Embarking on a gap year has become a rite of passage for school leavers and undergraduates, and the number of people travelling to familiar gap year destinations like Thailand, Australia and Cambodia is now huge.
For many, the result is a travel experience that is spent almost completely in the company of other travellers, often leaving a worrying feeling that their trip has failed to offer any great insight into other cultures. Worse, all the partying and Western influences may actually have caused damage to the communities they were visiting.
Luckily though, there is another way. If you really want to gain an understanding of how people in other countries live whilst having a positive impact on their communities, doing some volunteer work is a great way to see the world while giving something back. Volunteering provides an invaluable opportunity for those who want to add a bit of substance to their gap year, and will almost certainly allow you to enjoy those drinks at the end of a hard, rewarding day’s work all the more.
Here are 5 examples of great volunteering jobs that will help give you a gap year to remember.
- Environmental Work
An increase in low-cost flights has helped make the far reaches of the globe more and more accessible to tourists, but it has come at a cost. With C02 emissions continuing to rise, many are worried that this sort of global tourism is unsustainable in the long term. Plus, many biologists are also questioning the effect tourism in previously unspoilt natural habitats is having on the environment.
For those who want to be part of the solution rather than the problem, a volunteer position that looks to offset the environmental damage done by global tourism is a great place to start. There are numerous companies that promise to offset the carbon footprint of their trips by planting trees in affected areas. Some go even further, offering volunteer opportunities for travellers to plant trees themselves, or spend time working with scientists on conservation projects while they are away. This is a fantastic experience as it not only allows tourists to help protect the wonderful environments of the countries they visit, but also helps develop a better understanding of the local ecology.
- Building Projects
For those prepared to get their hands dirty, building projects are a hugely rewarding way to experience the culture and environment of a foreign country, while helping to give something back to the local community.
These projects can help build essential structures like housing, schools and hospitals that will benefit the country’s inhabitants for generations, and may also help improve the infrastructure of small towns and villages through building wells and repairing roads. Volunteer organisations normally don’t require people with any previous building experience and much of the work is manual and fairly tiring. However, the feeling of seeing something you’ve help build being used by the whole community makes all that hard work worth it.
- Working With Children
It’s a sad fact that there is no shortage of places in the world where children are in urgent need of help. Whether it’s improved shelter, medical care, sanitation or education, there are plenty of opportunities to make a difference and improve the lives of children in a wide range of destinations.
Those with a TEFL certificate can help provide the next generation with a better education, allowing them to greatly improve their chances of finding a better job and working their way out of poverty. Even for those without formal qualifications, there are plenty of opportunities to make a difference, from volunteering at a medical centre to working with youngsters on creative projects, there’s no shortage of ways to help.
- Coaching Sports
Sport has a great ability to bring people together, and is a great way to help disadvantaged people throughout the world. Volunteering as a sports coach not only allows you to share in the simple enjoyment of kicking a ball about with kids from the slums of Buenos Aires or giving South Africans their first taste of catching waves, but is also a great way to interact with people from all walks of life.
Sport can help younger people gain confidence, socialise with their friends and improve their health, and also provides a great way to experience the unique local culture of the country you’re visiting. Who knows, you may just uncover the next football superstar!
- Wildlife Conservation
Any animal lover will relish the chance to look after exotic animals as part of their gap year. Wildlife conservation not only helps protect species that may be endangered, but can help redress some of the damage caused to animal habitats by increased tourism to developing countries.
Volunteering in animal conservation allows you to stay in some of the world’s most beautiful and exotic locations like Sri Lanka, Borneo and South Africa, and volunteers will not usually require any experience or qualifications. A lot of the work is fairly manual and can be tiring, like clearing animal trails and building habitats, but the sense of reward and the knowledge that you may have helped ensure the survival of an entire species of animal is well worth it.
[box]Marcus’s passion for travelling began on his gap yearto Australia where he developed a love for sharing his experiences from his travels. [/box]
