Archive for the Fundraising Category

Working away!

Okay so I thought I’d take the plunge and give the blogging a go. I have quite a few months till my departure to Japan in September 2014 but I have to start somewhere (plus it kind of makes it more real… that I am actually going away!).

After deciding to apply for Paramedic Practice at University I thought this would be a great opportunity for me so here I am, beginning my exam revision, volunteering for St John Ambulance and attempting to practice Japanese on the side!

In being the ‘early bird’ applicant I’ve already had a few months to try and find ways to save/earn money- the most dominant being getting a job… I’d been living for too many a teenage year in the denial of having to earn my own way but thankfully enough I found a great job working as a receptionist. It’s a welcoming little Osteopathy Clinic tucked round the corner from my house, so I can’t complain about the commute! Can’t wait to get out there, every time I see blogs from volunteers already on their placements it makes me wish I could fast-forward in time to my own!

Till next time,

Alice

preperation

This is my first post, and my first blog (I am not counting my tumblr account as a blog), so I’m not 100% sure what I’m doing and I’m sure it will be far from perfect. But I thought I should get to grips with things before I my departure, and I think it’ll be nice to record all aspects of my trip to Ecuador, including the mild terror I’m feeling towards it now.

Yesterday I attended my second Spanish class since abandoning all foreign languages at the first possible opportunity. Until last week, I had not spoken nor attempted to speak any language other than English since I was thirteen. And, to be honest, my year nine grades in French and Spanish left alot to be desired. I struggled with languages at school mostly because I didn’t see the point. No natives I bumped into abroad would be interested in hearing about the contents of my pencil case, or a mundane description of mi casa.

I probably could have passed a GCSE in Spanish if I’d wanted to, and that is all I can think of as I look at Maria, the overly enthusiastic spanish woman who teaches level 2 Spanish on Tuesday evenings. She is very friendly, and very cheerful, and if you try to ask or answer a question in English she will glare at you and shout “EN ESPAÑOL, POR FAVOR“.

Compared to learning Spanish, the financial aspects of my preperations have been surprisingly easy. I recieved a £200 grant from my local Rotary club, for which I am very grateful. I am currently in the process of applying for other grants, so keep your fingers and toes crossed for me. I also managed to get a Christmas job at Sainsbury’s and have been given a permenant contract there, which is really helping to boost the balance of my savings account.

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My one attempt at a fundraising event in October 2013 can only be described as a failure. Eight people turned up to my charity quiz night. I managed to make £40 profit only because three or four people bought tickets and then didn’t turn up, but £40 is still better than £0. It was still a fun experience, but I’ve decided that the amount of time and stress that went into organising it was not worth the money I got out at the end. I had planned to be sponsored to complete the Yorkshire 3 Peaks Challenge, however my plans to train at the gym have been interrupted somewhat by my pesky A Levels, learning Spanish and working 12 hours a week plus overtime at Sainsbury’s. We’ll see what happens there.

Lots of love and donations.

As you will probably assume…my interview was a success and I was accepted onto the programme. I’m not going to talk in much detail about the interview day other than by saying it was actually quite a lot of fun, the best part being meeting all the other ‘candidates’ and realising that we could all talk forever, everybody was interesting and interested in one another!! It lasted a whole day which links back to my previous post…on the contrary to other programmes I had applied for which didn’t even have an interview, this interview day was great and I (we) left feeling like we had fully expressed ourselves, our hopes, motivations, ambitions and expectations for this project as well as finding out a lot more about what we could potentially be involved in!

As a commitment to ICS & Lattitude, all volunteers must commit to raising a minimum of £800….although we were reassured that this was a managable target I couldn’t help but shreak (literally)!

