NEWSLETTER - MARCH 2018

LATTITUDEGLOBAL VOLUNTEERING

The original international volunteeringand gap year organisation - since 1972

What is lattitude?Lattitude Global Volunteering is an international gap year organisation. Our mission is to provide unique and educational opportunities for young New Zealanders, to make a positive difference to their lives and to the lives of others. We do this by supporting them on diverse, challenging and structured international gap year placements in a community and culture different from their own. We pride ourselves in our conscientious and sustainable approach.

With over 45 years experience, and main offices in New Zealand, Australia, the UK and Canada, we have supported more than 45,000 young volunteers around the world.

Applications for 2019 candidates are OPEN NOW! Please read on for advice on how to apply, and how to attend an Info Night near you!

www.lattitude.org.nz

2019 applications open now!

ola, my name is Madeleine and I am currently volunteering in Spain with Lattitude. These last two months have been pretty action packed and very eye opening, and although my Spanish is

still coming along slowly, I have had an amazing time experiencing all that Spain has to offer.

My brother volunteered with Lattitude in South America in 2016 and had an incredible time, so when I saw that Lattitude was offering a placement in Spain, something clicked. I could do something challenging and rewarding involving travel and people, in a country that I had always dreamed of visiting.

Spain was a major draw card for me because it was a country overflowing with history and beauty. Spanish food was also something that attracted to me, famous for their tapas and sangria; I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed. I loved the idea of fully immersing myself in a foreign culture in one of the most beautiful and historic countries in the world.

I’m currently living in a small city called Avila, in Castilla y Leon (a large region in the center of Spain). Avila is an incredibly historic and scenic city, surrounded by snow-covered mountains. Avila is famous for it’s medieval wall, which surrounds the old part of the city, and the ancient churches (of which there are many!). It’s a pretty small city but it has everything you need, and bigger cities such as Salamanca, Valladolid and Madrid are close enough to visit easily.

I’m currently living in a small city called Avila, in Castilla y Leon (a large region in the center of Spain). Avila is an incredibly historic and scenic city, surrounded by snow-covered mountains. It’s a pretty small city but it has everything you need, and bigger cities such as Salamanca, Valladolid and Madrid are close enough to visit easily.

I’m working in a high school, Jorge Santayana, volunteering as a teaching assistant in English language classes. It’s a public high school with about 400 students, located near the center of the city. I may be a little bias, but I think it might just be the best school in all of Spain.

The teachers, particularly the English department, are so enthusiastic about teaching and helping students, and the students are just as enthusiastic about learning. The students are always curious to learn about New Zealand and my life at home, and love comparing life in New Zealand to life in Spain. Working in a high school is great because the students have a relatively high level of English, which allows them to engage more during my class. Classes are often filled with debates and arguments, all of which is okay so long as they speak in English.

I know the leadership skills, independence &

confidence I am developing while in Spain will take me far.”

HMADELEINE REPORTS BACK ABOUT HER PLACEMENT IN SPECTACULAR SPAIN !

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SPAIN

An average day for me at school consists of classes with a range of age groups, often giving a presentation about New Zealand, anything from traditional food to popular sports. In some classes I read Shakespeare or recent news articles, followed by a rather lively discussion. I am on a two week rotation, meaning I have a different class every day for two weeks, then start from the beginning, therefore, I get to interact with lots of different students with different levels of English. As well as teaching in school, I also teach private English lessons outside of school, for teachers, friends and total strangers!

Probably the best part of my experience in Spain has been my host family. Words cannot describe how welcoming, understanding and helpful they have been. My host mother is a teacher at my high school, and her and her husband have a six-year-old daughter. They have opened their home to me and have provided me with an irreplaceable insight into Spanish life. Living with a family means I get to eat traditional Spanish food, interact with their friends and family, and travel to places in Spain and Europe I would not have otherwise gone to. They have been very patient with my Spanish, adapted their meals to suit my diet, and full-heartedly welcomed me into their family.

