What is the application process?
Your son/daughter can download an Application Form from our website and then return it by email to [email protected]. They can also register on our website, request more information or request a call back and we will give them a call to chat about our placements and answer their initial questions, as well as sending them more specific information about countries they are interested in, so they feel fully prepared to apply.
Once they have submitted their application, they will then be invited for interview. The interview is informal and is an opportunity for us to get to know volunteers in order to help us match them to placements suited to their strengths. It is also an opportunity for them to ask any questions they may have.
Based on the interview and the application form we shall match a volunteer up to a placement that suits them and where their skills and interests can be of real help. This is important as it ensures a volunteer becomes a useful part of their host community, enabling them to interact and really get the most out of their time away.
We shall call up the volunteer and discuss the placement selected for them based on the matching process. At this point we will ask for a deposit to secure their place. We shall then begin to organise all of the paperwork and begin preparing the volunteer for departure.
For more details on the whole process please click here, or feel free to call us on 0118 959 4914
What support network is there to ensure my son/daughter’s safety?
We have a strong support network in place to ensure your son/daughter’s safety throughout their Lattitude Global Volunteering experience. Once your son/daughter arrives in country, they will be met by their in-country Country Manager and will attend an in-country orientation. Along with a host mentor at their placement, the Country Manager will support your son/daughter throughout the length of their placement. We also have a 24/7 emergency phone line for your son/daughter‘s use as well as your own, in the event of an emergency.
How can I communicate with my son/daughter whilst they are on their placement?
With the ever growing access to the internet, there are many ways to stay in contact with your son/daughter wherever they are placed. On some placements, your son/daughter may have access to a phone or the internet and will not be far from a town where they can easily get access to both. You will also be able to contact your son/daughter’s Country Manager in-country or their Volunteer Coordinator here in the UK, should you need to, as well as our 24/7 emergency phone line. And you can always write letters which can be a great way to communicate with your son/daughter in more remote areas and can add to their experience as well as being something they can keep forever. Obviously the exact communication channels will depend upon where they are placed, but we will inform you in advance of what is available and what previous volunteers have done.
Where does the money go?
Lattitude Global Volunteering is a registered youth development charity and we work very hard to keep the costs of volunteering to a minimum. We do not make a profit out of our placements but we do have to cover the costs of staff, project administration, office administration and overseeing our programmes. The fee volunteers pay helps cover the cost of:
- Processing applications.
- Assigning a paid member if staff to support them.
- Comprehensive interview and matching process.
- Pre-departure events in the UK, briefing materials and guides.
- 3—5 day in-country orientation course.
- 24 hour telephone assistance.
- Research and development of our partnerships with placements and hosts.
- Running Debriefing session upon a volunteer’s return.