 

Just Giving

 

I was in a in cafe with two wonderful Amsterdam friends, Krisztina and Maria, when I had my very simple eureka moment. I was doing the typical Stef thing of over complicating things, I was thinking up ridiculous ideas like cycling from Amsterdam to Leicester…in my year spent as a Dutchy where I conducted most of my life on a bike it seemed to make total sense…for about 5 minutes. Or the idea of shaving off my newly grown hair (I don’t have the cheekbones or jawline to pull it off I can assure you)!! Of course, there’s a place for all of these challenges but with the timescale that I had and the fact that a very cold winter was on it’s way the bike ride was never going to work (or the shaved head for that matter).

 

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I was worried that living in Amsterdam meant that I was not surrounded by a network of supportive people like the one I have in the UK, I thought that this would hinder my success. How wrong was I? My first port of call was the internet. It started with a justgiving account which I shared on my facebook page. As soon as the first donation came in they flooded in. From family, to school teachers, to university friends, school friends, old friends, distant friends, employers, family friends etc etc. It was actually quite overwhelming to see how many people were willing to back me.

 

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Alongside this I decided to make the most of the social groups that I did have around me…au pairs. With the help of some incredible friends, I arranged an au pair social. We decided to hold it in the infamous Vondel Park where a lot of us spend most of our time with our children!! We provided lots of baked goodness (lemon cake, chocolate cake, victoria sponges, cookies, brownies), tea, coffee and cold drinks. We had a suggested donation of 3 euros and in return for this not only would we provide the refreshments but a place where au pairs old and new could come to meet other au pairs within the city (from Amsterdam and the surrounding cities). I owe a lot of the success to the Amsterdam girls and families that attended the event, and a special thank you to everyone that helped me with the baking!! It was such a lovely day, and so many people attended. I think it helped because when you move to be an au pair, you usually move to a country by yourself. Everybody that is there is in the same position as you in that sense and I found that this made people incredible open, warm and inclusive…for me this meant that girls I had known for a year, just met, or had never met took a great interest in what I had set out to do.

 

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My fundraising ‘phase’ has been motivating; it has been the catalyst for an immeasurable amount of conversation about Lattitude, ICS and surrounding topics of develpoment, voluntary work etc. It made me feel very proactive and excited about everything that was about to unfold!

 

Individual fundraising

Fundraising tub 3

Children in Need raises record £31m, but how easy is it for individuals to fundraise?

Every year we bear witness to the astounding ability of Children in Need or Comic Relief to shatter yet another fundraising record. It seems that once a year the hearts and wallets of the nation open in an apparently unstoppable flow of compassion and generosity. But what about the rest of the year? For many young people hoping to do some volunteering abroad, the prospect of fundraising towards the costs can prove to be a big psychological barrier. So how easy is it to raise money for charity when you don’t have the help of Sir Terry Wogan, Fearne Cotton and the gang?

The answer is that it may be easier than you think. The main thing to bear in mind is that fundraising can take an almost unending variety of forms so do not panic if the thought of performing in some kind of sponsored talent show fills you with dread. One of the most effective and painless ways to fundraise is to try and incorporate sponsorship into an activity you actually enjoy. Classic examples of this include sponsored bike rides, swims, dance-offs, and marathon races.

However, if, like many, you are averse to any kind of exercise, there are still lots of other ways to raise some cash, and fortunately the internet is a real treasure trove of ingenious ideas. The likes of Children in Need and Red Nose Day all have their own fundraising pages, full of tips and suggestions, and ideas range from selling lunchtime manicures to being sponsored to eat only red food for a week. Generally-speaking, the more creative you are and the better you are at communicating your cause, the more likely you are to encourage people to sponsor you.

If you’re feeling brave, public humiliation can also be a surprisingly effective way of raising money within a relatively short space of time. In the past, some Lattitude volunteers have even gone so far as to shave off their eyebrows for charity… but we hasten to add that this is not a prerequisite for undertaking one of our projects. Other ideas might include a sponsored day of dares, where your friends are given the freedom to dare you to do whatever they want, or a week where you wear a different type of clothing.