Something I was really worried about before leaving New Zealand was the language barrier, as the only Spanish words I knew were fiesta and siesta (both very important words to know!), but I really haven’t had too much difficultly communicating. Most people have a basic level of English, and if they don’t, they are more than happy to try their best. On my first day of school, two teachers, neither of whom spoke a word of English, sat me down and taught me the vital Spanish phrases, first of which is ordering a coffee, “Quiero un café con leche por favor”!

Probably the best part of my experience in Spain has been my host family. Words cannot describe how welcoming, understanding and helpful they have been. My host mother is a teacher at my high school, and her and her husband have a six-year-old daughter. They have opened their home to me and have provided me with an irreplaceable insight into Spanish life. Living with a family means I get to eat traditional Spanish food, interact with their friends and family, and travel to places in Spain and Europe I would not have otherwise gone to. They have been very patient with my Spanish, adapted their meals to suit my vegetarian diet, and full-heartedly welcomed me into their family.

Even though I have only been in Spain for a couple of months, I have already noticed some pretty cool and important personal developments. For one, I am now an expert at understanding hand gestures and sign language (given I often cannot understand a word of Spanish; they speak VERY quickly), although my understanding of the Spanish language is slowly but surely coming along. I have also grown confident speaking in front of a crowd and I have developed confidence travelling by myself. Train rides and airports are a lot less daunting now. My sense of direction has improved, helped by identifying the spire of the cathedral!

Like the amazing people in Spain, the country itself is also pretty incredible, and there is no shortage of weekend trips to picturesque towns and cities. Because Avila is so centrally located, most cities are only a train ride away. Every city I have visited so far has offered something different, from jaw-dropping Cathedrals to picture-perfect main squares and endless art galleries. And while Spain has an infinite list of must-see locations, it is also only a skip and a jump away from the rest of Europe.

While I am still uncertain of what my future plans are, I know that a job with the potential to travel and interacting with people is what I want. Regardless of where I end up, I know the leadership skills, independence and confidence I am developing while in Spain will take me far.

Deciding to volunteer with Lattitude has been the best decision I have ever made. Not only have I been completely immersed in a fascinating and unfamiliar culture, but also I have been presented with an opportunity for personal development and I have the ability to explore a new city every weekend. I have made some incredible new friends and have gained a second family. Spain is a diverse and spectacular country; the people are incredible, the food is delectable and the scenery is unbeatable. I couldn’t recommend volunteering with Lattitude in Spain enough; it really is a once in a life time opportunity.

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SPAIN

’ve always known I wanted to do a Gap Year, but I never wanted to just travel by myself or stay at home and work, so volunteering with Lattitude was a really great way to combine both work and travel,

while also doing something useful and helping others.

Africa has been on the bucket list for a long time but I’ve always been wary of the fact that it is quite dangerous, so it was really awesome to see it as an option for volunteering because I knew I would be in a small, safe village. A gap year in Ghana specifically stood out to me because of the way past Lattitude volunteers had described it. Travel within Ghana is so easy, which means they were able to travel each weekend, to each other’s placements and all over the country, plus it has the coast and so much beautiful scenery.

Although Ghana is relatively developed compared to a lot of other African countries, it’s still very clearly quite poor. The main road connecting villages is paved, but the rest is simply dirt and dust. Houses are small and often the whole family will sleep in the same room. It’s a much more intimate experience because everyone lives so close to each other and therefore knows each other. The thing I love most about Ghana is the people. It’s such a relaxed and happy lifestyle, and everybody is always laughing. As well as that, the country is amazing. The beaches and scenery are completely different to anything back at home and it’s so interesting to see.

My placement is in a small town called Gomoa ABEA, which is made up of 4 little villages. The lifestyle is very slow and relaxed, everybody is insanely friendly and always wants to know your name or where you’re from or why you’re in Ghana. Everyone will invite you to eat dinner with them or carry your things to your house, and the children always run up and grab our hands and give us hugs, it’s just the happiest environment to be in.

We started off observing classes in a primary school and then started teaching a bit, and now we are painting the library and will hopefully raise enough money to paint the rest of the school too. In the afternoons we go to a daycare in another village which is specifically made for underprivileged children. We help them with their homework and play with them during break times, and are also fundraising to do some construction work to expand the daycare and add upper primary classrooms.

