Volunteer overseas with Raleigh - 300 bursary awards still available

The Raleigh Graduate Bursary Award assists recent graduates from lower income families to undertake a 10 week overseas expedition with Raleigh, giving them a unique opportunity to develop key employability skills.

The Graduate Bursary Award part-funds the cost of a Raleigh expedition to Borneo, Costa Rica & Nicaragua, or India and over 300 Bursary places are available from Summer 2010 until Spring 2011. Graduates will gain the opportunity to contribute to community and environmental work in remote communities with a challenging adventure phase, and will be required to fundraise £1000 towards the expedition and pay for flights, vaccinations and kit.  Find out whether you are eligible for the award and if so, how you can apply.

Tim Eklund was awarded the Raleigh Graduate Bursary Award and went on expedition to Borneo in Autumn 2009:

Before Raleigh I was unemployed, newly graduated and refusing to go on benefits. For me, I'm much more flexible now than I was before and take things more as they come. I think Raleigh has given me the opportunity to demonstrate skills like leadership, communication and teamwork in different scenarios. If I were to be asked typical interview questions I could talk all day about the experiences on Raleigh.

I can't summarize and do my experience justice in a short sentence. The Raleigh experience is simply out of the ordinary, challenging, and a great opportunity for ventures and project managers alike.

Christine Harry received the Raleigh Graduate Bursary Award and went on expedition to Costa Rica & Nicaragua in Autumn 2009:

Before Raleigh I was sending off lots of job applications each week and apart from getting a few interviews, it was pretty fruitless. Quite simply, receiving the Graduate Bursary and being able to take part in an expedition is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I have incredible memories of my time in Costa Rica & Nicaragua, of the people I met, the places I saw and the work we did for the communities.

I think that taking part in an expedition as a venturer is an extremely positive thing to have done, both personally and professionally. It builds on a variety of skills, such as leadership skills, communication skills and interpersonal skills. Being on Raleigh has further improved my fluency in Spanish, as a linguist it is always very useful to spend time overseas. Though I was sad to leave, I feel like it is not really the end but the beginning for me.

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The One World Media Awards - which are like the Baftas for films and media about the developing world - is looking for young people to judge one of its awards.

Each year One World Media runs a competition to find four young people (aged 16 - 21) who are interested in development issues and the media. As well as judging a range of documentaries, radio reports and newspaper articles and selecting a winner, they are also given the opportunity to visit TV channels and newsrooms and meet leading journalists and filmmakers, to get their advice on what they should look for in the entries. They also come to the televised awards ceremony in London, to present the Award with Jon Snow.

For more information, visit One World Media or email contact@oneworldmedia.org.uk with any queries.

Find out more about other cultural and creative volunteering opportunities.

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Raleigh has an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic, experienced finance professional to work with the Chief Executive as part of the senior management team to take the financial strategic plan and its delivery forward.

If you enjoy a mix of operational and strategic delivery and can work effectively with diverse teams within the UK and abroad then we want to hear from you. The production of statutory accounts and audit responsibility is essential as is a high degree of IT literacy.

For further information please see Work for Raleigh.

To apply please email a CV and a supporting statement explaining why you would like to work at Raleigh, to mary-jane.eva@raleigh.org.uk

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The Foreign & Commonwealth Office recently updated its travel advice regarding safety and security in Malaysia.

The recent religiously motivated violence on the Malaysian Peninsula has subsided and there is currently no unrest in the region of Sabah, where Raleigh Borneo operates.

The increased threat of kidnap or terrorism relates to remote islands to the east of the country and the Philippines - we do not operate close to these areas. Our dive operations occur close to the Capital of Kota Kinabalu in the west and not in these tourist destinations around Semporna. Our other projects are also based in remote communities and not tourist areas. This advice has always been in place since 2002 there is a current increase to the perceived threat due to activities in other parts of Malaysia.

The Malaysian authorities are planning accordingly although they do not recognise the threat themselves. Raleigh has a contingency strategy should disruption occur and we will keep everyone informed if there is a need to relocate or disrupt operations.

Please visit the Foreign & Commonwealth Office website for further advice about travelling in Malaysia.

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Raleigh is pleased to announce that the Vodafone Foundation has awarded one of our volunteers with the Vodafone World of Difference Grant.

Turab Shah has been volunteering with Raleigh for several months. During this time he has helped to film various events in the UK, including an interview with the founders of Innocent Smoothies about the benefits of joining a Raleigh expedition, and has recently returned from Costa Rica and Nicaragua after travelling there to film a short documentary about our Graduate Bursary Award participants and the projects they worked on.

His hard work has been recognised by the foundation and as part of the programme he will be joining Raleigh on a two month paid contract to continue his filming work with us. This will be a great help to Raleigh and our work to create videos that really educate and excite people about Raleigh expeditions.

Visit Turab's profile page to find out more about him.

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