Elsewhere, selling your old clobber on ebay or at a local car boot sale can also be an effective yet more low-key way of raising money, while clearing some space in your room for all those souvenirs you’ll bring home from your time away. And of course there is the most traditional fundraising method of all: getting a job.

So fundraising should not stop you from embarking on the volunteering experience of a lifetime, and in fact, the initiative and commitment you show in raising money will be a great talking point in future job interviews. If you would like to talk to someone about fundraising ideas, get in touch at [email protected] or have a look at our A-Z of fundraising here.

Ex volunteer Fiona, cycles Pedal for Scotland in support of her placement

volunteer cycle fundraising

Upon returning to the UK from her placement in Ghana in 2012, Fiona Buckmaster set up ‘Support Ghana’, a charity whose focus is supporting young Ghanaians from the school and community she worked in whilst on placement. Yesterday, Fiona cycled the 47 mile trip of the ‘Pedal For Scotland’ event in order to further fundraise for her charity, and, her old placement. She tells us more:

“A lot of the people reading this blog right now will be preparing to go on their placements and I have to say I am extremely jealous! My Lattitude placement in Ghana was one of the best experiences of my life, but over a year since my return it’s difficult for things not to get sidelined in favour of work or university. One way I’ve tried to keep my Ghanaian experience at the forefront of my mind is raising money to help improve the educational facilities at my placement. My charity Support Ghana has raised over £1,200 (that’s around 3,600 Ghana Cedi) towards our first building project at Victory Assemblies Of God International School, although this hasn’t all been plain sailing - earlier this year construction ground to a halt as the ageing school bus broke down and was replaced using Support Ghana funds.

During my time teaching science at VAGIS I had to learn to adapt to conditions which were very different from anything I’d experienced before. The school had no electricity, no resources, but the one thing it did have was plenty of children. There were smart kids, funny kids, tall kids, short kids, kids who were eager to learn and kids who would much rather be in bed than listen to me! But every single one of these kids deserves an education, and that’s what Support Ghana aims to help provide.

In our latest fundraising appeal, the SG cycling duo undertook ‘Pedal For Scotland – a 47 mile ride from Glasgow to Edinburgh on Sunday 8th September. It was a tough but fun day!

In support of this event and of course for Support Ghana, it would be hugely appreciated if you could make a donation towards our efforts - no matter how big or small, via our website www.supportghana.org/donate. Every single penny of your donations goes directly towards helping young Ghanaians receive an education.

I will continue to support my Ghanaian community, and I hope that you can help.”

Congratulations Fiona and keep up the good work!

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A-Z Fundraising

Cycling as Spider Man

As some of you may know, fundraising is a vital part of any overseas volunteering programme. It is what enables anyone with the right attitude the opportunity to have a life-changing experience; whether teaching kids in Ghana, or working at a hospital in Japan. It’s also a great way to prepare yourself for volunteering overseas; showing yourself and others what you’re truly capable of achieving, and motivating yourself for any challenge that may lie ahead. It can also be a lot of fun too.

However, for many, fundraising is a daunting prospect, and having to think up fundraising ideas is often seen as the first major hurdle. So, to help you get started, we at Lattitude have compiled an A-Z of fundraising ideas:

A

Art Exhibition, Auction of promises

B

Babysitting, Barbeque, Bike ride, Barn dance, Book sale, Breakfast party

C

Car boot sale, Coffee morning, Cake Sale, Car wash

D

Darts tournament, Dances, Disco, Dress down days

2

E

Eighties Night, Easter egg hunt / party

F

Fashion show, Fancy dress party, Football Tournament

G

Guess the weight/number of …, Garden party, Give up chocolate/smoking

H

Halloween night, Head shave

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I

International themed nights – Indian curry night, Brazilian carnival night

J

Jumble sale, Jazz night

K

Karaoke night

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L

Lawn mowing, Lucky dip, Lunch party, Loud tie day

M

Cook a meal, Music concert

N

Netball tournament, New Year Party

O

Odd jobs, Odd clothes day

P

Parties, Parachute jump, Picnic, Poetry reading, Photo exhibition

James Eddey sponsored walk

Q

Quiz night

R

Raffle, Run

S

Sponsored activities - Swim, Silence, Swear box

T

Tennis tournament, Treasure hunt

U

Underwear as outerwear day!

