Our current placements can be viewed here.

Monday 31 January 2011

Get Qualified On Your Gap Year

A gap year is all about meeting new people, experiencing new things and expanding your horizons. It’s also a great time to gain qualifications that will enhance your university application and CV.

Why not look at making your gap year expedition applicable to what you are or will be studying? For example if you are interested in Marine Biology why not look at Greenforce’s projects in Fiji or The Bahamas?

If animal/wildlife conservation is more you’re type of thing then why not volunteer at a Panda Sanctuary in China or with Elephants in Thailand?

Another alternative is to actually participate in an expedition that has a qualification at the end. For example becoming an expedition leader or a ski instructor.

Whatever you do, make the most of your gap year, it really is the opportunity of a lifetime.