WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT OUR LEADING A VOLUNTEER PROJECT IN THE UK? HERE IS WHAT OUR VOLUNTEER KITTY SAYS ABOUT HER EXPERIENCE...

There’s been a lot of talk about national pride in 2012, but what made me truly proud to say I was British this summer wasn’t the Olympics or the Diamond Jubilee: it was the incredible welcome given to the seven international volunteers on the project I co-ordinated for Concordia at Trythall School in July. Volunteering, even in this country, is such a different experience from visiting an area as a tourist, and I was touched by the generosity of everyone in the local community, from the staff at the school to the local residents who invited sweaty volunteers into their homes for hot showers. 

Before the project, I was looking forward to making new friends from around the world, and to gaining a sense of satisfaction from seeing a real difference in the work we did at the school, developing the outside environment. I didn’t expect that we’d also be invited to join a school trip to the famous Minack Theatre, have a group cameo role as a giant in the school play, or be given a surfing lesson by the headteacher! 

This was my first time as a co-ordinator, and it’s a very different perspective from volunteering on a similar project – more demanding, certainly, but also with the potential to be even more rewarding. It’s certainly an experience I hope to repeat! 

Kitty, Summer 2012

Kitty with the group of international volunteers she co-ordinated

The international volunteers during the school play

Kitty took part in our co-ordinator training in 2010. Although she could not take up co-ordinating before now, she took up the exciting challenge of co-ordinating in 2012. This was a brand new project based in a beautiful part of Cornwall, Newmill near Penzance. She worked with a team of 7 international volunteers and a co co-ordinator Richard. They had one of the best two weeks of sunshine on the project to help redevelop the grounds of Trythall School.
 
The training dates for the next Co-ordinator training are 10^th – 13^th April 2014 in Shoreham by Sea. To book a place click here or contact Francesca Corney on fran.corney@concordiavolunteers.org.uk or call 01273 422535