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Thinking about a gap year is a time for excitement as well as serious planning. Most parents agree that the opportunity to travel abroad can become the experience of a lifetime, and gap years provide valuable insights and building blocks for life. But many young people get more from their year out by volunteering abroad.

For over 35 years Lattitude Global Volunteering has been sending 17 to 25 year olds on gap year programmes, where they make a positive difference to communities around the world. This work is excellent preparation for the volunteers’ own next steps, whether that means going to university or beginning a career.

Boarding schools teach students a degree of independence, but a different level of independence and self-confidence comes from completing an overseas volunteering programme. It provides the opportunity to step out of the comfort zone, to gain a whole set of skills and learn lessons that will stay with them for life.

Lattitude Global Volunteers work in challenging roles and situations, building strength of character, and developing selfconfidence and the ability to take initiatives. Depending on the programme location, there may also be a language barrier to contend with and the challenge of learning the basics of a new language.

The structure of a volunteering gap year not only allows young adults to make the most of their year out, it is also a powerful tool on a CV, and can positively impact a university or job application. Particularly valuable are the life and career skills that will undoubtedly be picked up along the way, such as teamwork, leadership, initiative, and the tact and diplomacy required when dealing with the traditions and sensitivities of another country. Some students choose to take a year out to think about and decide what they want to do in life. Being out of one’s comfort zone and carrying out challenging tasks is an effective way to identify strengths, improve on weaknesses, and to find out what you do and don’t enjoy doing. Many Lattitude volunteers do not have a long-term aim before they go away, but return with a clear goal and career path in mind. Some of the available placements are more specific to a certain career, such as teaching or medical programmes, so they can double up as work experience.

Many gap year companies have been established in recent years, and there has been scepticism about what some people refer to as ‘voluntourism’. This applies to gap year holidays that incorporate some volunteering, but not necessarily enough to make a real impact on the community before the volunteers then move on.

Lattitude programmes are entirely centred on making a difference. Lattitude volunteers are not tourists – they have the exciting prospect of getting to know the country, its culture and its people, by living and working alongside them for up to a year. Lattitude volunteers become part of the community, making friends for life, with some even planning a second trip to their placement almost as soon as they get home!

Part of the fun and the challenge in countries such as Fiji and Vanuatu comes from getting back to basics. How does life go on with limited electricity or internet connection? It is amazing how quickly we can learn to adapt to a simpler, less technology-led way of life. It certainly helps the volunteers to appreciate what they have, and to understand the deeper differences between their host country’s way of life and their own. These cultural lessons are insightful and invaluable.

Lattitude is a long-standing and reputable organisation (formerly known as GAP Activity Projects), and can provide the level of security that a parent would want and expect for their child on a gap year. All programmes are vetted in advance, and volunteers are placed with host families or organisations for the duration of their placements. There are Lattitude representatives in each country to liaise with the volunteers during their placements and there is also a 24-hour emergency telephone number for the parents at home and for the volunteers.

Volunteering with Lattitude offers the opportunity of a lifetime to combine travel with making a difference to people’s lives. Have a look at the returned volunteer stories and videos on the Lattitude website to find out first hand how other young people have benefited from and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. A short quiz at www.whatkindofvolunteerareyou.org.uk helps those considering a gap year to decide what type of programme would suit their personality and interests.

Case study: Declan Gallacher

One of Lattitude’s recently returned volunteers attended Queen Victoria School in Dunblane, Scotland. Declan Gallacher, 18, volunteered as an English teacher in China and believes that his placement not only brought benefit to the Suqian community but also helped to prepare him for a Chinese Mandarin and International Business course, which he is due to begin at Edinburgh University in September. Declan says, ‘I fell in love with China during my stay and feel motivated to become fluent in the language. The joy I get from successfully speaking to someone in their own mother tongue is something that has led me to study a foreign language at university. I am already beginning to understand it.’

In addition to teaching classes during school hours, Declan carried out individual English tutoring, which he hopes to continue during his summer holidays from university. ‘My placement has motivated me immensely,’ he says. ‘I am considering returning to China during my holidays to tutor people in English, which I hope will bring further benefit to members of the Suqian community.’