V

Valentine party, Variety show, Valet service

W

Walk, Write to trusts and companies

Hannah Pennock cake sale

X

Xmas cards, Xmas party, Xylophone concert

Y

Yoyo competition, Yogathon

Z

Zoo outing

Planning a gap year: where to begin?

Some people seem to be born knowing they want to take a gap year. Some may have been inspired by older siblings or friends, tanned and wistful-eyed after returning from backpacking abroad. Others, inspired by a certain chundering youtube sensation, may have already decided that they are 100% committed to embracing a year of quasi-ritualistic, beach-side regurgitation. However, the choice is not so clear for everybody. Perhaps you do like the idea of travelling but are unsure if you want to be on the road for an entire year, or maybe you really want to make a difference but you don’t know where or how. If you are nearing school-leavers age, the chances are you’ll already have come into contact with one of the seemingly countless gap year organisations over the course of your studies. But how can you pick the gap year that is right for you? Here are three top tips:

 

1. Do your research

 

Sounds obvious, but shopping around can be the key to a successful gap year. You might find it helpful to get advice from associations like the Year Out Group, which acts as a gap year standardising body and promotes good practice amongst the various organisations out there. If you think you have found a suitable organisation, ask yourself how exactly it operates: Does it suit your needs? Who can take part in their programmes and how are they selected? What exactly is the cost to you and where is that money going? Who will benefit from your activity? If you are happy with the answers to all of these questions, the chances are you have found your match.

 

2. Be proactive

 

A worthwhile gap year can be the most exciting thing you will ever experience. It can also seem the most daunting from the outset. But the more you put in from the very beginning, the more you will get out. While it is important to discuss your plans with your family and careers advisors, take the initiative when researching your placement. Also, even if you think your parents might support you financially throughout your year out, going to the effort to raise some money yourself will increase the sense of achievement you feel at the end of it. Fundraising can range from having a part-time job to being sponsored to enter a local fun run and can be a great experience in itself!

 

3. Be honest with yourself about what you want

 

Yes, universities and employers love well-planned gap years and it is a good idea to spend your time doing something productive. But your placement is not a compulsory year of purgatory between school and university. If you enjoy what you do, it’s more likely you’ll be good at it and that you’ll end up genuinely helping people where they really need it. So ask yourself what you want out of a gap year, what you are good at and what you think you’ll enjoy. If you hate sport, don’t torture yourself by committing to a year of playing football with Australian school kids. Pick something you can really get your teeth into and the rest should take care of itself…

Top tips for fundraising

volunteer fundrasing

Fun-draising

If you’re going to raise money, whether it’s for charity, or if it’s to help you fund your upcoming voluntary project with Lattitude, here are some ideas to get you started:

1) Be original.

People love to see different things – everyone knows at least one person who has sat in a bath of beans or has worn their pyjamas to school. So be a bit quirky and find something unusual that people will happily donate some spare change to. People love novelty and impressive feats and challenges, and if you’re willing to be a bit different and go that extra mile, then people will take notice of you.

2) Time.

If you’ve got an ongoing project that you’re promoting then interest will only increase over time. For example, if you decide to do 365 things in 365 days, you’ll no doubt raise more money than if you’re just doing things for a single day.

3) Technology.

With the dawn of social networking, you can now contact companies directly rather than trawling for addresses in phonebooks. Think of the potential sponsors and publicity you could gain from a simple tweet or fundraising page on facebook – who knows, if you’re really successful, you might even end up on the local news!

4) Location.

It doesn’t matter where you undertake your fundraising; just as long as you involve the local community in your project, then you will reap the rewards. We often underestimate how supportive people can be and if a whole community gets involved then your fundraising potential is increased hugely. Get out there and spread the word about your project - don’t be scared. People are far more willing than we often perceive them to be and never underestimate the power of word-of-mouth.