After the daycare we rest for a few hours and then go and play sport for a charity organisation which funds underprivileged kids to go to school for free. We play either football, volleyball or handball with different groups. We also use the sport as a way to raise awareness the childrens awareness about relevant social issues in Ghana such as teenage pregnancy, access to education, mental health awareness, and other problems within the smaller communities.

As well as this work, we are helping out with the organisation of free health screenings in the different communities, and are planning to start visiting different communities to do needs assessments, so we can see if there is anything we can improve about each community.

iJOLENE’S TALES OF ADVENTURE FROM HER HOME AWAY FROM HOME IN GHANA, AFRICA!

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ANA

At home our host family lets us take care of ourselves which is great. We cook our own breakfast and help out with dinner, clean our own dishes, do laundry, sweep and clean our room, and so on. We have a host mother who is retired and stays home most of the day, and a host father who works as a teacher. Their daughter, son, son’s wife and son’s child also live with us, and they’re all so friendly and helpful.

Everything is smaller than back at home but I love it. We still live very comfortably while at the same time challenging ourselves, and it has definitely made me realise how privileged I am at home and has made me appreciate small things which I never thought of as special before.

The teaching has really helped me change and develop as well. It has made me become a lot more loud and confident, and I can feel myself becoming a lot more mature and independent as I’m getting used to living by myself and having to take care of my own washing, sweeping, buying toiletries etc. I’m becoming a lot more talkative as well, which I absolutely love since everyone in the village always wants to talk. I’m more involved in the community and just becoming so much happier to live in this village than I was living at home.

Ghana has made me realise that I love people, especially children, and that I really want to have a job where I help those who need it the most. After Ghana I want to study something along the lines of developmental studies, environmental studies or international relations to help me get a similar job, and I definitely want to come back in the very near future.

Volunteering is a great way to make friends and see a new country while also feeling good because you are helping people. I personally think that community work is the best placement as we can choose different work and specifically focus on doing what individual communities need. It’s amazing and makes us feel so good because we are genuinely changing lives and getting kids educated, meaning they can get a well-paying job and support a family, which they wouldn’t have been able to do without an education. I highly recommend any sort of volunteering, especially in Ghana!

I t ’s amaz ing . . .we a re genu ine l y chang ing l i ves and ge t t ing k ids educated . . . ”

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“...GH

ANA

’ve learned so much by living and working in Fiji: the type of education I could never have hoped to have back home and it has certainly made me think much more about what’s truly important in life. You come

to appreciate the importance of community and sharing and realise just how materialistic our society is back home. Everywhere you go you are met by smiling faces and you can’t walk past anyone’s house without them calling to you to come and drink tea.

My role in the school I was placed in varied from teaching PE, music and art, to assisting with their English, to teaching Maths and Physics. There weren’t many subjects that I didn’t end up teaching at one point or another, and I was repeatedly thanked and made to feel appreciated. There was so much variety in the work I did during my placement; I went from teaching students how to play cricket, to reading music, to solving simultaneous equations. My work was not just restricted to the classroom; I was also involved in helping students train for the schools athletics competition, and trying to teach them the piano. Rest assured there is plenty of work for you to get stuck into.

We were lucky enough to have regular electricity but the water supply was limited to a couple of hours a day which is obviously very different to the situation at home, where water is just something you take for granted. However the friendliness of the local community makes it very easy to adjust and cope with living in such a different environment so far away form home.

Fiji is often called one of the friendliest countries in the world and it’s easy to see why. Everywhere I went people would greet me, and everyone within a 20 km radius seemed to know exactly who I was!

- Mark - Lattitude “gapper”

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OUR FIJI VISAS HAVE EXTENDED - NOW YOU CAN STAY IN PARADISE FOR 7 MONTHS!

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FIJI

Lattitude is proud to announce an extension of our visa relationship with the Fijian Govenment.

Lattitude volunteers now have the choice of joining two groups, departing NZ on either:

January 14th , for 7 months, orAugust 19th, for 4 months

As part of the extension agreement, volunteers must be 18 upon arrival in Fiji.

