Lattitude Blog

Today is World Environment Day! This year’s event, organised by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), is centred around the theme “Think.Eat.Save” – aimed at encouraging citizens to reduce their food print.

The UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) estimates that, although 1 in every 7 people in the world go to bed hungry every night, a whopping 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted every year. As well as wasting the food itself, the UN laments the fact that the vast sums of energy and resources that go towards producing all this food are also wasted. To quote an example, according to UNEP, it takes around 1000 litres of water to produce one litre of milk! So when that bottle of milk that’s been lurking around your fridge for the past fortnight finally turns sour, you’re not just wasting the milk itself, but also all the resources that have gone into producing it: food for thought indeed.

In honour of World Environment Day, we thought we’d take the opportunity to have a quick catch-up with the excellent work of Lattitude’s environmental volunteers around the world. Most recently, Chris in South Africa has been in touch to tell us about what he’s getting up to at his placement in KwaZulu Natal. As an animal lover, Chris has been charged with looking after a few special visitors to his host Outdoor Environmental Education Centre: most notably an abandoned baby Servile (similar to a baby leopard) and a couple of rare Crane eggs. As well as observing the eggs to check on their progress, Chris is responsible for feeding and generally looking after the baby Servile, which even occasionally involves cuddling it to keep it warm!

Elsewhere, we also send volunteers to our amazing Andean cloud forest placement in Ecuador where they live and work in an ecotourism community. Volunteer duties involve sowing crops, clearing ancient inca trails and helping with the reforestation of the surrounding countryside – excellent experience for anyone looking to learn about caring for nature. Similarly, our volunteers in Malawi also help to promote a sustainable human approach towards the environment. Taking a more educational approach to environmental work, our Malawian volunteers help to promote the sensitisation of their surrounding communities to environmental issues such as reforestation, nutrition and permaculture.

World Environment Day 2013 is hosted in Mongolia, but events are being hosted by communities around the world all aimed at encouraging a more responsible global attitude to the way we regard the food we eat. Buying locally, choosing organic products, and – of course – planning ahead to avoid buying more food than you need, are all suggested ways of improving our approach to food consumption.

If you would like more information about our environmental programmes around the world, have a look at our website or get in touch at [email protected].

Hello All!!
I haven’t been able to update the blog in a while due to living in the middle of nowhere while poor internet! Well that and I just keep forgetting….
The last 5 months have been the best of my life!! It’s a shame that I’ve got less than a month left here, but all good things have got to come to an end; and there’s no doubt that’ll I’ll be back again soon 
There’s so much to talk about that I will have to limit myself to this week, which has been pretty animal orientated! As there are no courses in at the moment, we have been doing lots of admin work getting things ready for the future, and sorting out various things at the Crane Sanctuary which is where I am spending all my time this week! It is currently breeding season for the Wattled Crane who are currently ‘Critically Endangered in South Africa with numbers standing at around 249! At the sanctuary we have two breeding pairs, one of which have already laid two eggs! So my job is to observe their behaviour and to make sure everything is okay. This may seem like quite a simple job, buuuut it isn’t… I have to do this without disturbing the birds at all… So every hour from 7 to 5 every day I have to climb onto the office roof where I can see them from a distance, but they can’t see me. I do quite enjoy it as the views from the roof are amazing! But when there’s ice on there like this morning it can be quite interesting! And things got a little more interesting this morning with the arrival of an abandoned baby Servile (basically a mini leopard)! He came to us in the hands of our boss who found him by the side of the road. As I am apparently the ‘animal man ‘ at the centre he’s asked me to look after him! Which involves feeding him, checking on him and from time to time cuddle him to keep him warm, in fact I can hear him crying now, so I better be off! Photos will follow.
Till next time…

Quick facts

• Ghana has a population of over 23 million people.
• The official language of Ghana is English along with other African languages.
• Ghana is the first sub-Saharan country to gain its independence from Britain in 1957.
• Gold and cocoa are considered a mainstay of economy in Ghana.
• The currency used in Ghana is called Cedi.
• Ghana has a substantial freedom of media; as the private press functions with no restrictions.
• The capital city of Ghana is Accra.
• Ghana is divided into small groups that together speak more than 50 languages.
• Ghana borders with Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Togo.