5) Purpose.

Lastly, don’t forget the purpose of why you’re actually fundraising. People won’t part with their hard earned cash if they don’t know what they’re giving to in the first place, so advertise your project, your mission, what it means to you and how you’re going to make a difference. Let people know how much they can help with just a bit of spare change.

Two Generations Take Part In Fundraising Bike Ride

 

Last week marked the end of one mans epic journey from John O’Groats to Lands End. Jonathan Hyde and his Dad travelled 918 miles by bike in an effort to raise £1,000 for Lattitude Global Volunteering and help Jonathan to reach his goal of volunteering in South Africa.

Jonathan, who has just left Farnborough Sixth Form College, decided to take a gap year after hearing about Lattitude’s volunteering opportunities from his sister’s boyfriend. As a youth development charity, Lattitude specialises in providing unique experiences of voluntary work placements for young people from around the world.

Asked about his desire to volunteer abroad, Jonathan said: “I want to experience living in a different country and doing something different from my usual day to day life. Latitude was recommended to me, and the outdoor activity placement offered in South Africa sounded right up my street. I couldn’t think of a better way to volunteer!”

Jonathan’s inspiration for his fundraising bike ride came from his Dad: “When I was younger I used to go on bike rides with my Dad and he would tell me the stories of all the rides he has done. When he was telling me about when he rode John o’Groats to Lands End when he was my age I said to him that when I was 18 and finished at college that I wanted to do that ride with him and we never forgot!

Of course, there were challenges along the way, but these were quickly forgotten when the father and son team peddled in to Lands End on the afternoon of the 12th of September.

“I’m so pleased we’ve finished,” Jonathan continued, “It was a journey I’d been looking forward to taking for years. I’m glad I’ve managed to combine my wish to complete this bike ride with my Dad with fundraising for my placement in South Africa.

You can still sponsor Jonathan at: http://www.justgiving.com/jonathanhyde

Skydiving Teen Hopes Gap Year Will Fulfill Lifetime Wish To Travel

Advanced Highers student, Mhairi MacDonald, jumped out over the skies over Fife to raise money for Lattitude Global Volunteering.

This month Mhairi completed the daredevil stunt to raise as much money as she can for her gap year, volunteer teaching and working with street children in Ecuador.

Mhairi has just taken Advanced Highers in maths, chemistry, biology and physics at Queensferry High School and hopes that her gap year will help her make up her mind about what she wants to do with her future.

“I’m hoping my time in Ecuador will help me in my desire to explore the world, travel to a new country and learn about a different way of life. Lattitude has helped me find a placement that would both suit me and benefit the community I’ll be volunteering in. I am excited about and grateful for the opportunity to volunteer abroad, no matter what comes from it.”

Ecuador is unique among Lattitude’s programmes in that it offers each volunteer the chance to work at two placements each day, teaching in the mornings and a different placement such as working with street children or environmental projects in the afternoons. This gives the volunteers the chance to make a difference to two distinct communities during their time in Ecuador. All volunteers will live with a host family whose son or daughter is volunteering in the UK.

Mhairi continued: “I want to learn about another culture, another language, I want to do something practical and of use. I’ve always wanted to explore and get some experience of the real world before university.”

Lattitude’s Marketing Manager, Nick Adie, said: “With youth unemployment at its worst since the 1980s, young people must do something to set themselves apart from other applicants. Whether before or after university, volunteering abroad or in the UK can give young people a skill set or experience which allows them to stand out from the crowd.”

Lattitude Global Volunteering is a youth development charity and is celebrating its 40th Anniversary year during 2012. It’s biggest accolade to date, sending its 40,000th volunteer to Ecuador in September of this year.

To support Mhairi with her sky dive and future fundraising activities, please go to http://www.justgiving.com/mhairigoestoecuador