Due to the aforementioned issues with Nigerian visas, I will now be travelling to Delhi, India in January 2013. As this blog was specifically created for my trip to Nigeria, I have decided to set up a new travel blog in which I will talk through both my fundraising and my trip when the time comes. I would greatly appreciate it if you visited and subscribed to this blog and keep up to date with how things are going. And any donations would be greatly appreciated at my JustGiving site.
changing-landscapes.blogspot.co.uk/
http://www.justgiving.com/Jess-Marshall1
Monday, 26 November 2012
Wednesday, 7 November 2012
Destination: Not Nigeria
Due to the issues with our groups visas, the trip to Nigeria has unfortunately been cancelled. Instead I will now be going on a placement to Delhi, India in January. All money donated towards my ICS trip will still count towards my new placement and I will be setting up a new blog for my trip to India which I will post a link to shortly.
Wednesday, 17 October 2012
Delays...
With 3 days to go until departure date I received an email explaining that our group of volunteers visas had been rejected by the Nigeria embassy and that our trip was to be delayed until further notice. After several days of crossed fingers and a meeting between the high commission and the foreign and commonwealth office, we have received news that VSO are aiming to get us to Nigeria by the 29th October and hopefully extend the trip to over Christmas. Unfortunately this means some more waiting but hopefully it'll be worth it and we'll be flying out in no time. Fingers crossed!
Saturday, 15 September 2012
Application Process
I recently decided that I would like to spend some time doing overseas voluntary work so I decided to do some research into the opportunities available to me. I've always heard great things about VSO so decided to look for volunteer opportunities through them. This is where I came across a link to the ICS programme under the heading of 'opportunities for 18-25 years olds'. Being as young as I am (18), I was unsure as to whether or not I could secure a volunteer placement, so finding the ICS programme was ideal.
After doing some research into ICS, their views,values and hearing past experiences, I decided that the programme was perfect for me and I was very keen to apply. I found the application process very simple and it made me really think about why I wanted to take part in an ICS programme.
Once I completed my application, I was invited to an assessment day in London and was given an information pack on what to expect from the assessment. I was told that my travel and accommodation costs would be reimbursed which I found incredibly helpful as I would struggle to cover the costs otherwise. My assessment day was held at the VSO offices in Putney, London. I met 4 other hopeful volunteers and we took part in group activities, though we were all nervous but found that we got on really well which helped with my nerves a lot! After the group tasks and a complimentary lunch, we each had our individual interviews which took roughly 1 hour. Throughout the day we were each being assessed on our positive and realistic commitment, working with others, commitment to learning, sensitivity to the needs of others, flexibility and adaptability, practical problem solving ability and self assurance. Though I was nervous at the beginning of the day, I soon found the day to be overall very relaxing given the circumstances.
After a short, but anxious wait, I received a phone call explaining that I had secured a placement and that I would be travelling to Nigeria in October. As I'm sure you can imagine, this stirred up some serious excitement. This excitement was soon put to the back of my mind as I realised the importance of the tasks that lay ahead. I now have forms to fill in, fundraising to organise and a training weekend to go to. All I can do at this moment in time is put in as much effort as I can to reach my fundraising target of £800 and prepare myself for my trip to Nigeria on October 15th.
If you wish to donate some money towards my trip, please visit www.justgiving.com/Jess-Marshall1 and click 'donate'.
Thanks
After doing some research into ICS, their views,values and hearing past experiences, I decided that the programme was perfect for me and I was very keen to apply. I found the application process very simple and it made me really think about why I wanted to take part in an ICS programme.
Once I completed my application, I was invited to an assessment day in London and was given an information pack on what to expect from the assessment. I was told that my travel and accommodation costs would be reimbursed which I found incredibly helpful as I would struggle to cover the costs otherwise. My assessment day was held at the VSO offices in Putney, London. I met 4 other hopeful volunteers and we took part in group activities, though we were all nervous but found that we got on really well which helped with my nerves a lot! After the group tasks and a complimentary lunch, we each had our individual interviews which took roughly 1 hour. Throughout the day we were each being assessed on our positive and realistic commitment, working with others, commitment to learning, sensitivity to the needs of others, flexibility and adaptability, practical problem solving ability and self assurance. Though I was nervous at the beginning of the day, I soon found the day to be overall very relaxing given the circumstances.
After a short, but anxious wait, I received a phone call explaining that I had secured a placement and that I would be travelling to Nigeria in October. As I'm sure you can imagine, this stirred up some serious excitement. This excitement was soon put to the back of my mind as I realised the importance of the tasks that lay ahead. I now have forms to fill in, fundraising to organise and a training weekend to go to. All I can do at this moment in time is put in as much effort as I can to reach my fundraising target of £800 and prepare myself for my trip to Nigeria on October 15th.
If you wish to donate some money towards my trip, please visit www.justgiving.com/Jess-Marshall1 and click 'donate'.
Thanks
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