I s international volunteering right for you? This document will give you a brief outline about volunteering with Think Pacific in Fiji next year. Please read this information carefully and also read the FAQ’s on the website. If you have any other questions email us at [email protected]. If you decide to apply please login to My Hub to access the application form. The application deadline is Monday 26th October midnight. Project summary 24 students are needed to volunteer in the Fiji Islands with Fijian Charity and Leeds based volunteer organisation, Think Pacific. The objective of this project is to work towards the development of grass-roots sport, to offer basic teaching support and to lead educational and extra-curricular activities within poor and rural schools. You will volunteer within kindergartens, primary schools and secondary schools and offer children and teenagers access to sports and youth clubs for the first time. Each day our volunteers organise small group lessons, offer classroom support, lead early education projects and offer crucial one-to-one support. In the afternoons our volunteers deliver sports and youth projects, this includes creating PE lessons, developing netball and rugby coaching, introducing new sports and fun games and activities and leading youth initiatives such as art, drama, dance, singing and photography, public speaking and debating, culminating in school ‘House Cup’ and interschool youth and sports competitions for the students.
Think Pacific’s university project provides university students, graduates and university staff with the opportunity to volunteer on a pioneering youth and sports development project and impact the lives of hundreds Fijian children and youths living in the poorest rural areas of Fiji. The projects rely upon our volunteers' dedication, creativity and enthusiasm.
Think Pacific and the volunteering team at Leeds Beckett will provide all of the relevant training, preparation and fundraising assistance for volunteers prior to departure. The volunteer team will then travel out to the South Pacific for a challenging and rewarding 6 weeks. About the organisation Think Pacific was established in 2007 by Leeds Beckett University graduate, Simon Darker and Leeds University graduate, Harry Hunter. Think Pacific has been privileged to guide almost one thousand volunteers to Fiji and donate over one million dollars to funding development in rural communities and schools. We are sincerely appreciative of our respective universities who supported Think Pacific in its early stages of development. Think Pacific is honoured to have achieved the Yorkshire Universities Enterprise Award (2008) and the Sir Peter Thompson Award (2009)
1 The first Leeds Beckett project in 2014 & 2015 with Think Pacific was a great success, so far we have had 60 Leeds students participated in the 6 week volunteering programme and prior to departing fundraised and donated over £30,000 to the Think Pacific Foundation, which has been used to fund vital school and sports resources, provide scholarships and training for unemployed youths and contribute to the building of a new kindergarten school.
Think Pacific’s projects are designed in conjunction with our long term Fijian partners. You will be able to advise future employers that you have volunteered to achieve international development goals within the framework of the following organisations: The Fijian Ministry of Education, The Fijian Ministry of Youth and Sports, The Fijian Ministry of Health, The Fiji National Sports Commission and the Fiji Sports Council as well as fundraising for and supporting a grass roots Fijian charity:
About the volunteer role Alongside the natural rewards of making a difference to the lives of Fijian children, you have the opportunity to gain substantial experience of your own as you support a grass roots charity and work with Fijian teaching staff to plan and lead a variety of lessons and youth workshops. You will be able to transfer your degree subject skills and put your knowledge into practice, whilst gaining hands on experience to compliment your studies. You will need to work in groups to achieve goals and also undertake responsibility and demonstrate personal initiative and leadership.
Pre-departure activities and commitments
There’s quite a lot for volunteers to do before departure. If you are interested in applying you must make sure that you will have enough time to prepare for the project in between your studies and your work. After the team has been recruited, there will be a compulsory team briefing and you will need to do fundraising some of which will be as a group and some you will probably do on your own. There will be other compulsory meetings to help you get prepared for the experience and talks about essential health information and environmental issues. Although it’s not spread evenly, we’d recommend allowing an average of 2 hours a week from when you find out you get a place to departure. Below is a list of key dates. Dates for the sessions that are not listed below will be sent out to the team or agreed in the first team meeting.
