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GYC3113 - Conservation, teach, language, diving, expedition Country: Belize Cost: £4050.00 Cost Includes: The price includes accommodation, food, pickup from airport and visas but does not include flight, insurance or kit      Duration: 5 months Company Rep Nearby: All the time or

 

	This placement would suit... someone with energy, enthusiasm and good team spirit. Wants to do something for conservation and/or the community, learn a new language or teach in a rural school. Real adventure with real purpose. Carbon neutral project In partnership with World Land Trust, Trekforce Worldwide have pledged to become carbon neutral throughout their gap year expeditions to Belize in July 2007, February 2008 and beyond so that every volunteer who joins them on a conservation project knows that they are travelling responsibly. Trekforce Worldwide organises unique and challenging expeditions in the rainforests, deserts and mountains of the world which combine real adventure with a real purpose. We run expeditions and gap year programmes that tackle tough conservation or development projects and can be followed by intensive language courses and long term teaching placements in rural communities. Belize, Central America Starts with an intensive jungle training course, a six week project phase and a spectacular week long trek in the heart of the rainforest. You can then extend your experience with a one-month intensive Spanish language course in North East Guatemala and a two month teaching placement. At the end of any part of the expedition, you can learn to dive on some of the most pristine reef systems in the world! Jungle training The project phase is the core of every Trekforce Worldwide expedition but before the project phase can begin, every volunteer will participate in jungle training. Jungle training lessons are unique to Trekforce. As no prior experience is required to take part in a Trekforce expedition, jungle training is an essential part of any expedition programme. Jungle training ensures all our volunteers have the ability to cope with living and working in remote rainforest locations. Lessons are given by our experienced, knowledgeable and professional leaders and medics, local guides and in-country staff. It is supported by the British Army and local defense forces. Project Once the jungle training is finished you will head off to your project. With two qualified and experienced expedition leaders and two expedition medics, your team has the first challenge of getting to your project site, by a combination of truck, aircraft, boat and foot; where you are often based in remote locations. The first task is then to organise the base camp, surrounded by beautiful scenery and exotic wildlife. This will become home for the next few weeks. All the projects are organised on behalf of one of our many partners overseas, such as local NGOs, international scientific organisations, community groups and occasionally government departments. The type of project you complete might be infrastructural work, such as trail clearing or building satellite camps, bird watching towers, boardwalks, overnight shelter for rangers or breeding units for wildlife rehabilitation. No skills or experience are required, as you will be trained by the expedition leaders and locally employed staff during the project. Rest and relaxation During your project phase, your team may have some time to explore and enjoy the amazing area that you are working in. This may take the form of treks to waterfalls or swimming areas, visits to uninhabited islands, or trips to traditional villages for friendly football matches! After you complete your project, we make sure you have time to relax and look forward to the spectacular final party (locations are secret but always amazing!). From here, you will either continue on to one of the extra phases, leave for your own independent travel or return to the UK. Trekking phase During the project, small groups are taken off for five to ten days to explore the jungle, navigating their way through uncharted rainforest. Trekking is a great way to experience some untouched habitats and wildlife, and to get a greater feel for the region as a whole. Working with local guides, Trekforce Worldwide is able to take you to parts of the country that no other traveler could ever reach on their own. Many of the trekking areas are inaccessible to anyone other than scientists, local communities and the project partners themselves. Language After your two month expedition, you can stay on with Trekforce and head to Guatemala where you will take part in an intense one month Spanish language course at a highly reputable school. Guatemala lies just across the western border of Belize. Here there is a mix of volcanoes, jungle, ancient Mayan temples and traditional Mayan towns. Classes are taught one on one or in pairs and the class will be at a level suitable for you so you can be sure you get the most out of the course. For those who have never learnt Spanish it is a great opportunity to gain a basic conversational level of the language. For those who already have some Spanish under their belt it is a great way to gain fluency in a varied learning environment. You will live with host families during this phase- a great opportunity to immerse yourself in Belizean culture! Teaching A teaching placement is the opportunity to learn new skills as well as applying the ones you already have. Whether you are interested in teaching as a profession or just want to try something different, this is the opportunity to really make your mark on a school in need of your assistance! No prior experience is needed for the placement as training will be given and the schools teach in English. The teaching placement lasts for 2 months and finishes off your 5 month gap year. Before you get placed in a school, you will have one week of teaching training to prepare you before you enter the classroom. This includes how to project your voice, different ways of engaging the pupils and how to plan your lessons. You will work in a classroom of mixed ages and abilities, teaching anything from maths to art. In the past, volunteers have produced school newspapers, started a drama group and introduced annual sports days. This will be a challenging and rewarding experience and one you won’t forget! In particular, the teachers in the schools are in desperate need of people to assist them with English. You will live in pairs with a host family, a perfect opportunity to embrace the local culture. Your evening will often be spent mixing with the locals who are more than happy to entertain you with dances and football matches! Our Users Say...“Best bit so far: walking along a remote jungle path, hearing howler monkeys for the first time then having a small group of spider monkeys hurling abuse (and branches!) at us from the canopy! Absolutely ace.” - Al Fraser - Current volunteer in Belize 2007 "We were at the school for one week when we were told by the teacher that the class had an English exam they had to pass at the end of the month. We worked hard, devised new activities and did lots of one on one work too. For the first time, every single child passed their English exam. It was a great feeling and I am sure it wasn't a coincidence that the first time there was a 100% pass rate was also the first time Trekforce had volunteered at the school!" - Kate Gooodwin joined Trekforce in Belize for our 5 month gap year programme. Trekforce Worldwide has over 20 years of experience organising unique and challenging expeditions in the rainforests, deserts and mountains of the world which combine real adventure with a real purpose. We run 1-5 month Expeditions and Gap Year programmes that tackle tough conservation or development projects, and can be followed by intensive language courses and long term teaching placements in rural communities. We also run a series of 2-3 week Extreme Expeditions to the most testing environments around the world, designed to push you to the very limit.