2024 was a year of change, growth and global impact for Raleigh International. With over 350 young people participating in Raleigh programmes, Venturers contributed to a range of  meaningful projects supporting communities and the environment in South Africa and Costa Rica.

Our 2024 Impact Report shares our impacts and achievements from last. Here are some of the top highlights from the report which you don’t want to miss.

1. 359 young people from around the world participated in Expeditions

Venturers from over 17 countries joined Raleigh Expeditions in Costa Rica and South Africa, supporting sustainable development and conservation work. This included young people from the UK, the Netherlands, the USA, Belgium, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Germany, Malaysia, Switzerland, Poland, France, Italy and Nicaragua. A significant number were in a post-school and pre-university life stage, joining a Raleigh Expedition as part of their gap year.

2. 100% of Venturers improved key skills

All Venturers reported growth in at least 4 core competencies, including Leadership, communication, teamwork, problem-solving, motivating, decision-making, adopting a healthier lifestyle, listening and self-awareness. 94% of our Venturers said that they improved their leadership skills in particular, while 98% said that they improved their problem-solving skills on Raleigh. 

3. Venturer wellbeing improved through our phone-free Expeditions

Our digital detox approach strongly supports and enables Venturers to forgo their mobile phones for up to 19-days at a time, with phone access permitted for short 3-day intervals during Phase Changeovers. 62% of Venturers felt their mental health improved from being without their phone on their Expedition, while 85% of Venturers said they enjoyed digitally detoxing while on Raleigh.

Read now: Raleigh International 2024 Impact Report

4. 95% of Venturers would recommend Raleigh to a friend or colleague

Our Venturers continue to have incredible experiences with Raleigh. 81% would describe their Expedition as a “life-changing” programme, while 87% achieved what they wanted to achieve from their Raleigh experience. On average overall, Venturers in 2024 rated Raleigh Expedition 9/10.

5. Strong impacts through South Africa’s community and environment projects

Over three Expedition Cycles, 119 Venturers collectively spent over 550 project hours on community development projects. Among so of their top achievements, Venturers constructed or refurbished 9 playgrounds, 6 community kitchen, 2 vegetable gardens, 2 football pitches and 2 netball pitches.

On Environment projects Venturers supported conservation initiatives, among their top achievements being the removal of 44 wildlife snares and over 64,900 sq meters of invasive plants.

Read now: Raleigh International 2024 Impact Report

6. Over 620 students benefitted from project work in Costa Rica

Over 1,000 project hours were delivered by Venturers across 9 indigenous communities in Costa Rica. Venturers contributed to 16 significant infrastructure projects (including the building classrooms and dining rooms), benefitting 620+ students with  improved educational access.

On environment projects, Venturers contributed to the planting of 3,890 trees , 6,650 meters of trail maintained, delivered 121 hours of beach cleaning and set up 24 camera traps set to support biodiversity monitoring.

7. The Raleigh Bursary brought new opportunities for young people

The SES Raleigh Explorer Award launched in 2024, providing fully-funded Expeditions for young people from lower-income backgrounds through a partnership with the Scientific Exploration Society. The seven young recipients of the SES Raleigh Explorer Award who joined Expeditions in 2024 came from a range of backgrounds. They included: care-leavers, young care-givers, community volunteers and young expats.

8. Raleigh Alumni continued to fly the Raleigh flag

Raleigh International celebrated Raleigh’s 40-year legacy through the ‘Raleigh Reconnect’ campaign, re-engaging over 450 alumni with our work. Alumni continued to actively support the organisation with over 30 alumni contributing to outreach activities.

You can now read the full 2024 Impact Report, which details Raleigh’s impact on both its participants and through its project work, now.