12th October Information meeting (to find out more) 26th October midnight Application deadline 29th October Find out if you’ve been short-listed Interviews/selection meeting 2 10th November 1st team meeting (5-7pm) 30th November 2nd team meeting (5-7pm) End of Jan 3rd team meeting Feb, March, April 4-6th meeting 23rd & 24th April Great Big Volunteering Abseil 30th May (approx.) Project starts 10th July (approx..) Project ends
About the project
Project Dates: 30th May – 10th July (Date TBC, dependent on flights)
The project is 6 weeks duration, including 2 night briefing and training on arrival at a Fijian resort. Just over five weeks will be spent volunteering and living with local families. The project will take place in the remote jungle interior of Fiji’s largest island, Viti Levu. You will be the first Think Pacific team to live in this province of Fiji and to volunteer with these school children, which is always an exciting prospect. We aim to culminate the project by organising an inter-school youth and sports festival for the schools. Think Pacific will plan one weekend away to a castaway island and we will end with 3 nights relaxing at beach resorts, where Think Pacific staff will conduct a de- briefing. There is the option of a later return date to allow for independent travel after the project is completed.
Travel - the team will meet up at the University and travel together by minibus to the airport. The flights haven’t yet been finalised but volunteers will travel together. The group will be met at Nadi International Airport by Think Pacific Leaders and transferred to the project briefing resort.
Volunteer support - the project is guided by at least two Think Pacific leaders, who live with you 24/7. Our leaders are supported by our in-country management team. Thorough risk assessments and careful planning is undertaken to ensure your experience is safe from start to finish. Staff at Leeds Beckett will also be on call 24/7 whilst you are volunteering in Fiji.
Accommodation - will be basic. Volunteers will be housed with Fijian families within the same traditional village. Please be prepared that there may only be cold water showers, basic sanitation facilities and limited (generator or solar powered) electricity. Think Pacific visit and assess all accommodation to ensure that it is safe and also as comfortable as possible for our volunteers but we stress that some volunteers may find conditions back to basics and the experience a culture shock. For the on-arrival training and project debrief you will stay at a local resort.
Food - is wholesome and filling and Fijian's have a very hearty appetite so expect some large portion sizes! Meals can be very carbohydrate heavy, so expect lots of root crops such as dalo and cassava. Fijian's eat lots of fish and most meals will consist of fresh fish, local vegetables and rice. Please be prepared that there is not a great variety of food and meals can be repetitive and basic. You will be provided with three meals per day during the volunteer project.
Fijian life – We believe the best way to see Fiji is to immerse into the culture, customs and lifestyle. Volunteers are encouraged to appreciate the intricate and fascinating customs of Fijian society. During your project you will learn some Fijian language and how to dance the 'meke' (the Fijian version of the Haka), cook Fijian food, weave palm leaves and drink ceremonial Kava with village chiefs. By the end of your project you will have more understanding of the Fijian way of life than a thousand tourists or any guidebook. You'll have learned a lot about yourself as well!
3 Challenges - You may feel a sense of culture shock in your first week in Fiji. Volunteering can be a challenge and third world conditions can leave you feeling a world away from home. It is completely normal to feel uncomfortable and out of your depth at first. By the end of the project we find our volunteers look back upon the challenges as their proudest moments and they feel as though they have a second home in Fiji. The interaction with Fijian people and learning about Fijian culture is what our volunteers come to cherish most from their time in the rural communities.
The costs The overall cost for each volunteer is about £2,100. For first time international volunteers Leeds Beckett pay £200 of your costs, so as a first time volunteer you would pay £1,900. This includes: 6 weeks accommodation, including resort briefing and de-brief Food, you’ll eat with your Fijian family during the project Return flight to Fiji Local travel in Fiji Hoody’s & t-shirts Travel insurance UK airport transfer Castaway island weekend
What isn’t included? Spending money The cost of some free time activities and the cost of any independent travel Vaccinations
Fundraising Fundraising for your host organisations is a requirement to being accepted on the project. On top of the project fees you will also need to fundraise £400 for Charity. 100% of the funding raised for the Think Pacific foundation is donated to support the poorest schools and communities in Fiji. Lots of our previous volunteers have had great success fundraising and some have continued raising money after they got back (after being so inspired by the work of the organisation). We’ll help you with your fundraising and encourage you to work as a group. Previous examples include cake sales, abseils, sponsored walks and even approaching companies for donations. Don’t forget, volunteering and fundraising look wonderful on your CV! Minimum fundraising target: £400 minimum More information If you have any questions please feel free to email Cara McCosh on [email protected] and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
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