Is International Volunteering Right for You? This Document Will Give You a Brief Outline
Is international volunteering right for you? This document will give you a brief outline about volunteering as a Sports Coach in South Africa 2017. Please read this information carefully and also read the FAQs on the website. Use your student login to apply via InPlace in the MyBeckett employability tab. If you have any questions email us:
Project summary
There is the opportunity for a team of volunteers to travel to South Africa for four weeks from 29th July 2017.
Volunteers will be working with Durban Municipality Sports Development unit to help and assist them in their sports coaching work with young people out in the townships that surround Durban. Coaching will be on a wide range of sports of which volunteers need to be able to coach in a range of activities and organise activities with very limited equipment.
Accommodation will be at a backpacker’s hostel in the heart of Durban
There is the option to stay on for some (self-funded) free time at the end of the four weeks.
About the Sports Coaching Project
Volunteers will be working with Durban Municipality Sports Development unit to help and assist them in their sports coaching project with young people out in the townships surrounding Durban. Each day, activities will be based around whatever sports are being practised at schools or after school clubs. The sports coaching volunteers will have to be flexible and able to adapt their coaching techniques.
The coaching takes place in a variety of pitches and centres which are at least 45 minutes away from the accommodation, of which you will be transported by a bus each day. The coaching will be in a wide variety of sports but the main sports could be netball, football, rugby, cricket, athletics, gymnastics and volleyball and each volunteer will need to be confident enough to work as a team to run training sessions on whichever sport is needed and also where the young people have Basic English language skills.
The sports clubs and schools have little or no equipment, so volunteers will need to be able to think of drills which will be adaptable to all situations and money raised by the team might be used to buy new equipment. In previous years the team have taken donated sports equipment over with them to use for their coaching each day and then donated these items to the projects at the end of the four weeks.
If you have read through the description and feel excited about the project but a little nervous as you think you might not be experienced enough please apply!
Project details
Dates - 29th July – 27th August (With optional free time at the end of project).
Travel - The team will meet up at Leeds Beckett and travel together by minibus to the airport. The flights haven’t yet been finalised but volunteers will normally fly to Durban. Volunteers will then be collected from Durban and taken to the accommodation.
Support for volunteers – Your Team Leader is a staff member called Claire and she will be travelling as part of the group and will be there to support the volunteers. The staff in the volunteering office at Leeds Beckett will also be on hand and there will be someone on call 24/7 for the duration of your trip.
Accommodation – volunteers will stay in dormitories at The Happy Hippo Backpackers Hostel, which is close to the beach area of Durban.
Free time – the working hours will be set most days and you will have some planning and other preparation but it won’t be all work though and there will be some free time during the four weeks to relax on the beaches, hang out with your new friends or take part in some of the many cultural activities that are easy to organise. There is an option to travel further at the end if you so wish but your return flight will be fixed from Durban to the UK.
The costs
The overall cost for each volunteer is about £1500 (including return flights to South Africa, transfers in the UK and accommodation). However all students are eligible for £250 off this cost if this is their first Leeds Beckett international Volunteering project.
What’s included:
· Flights
· Accommodation for 4 weeks volunteering
· Insurance
· Transfers in the UK and Durban
· Team hoodie and two t-shirts
What isn’t included:
· Spending money (including all your food) – we recommend £10-£15 per day
· The cost of any free time activities
· Vaccinations
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 trip in between your studies and your work. As well as fundraising activities there will be compulsory team meetings. In addition to this 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 3 hours a week from when you find out you get a place to departure.
Don’t forget that the preparation for the trip will add to your personal development!
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.
29th November / Interviews/ selection process30th November / Find out if you have got a place
13th December / 1st Team Meeting
Feb, March, April / Compulsory pre-departure training
29th April / Great Big Volunteering Abseil
29th July / Project Starts
28th August / Project Ends
Please note that in addition to this volunteers will need to arrange for vaccinations.
Insurance
As part of your accepted place on the volunteering project; you can apply to be covered by our University’s comprehensive travel insurance policy. This free policy will cover you in the event of any medical problems, lost baggage, lost passport, flight cancellations and many other incidents. We are able to extend this cover if you stay on for a holiday in the same country so long as the holiday period is no longer than the volunteer trip period and up to a maximum of 4 weeks. If longer, you must arrange your own cover for the holiday period. University Insurance will email you a form to apply for the free cover and send the insurance documents and travel security website access when received. Please note that there are limitations of claims for personal possession losses/ failure and we advise you not to take expensive items with you or items that are irreplaceable.
Fundraising
Fundraising for the charity that you will be working with is a requirement to being accepted on the trip. As well as providing much needed funds for the organisation you will be visiting, we think it’ll be a great way for you to get to know your team. 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: £100
How to apply
Thank you for your interest! To apply for this international volunteering opportunity, please complete the following short steps via MyBeckett:
1) Click on the Employability tab
2) Click on login on the red Inplace tab
3) Click on ‘Placement’ from the top menu and select ‘opportunities’
4) On the opportunities type, search ‘International Volunteering’
5) Register interest for any international volunteering opportunities that you would like to apply for.
6) Once you have registered your interest this will generate fields for you to complete at your leisure (this may take 24 hours to appear).
7) Answer the questions on the application sheet, attached.
When you apply, remember to upload the following:
1) Personal details 2) Passport 3) Supporting information sheet
If you are having any problems please contact or 0113 8124920
More information
If you have any questions please feel free to contact Kat Firth on or the team at and we will endeavour to get back to you as soon as we can.