Welcoming Spirit

Translated literally as ‘Warrior King’, Ghana’s name might lead you to believe that it is an unfriendly, bellicose country. But you could not be more wrong… In fact, Ghana is well known for its extremely friendly and welcoming national spirit.

Ghana is the sort of place where bustling cities, such as Accra and Kumasi, are only a short way away from the country’s beautifully untouched rainforest in Kakum National Park, or to the huge forested region of Ashanti-Kwahu in the North. East Ghana – home to the Volta Basin region – is a real tourist haven, where you can gaze in awe at the world’s largest man-made lake, Lake Volta. Aside from these key visitor destinations, there is more than enough to keep travellers interested in the many national parks, waterfalls and safaris dotted all over the country.

On the whole Ghanaians are very traditional and take pride in their customs, particularly when it comes to craftwork. Although English is widely spoken and understood, many people belong to different tribes, which each have their own individual language. Ghanaians are often said to be “as warm as Ghana’s climate”, so if you stay with a host family, be prepared to be very well-looked after! This ethos is certainly reflected in the country’s crime rates, which are some of the lowest in Western Africa.

Why you should go:

Teaching in Ghana will enable you to fully immerse yourself in a lively, caring community. English is commonly used in the classroom so you will not need to learn a new language to fit in, but admittedly learning a few words in a tribal language will go a long way!

The age group you teach is up to you, which means that if you know that you want to go on to do a PCGE or teaching diploma, this is an excellent chance to gain some relevant work experience. Schoolchildren taught by Lattitude volunteers in Ghana range between 2-19 years, so if you know what age range you would like to teach, you can design your placement to suit you. Aside from this specific teaching experience, teaching abroad in Ghana is a fantastic opportunity to gain more general skills, such as adaptability, leadership and organisation.

Communities in Ghana tend to be very tightly knit, which means you will quickly integrate and feel at home. So if you want to go beyond your day job and set up an after school club or activity, you’re plans are likely to be met with much enthusiasm both from students and members of the wider-community!

Ghana is a fantastic tourist destination whichever way you look at it. But volunteering in the country offers something more. Living and volunteering in Ghana will give you a real taste of Ghanaian culture, and will allow you to gain some great skills while forming lasting friendships with some truly inspiring people!

Find out about volunteering in Ghana

In the UK, Hearing of a friend going off around the world to volunteer after school isn’t uncommon. But what about in other countries?

In Australia and the USA taking a year out is a relatively new concept, and students are only just beginning to warm to it. ­American universities in particular have only recently introduced deferment policies, allowing students to take time out to learn more about themselves and gain new skills before they start college, with some even offering to fund it.

China is also warming to the idea of taking time off after school or university. Thanks to the publication of “The Delayed Gap Year” by Sun Dongchun in 2009, the Chinese have been introduced to this exciting foreign concept of travelling foreign lands in search of self-fulfilment. Since then, many freshly-graduated students have travelled and volunteered abroad instead of immediately going into work or education.

Similarly the concept of taking time out to volunteer has hit India, although they prefer to call it a ‘drop year’. Unlike the newly-graduated Chinese travellers, 18 year old Indian students often prefer to focus on their studies before travelling. Many Indian students then opt to travel abroad immediately after university, often coming to the UK. “Most of my friends did the usual Brighton-Stonehenge-East London-Manchester trail,” says Kamal Singh, one such traveller.

In some countries, such as Greece, Sweden and – up until 2011 – Germany, taking a year out was mandatory in the form of military service (for men). Although you don’t have to take it at 18 and can opt to do your duty later in life, many choose to get it over with before they enrol in higher education. The same goes for Russia – and the reason why taking time out to volunteer is pretty much non-existent over there is because university is a handy way of getting out of military service. Money is also a large factor and as university can potentially cost thousands, parents seem more enthusiastic for their children to spend money on a much-coveted diploma.

Similarly, Danish students tend to go straight to university. Denmark’s internationally renowned education system means that their students stay in education for longer – it’s ranked first in the world for a reason! The Danish government generously supports each student financially when they’re studying and has even been known to penalise students who break from tradition and take time out before further study. Because of the growing worldwide popularity of volunteering abroad, the Danish government has begun to reward students who opt to go straight to university, by allowing them to study free of charge.

