Volunteering abroad with Platform 2

Your dream is to travel. To make a difference, to feel alive while crossing the seven seas. Only problem is, you lack the funds and are unsure of the seemingly to-good-to-be-true volunteer projects you hear about. You’re also getting a tad cynical about such projects supposedly being non-profit when it is obvious to your parents they are just out for wads of cash from eager youngsters.

And who can blame them. Even though many volunteer projects are the genuine, giving people a chance to work for a community from their own free will and benefit an environment, there are some who do not live up to the expectations they propose in their brochures. Good news comes in the form of an exciting project called Platform2. “Your platform to change the world” is their turn of phrase and their projects are fully funded and free for the volunteer.

So what’s the catch, you might be thinking. Well, the reason it’s free is because it is funded by the Department for International Development which is a part of the UK government and manages aid to developing countries. Also involved are Christian Aid, Islamic Relief and BUNAC (British Universities North America Club), a volunteer project established 46 years ago.

Moving to the next platform in volunteering, this three-year project will allow over 2500 people to volunteer abroad. Roles will include caring in orphanages, infrastructure work at ecological centres, constructing community buildings, assisting in HIV clinics and helping with education. The volunteers will travel out and back in groups of 10 to 15 and will either stay in pairs in local family homes or in dormitories. The projects last for up to 10 weeks.

Kerri McGroarty, from Glasgow, recently returned from Ghana with Platform2. She says: “The trip was by far the best experience of my life. The amazing people of the villages where I lived made me smile every day with their kindness and hospitality. I don’t live in the richest of areas in Glasgow, but what I saw on my trip put everything into perspective.”

Platform2 is currently sending volunteers to South Africa, Peru, India, Malawi and Ghana. What gives this project an extra edge is that volunteers are encouraged to record their experiences in various art forms. Jon Fratelli, lead singer of Glasgow band The Fratellis is a fan of Platfrom2. “It’s great to hear that volunteers are encouraged to record their experiences through music, art, photography, whatever way they want really,” he says. A three-day residential workshop is run for the volunteers when they arrive home to make this a reality.

The programme includes return flights, travel insurance, local food and accommodation, a small local allowance, health screening, a medical kit, all minimum required vaccinations, transfers to and from the project, a guidebook, and full training in the UK and in the country. The only time you would feel the pinch in your pockets is covering the cost to and from your interview, the travel to and from Heathrow airport and purchasing a passport if you don’t have one already.

If you are interested in playing a part in Platform2, are aged 18 to 25, from the UK and have bags of enthusiasm and open-mindedness to take with you, you can log on to their website to find out more at www.myplatform2.com. There are places left on the 2009 trips so here are the application deadlines for the next 3 departures. There will be placements in every country Platform2 work in and each project within that country.