Our volunteer, Bob, who is currently in Sri Lanka applied to the Wild Fund for money to create English signs to go around the school he is volunteering in. It was felt by the staff and by Bob that exposure to English on a daily basis would benefit the children in their studying of the […]
Author Archive | Lauren
Fundraising Idea: Smartie Tube Collections
You may remember doing these when you were at school, guides, scouts etc. The idea is very simple! You just need a lot of smartie tubes and some friends to give them out too! What a great excuse to eat a lot of smarties – goodbye new years resolution to give up chocolate!… well if […]
Fundraising: The Top 5 Activities in 2013
To start off the new year we thought we would share with you the top five fundraising activities of 2013 to help inspire you with your fundraising efforts! We know that the idea of fundraising can be very daunting, but hopefully these top five activities will help give you some ideas! 1. Cake Sales – […]
Fundraising: Publicity
Think about all the ways you can raise awareness of your fundraising and also volunteering overseas. The more publicity you get the easier your fundraising job will be. Local papers often respond positively when approached to do an article on you and your fundraising plans. Send them a press release or brief article about what […]
Fundraising: Holding An Event
All events are unique but the following points should be considered to ensure your event is safe, fun and a success! We had a whole host of events in 2013 including talent shows, community events, film nights (with films relevant to the country you’re visiting), gigs, club nights, large meals – the list is endless! […]
A Review of 2013
2013 has been a busy year here at VESL, we sent our highest ever number of volunteers overseas and we are continuing to see an increase in demand for our volunteers to teach English in the countries we work in. So we feel that it is about time that we updated you in a bit more […]
Fundraising: Getting Started…
As with all new things, making a start is always the hardest part, but remember… The sooner you get started the sooner you will reach your fundraising target. The more ground work and planning you do the more success you will have. The best place to begin is to simply start talking… You should talk […]
Volunteer Case Study: Thailand: A Day In The Life
Check out this case study by Keele student, Katie Hill, who volunteered in Thailand in the summer of 2012 for six weeks. This year Katie is going back to Thailand as a Student Leader! My day would typically start at about half 6 where I would get up showered and ready for school. At about […]
International Volunteer Day 2013
December 5th is the UN’s International Volunteer Day… This is a great opportunity for all of our volunteers to remember the challenging and valued work they were involved in (or are still involved in) this year or previously in India, Thailand & Sri Lanka. We have received amazing feedback this year from various stakeholders, so […]
Where to find VESL in 2014…?
The New Year is fast approaching and with that comes a new round of Careers, Volunteering & Refreshers fairs that we will be visiting! We will be making our way to some universities and events near you… we will update this list as more events get added so keep checking back! If we’re not heading […]
Volunteer Update: Bob in Sri Lanka II
You may have seen our last instalment from Bob, who is currently in Sri Lanka (for the third time with VESL!), if not make sure you check it out here! We received a lovely email from Priyanthi, the English Teacher, at the school Bob has been placed in just after Bob’s last update: He [Bob] […]
Introducing our Student Leaders for 2013/14
We have recruited a new team of enthusiastic Student Leaders for 2013/14 who will be leading teams to Thailand & India this summer, drawing on their past experiences to help the new wave of VESL volunteers! This year we have recruited six Student Leaders and are excited to be working with students from Keele University, […]
Volunteer Case Study: Rural Projects
VESL runs projects in rural parts of Chiang Rai in Thailand, these are unique projects in the mountainous regions of the province where the local villages are inhabited by various hill tribe populations. Andrew Durrant, now a Keele University graduate, volunteered in a rural hill tribe project in 2012. Here Andrew talks about what the […]
Volunteer Case Study: Kru Kim
“These past few weeks have definitely taught me a lot about myself and having taught a variety of ages from 4-15 years, I have verified that I can teach and more than this, that I enjoy teaching. I have spent a long period of time in a foreign country and I felt at home; I […]