By extreme contrast, Yemen is the only country that actively encourages – and imposes – mandatory time out in between school and higher education. There’s only one exception: if you go to a private university then you are permitted to attend it immediately after completing secondary school.

It has never been easier to travel abroad, so it’s inevitable that the concept of taking time out to volunteer abroad is only going to get more popular. Time will only tell if everyone follows Yemen’s example…

Lauren volunteered at an Environmental and Outdoor Education Project in South Africa after her law degree to gain some experience in ground level environmental work. She believes her professional calling was to become involved in environmental law. Read Lauren’s story here

What to do after graduation?

For thousands of university finalists, the next few months are crucial in deciding their future. Soon-to-be graduates are busy studying for their finals at the moment, but plans – and worries – for the future are always lingering in the air.

Graduate schemes are always a popular choice, but are also extremely competitive. Generally there are around 56 applications for every job, which can increase to as much as 197 applications per job if you’re in the consumer goods market. Unless graduates apply quickly with bundles of experience plastered all over their CV, it can be difficult to secure the high flying job they’ve always dreamt of. It’s unsurprising that 1 in 12 recent graduates are without a job for the first six months after they’ve finished university.

The facts are scary, especially if you’re graduating soon. But it doesn’t have to mean you’re doomed – far from it.

Martin Birchall, managing director of High Fliers Research, claims that “the pressure is on students to get work experience and choose their career path early on. Students should go to university with a plan in their first six months, not leave it until the last six weeks, or they risk missing out on a decent job.”

A fair point, but not necessarily true. Many, many students leave university with no idea what they want to do with their lives, so it’s unfair to presume that they should just jump into the world of work and do something they don’t want to do.

If you don’t have a job lined up, then don’t worry. The graduate intake of companies has increased this year (albeit marginally) which means there are more companies now wanting to hire young professionals. However, that still means nothing to thousands of graduates who are just as clueless about their career direction now as they were in Sixth Form.

Instead, taking time out can be a really good alternative.

If you plunged straight into university after school, it may well be a good idea to take some time out to travel and volunteer abroad. Globetrotting doesn’t mean that you’re on holiday either, so you won’t find yourself with an awkward gap in your CV at the end of it. Up to a third of graduate jobs will be taken by those who have relevant work experience or internships with the companies they’re applying to, which means that bulking up your CV is absolutely vital in getting you a job. Luckily for wanderlusters, travelling can easily be combined with precious work experience.

There is a wealth of opportunities out there, and even if you’re not completely sure about what area of work you want to get into, these experiences can be moulded to fit whatever you choose in the end. For example, teaching English in a small community can demonstrate fantastic leadership skills as well as ideal communication qualities that employers want. Volunteering as an environmental worker shows great passion for a cause. Being a medical assistant will show that you can work hard under extreme pressure; the opportunities really are unlimited.

So if you’re graduating this time – don’t worry. You might have ‘graduate schemes’ drilled into you, but fundamentally, it’s the perfect time for you to do exactly what you want.

Right everyone! Finally got round to starting my first of many blog entries. I got my official acceptance to the project - Teaching in Ghana, September 2013 - over the Christmas break. Since then I have began various fundraising activities.

My name is Struan James and I am from a small village called Ullapool on the West Coast Highlands. I applied for this amazing project as the opportunity to go to somewhere like Ghana is a rare one. I also see teaching as a more than likely career option for me so the experience would be very helpful if I decide to study education in university.

I started my fundraising with a few bag packing days in my local Tesco and one in Inverness. As these were quite small stores I was raising less than a £100 per time but I welcome anything small or large towards my fundraising total. I have this problem due to where I live as my school is small so making big money quick is harder than it must be for those in big schools in the city. However this did make me eligible to claim a £500 bursary which makes me feel much more comfortable about reaching my goal by September. I also wrote over 100 letters to grants and trusts however received nothing but negative replies from them all which was quite unfortunate. After that it was a few small events like table top sales and bake sales until I decided to enter the Inverness Half Marathon.

I participated in the half marathon with my friend who was fundraising for her gap year in Honduras with the organisation Project Trust. Marathon day was on the 17th of March and i had being training for two months prior to it. I had raised roughly £800 in sponsors which was a massive bonus towards my fundraising total. I ran in my Lattitude t-shirt through rain, wind and cold! Got a bit of a battering and it was harder than expected but I finished the 13 miles in a time of 02:04:50.

