Over the summer 40 students took part in an incredible 4-week volunteering opportunity in Fiji. The fully-funded opportunity was offered by the Global Opportunities Team at the University in partnership with Think Pacific.
The students could choose from a project focusing on either Community Development, Youth Empowerment, Mental Health or Sports Development and worked alongside students from other UK universities during this life-changing experience.
The group experienced complete cultural immersion while being based in a rural Fijian village and living with traditional Fijian families. As well as the immeasurable cultural benefits the group experienced, the programme also allowed the students to develop key employability skills that will help them stand out in the job market.
Tom Padley, who recently graduated with a 1st class honours in Anatomy and Human Biology, said of the experience, “I was extremely fortunate to be selected for a month-long Youth Empowerment project with the global charity Think Pacific in the Fiji islands!
During this time, I lived in rural Nailawa village with an amazing family who took me in as their own, fully immersing myself into Fijian culture. Myself and the other volunteers delivered workshop sessions to the youth of the village, starting conversations about topics that are not typically spoken about in rural Fiji. These topics included mental health, public health, leadership and enterprise, environment and climate, sports development, and gender equality. It was amazing to listen to different perspectives on these topics, how the youth would like to see things change over time, and ways to facilitate this change.
Afternoon Culture Session run by the youth taught me about the different aspects of Fijian culture, including meke rehearsals, lovo making, mat and fan weaving, and many more! I cannot thank the people of Nailawa village enough for their hospitality, opening my eyes to new ideas, and deeping my intercultural awareness in ways that would not have been possible otherwise.”
Find out more
Are you considering a Global Opportunity? Find out more about where you could study, volunteer or work abroad, during Global Opportunities Week, which is due to take place from Thursday, 3 November to Thursday, 10 November, kicking off with the Global Opportunities Fair on 3 Nov. For a full list of events and activities, visit the webpages here.