School Volunteering Expeditions: a High Rate of Return

HOVE, U.K. - May 22, 2013 - PRLog -- Top of any teacher’s wishlist for their students on a school trip?  A safe return (of course), but also a good return for students on the investment of time, money and emotion!

In terms of curricular learning, this means choosing an expedition type that suits your goals as a teacher.  Some great advice from Tom Bennett of TES, in his teachers’ trip planning checklist, is to ask “Why am I doing this? Does the trip extend or embed the learning they have already made? Does it prepare them for something they will be looking at in the future? Is the aim to educate, or to reward?”  Bear in mind of course that ‘educate’ and ‘reward’ don’t need to be mutually exclusive!

So, for a teacher of A-Level PE, the opportunity for students to get involved in organising sports tournaments for younger children could be a primary attraction.  Ecosystems – where better for a biology teacher to teach than the heart of a rainforest?  For a cohort of geography students, perhaps the chance to put the facts about urban over-population and globalisation into stark focus through time spent in South American shanty towns?  Experiential learning at its best.

But looking beyond the words on the examination board pages, what else can a school expedition do for the students who participate? According to Ofsted’s 2008 report into Learning Outside the Classroom, successful school residential trips focus closely on personal development as well as curricular objectives.

While the terminology of leadership, teamwork and communication skills can sound like ‘management-speak’, all of these are qualities which can be enhanced by a well-planned school trip, whether in the UK or overseas.  As Leigh-Anne Stradeski, Chief Executive of Eureka! The National Children's Museum puts it, school trips can give “memorable experiences that expand horizons, build self-confidence and … provide a sense of the wider world”.  These qualities can also now be recognised independently, with the ASDAN (http://www.asdan.org.uk/) qualifications body recognising extra-curricular experiences with UCAS points.

Overseas adventures in particular can make a real difference in widening horizons.  Being away from a known environment, experiencing new cultures, new foods and comfort levels, all of these can be enormously beneficial in opening students’ eyes to the variety of lived experiences in the world. Any travel develops self-knowledge and independence, but volunteering in particular is a great way for students to unearth talents they never knew they had.  

One organisation that is expert in helping volunteers discover their skills is Quest4Change (http://www.quest4change.org/school-expeditions-with-quest...), a registered charity connecting youth and sustainable development.  On a Quest4Change expedition to Africa or South America, students have the chance to participate in meaningful projects that benefit the local community.  Giving students the knowledge they can make a positive difference in the world instils self-assurance and proactivity which shine through in future ventures and interviews.

A 2007 evaluation for the British Trust of Conservation Volunteers shows that for the majority of volunteers, positive behaviour change is brought about, helping young people develop practical and social skills, providing physical activity and promoting social inclusion.   For 2010 Quest volunteer Sarah Lumley, her experience renovating classrooms at a run-down Tanzanian school changed her whole perspective and gave her new goals in life “I have grown up and become a lot more thankful and responsible for the things I have.  Seeing how others live and not being able to help everyone was challenging and I aim to do more work of this kind in the future.”

Tips for planning the right expedition for your students

·         Work out what kind of return you want to see on your ‘investment’ – is it academic or wider personal development?  These usually go hand in hand, but make sure your destination & activities fit both criteria – and who you’re taking on the trip.

·         If using an external organisation, speak to a few to see what they can provide for your budget – make sure to ask what isn’t included as well as what is!

·         Don’t forget to ask about what happens in the pre-departure run-up as well as whilst on expedition – are help offered for training and fundraising?

·         Look for those who offer the opportunity to gain an ASDAN qualification with UCAS points.

·         Check the safety credentials!  Look for a rigorous safety standard such as British Standard 8848 for overseas expeditions.

·         If volunteering, look into how the projects are organised to ensure that they are sustainable and responsible, working with the local community and part of a long-term development plan. Check out the Fair Trade Volunteering (http://www.fairtradevolunteering.com/) movement for some criteria.

More about Quest4Change

Quest4Change is a small charity based in East Sussex, whose vision is a world where people live without poverty in a clean and protected natural environment. We connect our long-term commitment to sustainable development with teams of young volunteers whose personal development is enabled by their work on our projects and exploration of a different life. Quest4Change supports grassroots social and environmental projects in South America and Africa.  Learn about what we do (http://www.quest4change.org/what-we-do.html), then become part of the vision either by joining a volunteering expedition (http://www.quest4change.org/volunteering-expeditions.html), or support us (http://www.quest4change.org/support-us.html) from your school, workplace or home.

To find out more, please visit www.quest4change.org/schools or call us on 01273 777206.