Date Location Time Venue Registrations

15 March 2018 Auckland 7:00pm - 8.30pm The Dominion (Bridgman Room)234 Dominion RoadMt Eden

Click here for more info and to register for the AUCKLAND Info Night

15 March 2018 Oamaru 6:30pm - 8.00pm Northstar Motel495A Thames HwyOamaru 9400

Click here for more info and to register for the OAMARU Info Night

20 March 2018 Christchurch 6:30pm - 8.00pm 301 Tuam StreetChristchurch Central8011

Click here for more info and to register for the CHRISTCHURCH Info Night

21 March 2018 Palmerston North 6.30pm - 8.00pm Lattitude Global Volunteering21 Dairy Farm RoadPalmerston North

Click here for more info and to register for PALMERSTON NORTH Info Night

04 April 2018 Wellington 6.30pm - 8.00pm Life Centre21 Hania StreetMount VictoriaWellington 6011

Click here for more info and to register for the WELLINGTON Info Night

04 April 2018 Havelock North 6:30pm - 8.00pm Havelock North Function Centre30 Te Mata Rd, Havelock North 4130

Click here for more info and to register for the HAVELOCK NORTH Info Night

12 April 2018 Auckland 7.00pm - 8.30pm The Dominion (Bridgman Room)234 Dominion RoadMt Eden

Click here for more info and to register for the AUCKLAND Info Night

Lattitude staff, with the help of our brilliant “returned volunteers”, have been busy presenting at Information Nights across the country. We have several remaining dates listed below - everyone is welcome, bring your friends and family, and come and discuss our international gap year options.

We are also visiting a lot of schools across New Zealand to hold lunchtime presentations to interested students. Look out for us in your school notices, or speak to your careers adviser to see if we are due to visit your school. Feel free to contact us at info@lattitude.org.nz to request a visit!

INFO NIGHTS &

school visits

support

before leaving support

while overseas support

upon return

• We conduct interviews with each applicant in person wherever possible. This helps us find out more about you and what you hope to achieve from the experience. After a second interview with our destination country staff, you are matched to a placement most suitable to your individual skills and interests.

• Each volunteer is allocated a coordinator in our NZ office who assists with all preparations, support with logistics such as flights and visas, and who is there to answer any questions.

• Everyone attends a pre-departure briefing to meet other volunteers and staff, and learn in person about the expectations & exciting prospects that lie ahead.

• Volunteers are seen off at the airport, where they travel together to their destination countries.

• When you arrive in country, you will be met at the airport, attend a group orientation, and, where needed, undertake additional training such as a local language or teaching skills course.

• We have paid staff in every affiliated country. Our Country Managers oversee the programme and work with a team of Local Reps who provide support in each area and continue to develop close relationships with placement hosts.

• Each volunteer is visited at their placement by our in-country staff members to check how things are and to provide additional support if needed.

• We work closely with Embassies and High Commissions to ensure we have up-to-date advice and can respond to provide 24/7 emergency support.

• We recognise the transition back to home life can be a challenge too, so we offer one-to-one support upon return. Volunteers are invited to attend debriefing events, and become part of our alumni. We love to continue relationships with returned volunteers, and opportunities for paid work or internships are common.

• We are always happy to supply written and verbal references to our successful volunteers upon return home, to aid in applications to higher education or the workforce.

• Our debriefing session will include discussions from industry professionals regarding the identification and articulation of the new skills the volunteer has invariably acquired during his/her placement, and how to use these new skills to get ahead.

how do i apply?Visit www.lattitude.org.nz to download an application form. Applications are now open for departures in 2019.

EARLYBIRD DEADLINE: MARCH 29 2018

Applying before this date will give applicants priority selection in their country of choice. Many of our destination countries, in particular the UK/Ireland & Canada, reach capacity every year, and applying early will ensure you avoid disappointment. We do accept applications after this date, but positions are subject to availability.

Get in touch ASAP to secure your position for the experience of a lifetime!

download latest brochure here

2019 applications open now!

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