Before Run

After Run

I have now had nearly all my vaccinations other than yellow fever and am currently focusing my attention on my higher exams. After them I start part time work so if I do happen to fail to fundraise my total I can pay the rest myself. I am in discussion about a possible Africa night in the village which could raise almost all of the remainder needed as I am roughly £1000 away from finishing. I would also like to organize a ceilidh during the summer and if that happens I shall definitely be done!

Not the most exciting blog post but I cant wait until departure time and by then I will hopefully have much more exciting news to share!!

A recent news article reported that some students will spend as little as 8% of their university time in lectures and seminars, despite the hefty £9,000 a year price tag. This works out as less than 100 hours of contact time per year with tutors.

So the big question is: is university actually worth it?

The recent statistics are quite astonishing. Under the new tuition rules, you may be paying roughly £100 an hour for a lecture or seminar, and universities often express little concern if students don’t attend. University is an expensive choice and fundamentally it’s probably not going to guarantee you a job at the end of your three year degree. So – what are the alternatives?

Study abroad

It’s becoming a more popular choice amongst Sixth Formers and the number of enquiries made at foreign universities by British students is now higher than ever. Cheaper fees, offers of scholarships and the allure of travelling abroad are some of the reasons why some find studying abroad much more appealing than staying at home.

Get a job

Of course you can forgo the university experience altogether and just jump right into the job market instead. However, as up to 25% of graduates have been unemployed in recent years, competition for jobs is tough. Those who have a degree may have an advantage over those who don’t.

Apprenticeships

If you’ve a clear idea about what you want to do then apprenticeships may well be worth researching. Many employers consider them to be just as important as degrees, and they can save you a lot of time as the duration of an apprenticeship is shorter. They can also save you money – in apprenticeships, you earn while you learn.

Volunteer abroad

This was always going to get a mention, but for the price of your tuition fees, you could learn just as much travelling and volunteering abroad. You can learn new languages, meet people who will teach you their wisdom and gain some great work experience that will stand you in good stead in the job market back home.

There are plenty of people that haven’t gone to university and have done just as well as those who have. University is not for everyone. Studying can help shape you as a person, but it might be important to weigh up your options before committing a lot of time and money to something that might not be as worthwhile as it used to be.

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Anna Sainsbury

It’s a well-known fact: students love to travel. And arguably, there’s no better time in your life to do it! Not only have student travel agencies popped up all over the country, air fares have come plummeting down and some universities now even actively encourage their students to go abroad, whether it’s to study, work or to simply broaden their minds.

An obvious reason for this is that the vast majority of students don’t have any concrete commitments or responsibilities, so travelling at a moment’s notice is always a possibility. As one blogger writes, “As you grow, you start to settle your life with physical attachments like a mortgage, a car, and kids. Travelling before this stage of your life will be much easier and the freedom will be priceless.” To back this claim, a staggering 33% of Brits said that they regret not travelling more abroad when they had the opportunity.

Another great reason to travel whilst you’re young is to learn life lessons. Handling money, accommodation and general day-to-day life abroad is a far cry from what you’re used to back home, and there’s no better way to develop invaluable life skills than when you’re thrown in at the deep end.

Studying abroad can give you a temporary taste of life abroad for anything between three months and a year. A huge 4.1 million students studied abroad last year as part of a university exchange program, so there’s a massive community of Erasmus and foreign students out there who would no doubt recommend the program – over 4 million people can’t be wrong!

There are obvious academic benefits, but it can’t be emphasised enough how important travel can be to your personal development too. Yes, you may well learn a new language, try new things and unintentionally boost your CV when you’re abroad. But getting out of your comfort zone can also help you to rediscover where your real priorities lie. For many recent graduates, this can be extremely useful, especially if they don’t know what to do next. Travel can be fun, but it can be eye-opening and life-changing too.

The travel industry has successfully tapped into this, and it’s unsurprising that student travel generates a huge business. Travel agents and companies are constantly competing against each other to offer you the best deals, so there are plenty of opportunities out there for you to grab, whether they’re working holidays, volunteering placements or just a gap year around the world.

For more information on where volunteering with Lattitude could take you, check out our website.