Outdoor Camps in Canada

If you consider yourself fun loving person who enjoys working with others, why not Volunteer in an Outdoor Education Camp in Canada. Lattitude NZ currently has vacancies for Camps that can last from 4 months up to a full year. Volunteering in a Camp not only gives you the chance to explore the diverse urban culture and stunning landscapes of Canada, but also offers the opportunity to learn new skills and gain recognised qualifications. If this sounds like you, contact Jenn (intern@lattitude.org.nz) or visit our website.

Katie's Leaving Lunch

As of Monday 12 July Katie is on Maternity Leave. On Friday 09 July the office celebrated at lunch, her time with Lattitude New Zealand and the Baby on the way. Her knowledge, skills and personality will be missed and we wish her all the best for the coming future!
(clockwise from front left: Anna, Jenn, Sharyn, Michelle, Waipora and Katie)

Argentina

We are currently looking for volunteers, 19 years of age and up, for a 4 month English Teaching placement in Buenos Aires. For more information on this or any other placements in Argentina phone us on 06 350 5920 or email aburgin@lattitude.org.nz

New Staff 2010

We are very happy to introduce three new staff members into the New Zealand Lattitude Office! As of April this year we have had two new Interns, Waipora and Jenn and a new Project Coordiator Anna in the office - (as Katie will be on parental leave from the 9th of July). It has been a busy couple of months, but we now have few belated introductions for you!


Hola!
My name is Anna, and I am the new Project Coordinator in NZ taking on Katie’s role as she goes on
maternity leave. I hail from the chilly south of NZ and have recently finished an honours degree in
Political studies at Otago.
Last year I took the opportunity to volunteer in the cactus filled desert of northern Chile, and taught
English in a public school for four months. It was an incredible experience and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I lived in a Chilean ghetto, picked up some unique Chilean Spanish, learnt how to control a classroom of Chilean kids that normally would be getting into fights at the back of the classroom, while the girls straightened their hair and touched up their make-up. To top off all the hard work I backpacked round the north of Argentina at the end. I’ve also previously volunteered short term in Cambodia visiting orphanages and prisons.
After volunteering and evidently enjoying it, I decided to work with Lattitude as I believe in the value of volunteering overseas, especially for young adults. I’m filling some big shoes here at the NZ office and I’m very excited about learning all the crazy ropes of Lattitude as well as getting to meet all the
volunteers.


Kia Ora!
My name is Waipora Tia Tia and I’m one of three new members to join the Lattitude team in Palmerston North, New Zealand.
Last year I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to be a Lattitude Volunteer. I was placed at Dover
College (a co-educational day and boarding school for pupils aged 3-18 years) in Dover, Kent, England. My jobs varied, starting my mornings working in the school office to playing sports games with the pupils in the afternoon and occasionally helping out in the boarding house.

For the 12 months I lived in England I was able to travel all over Europe. Each school holidays I found myself exploring a different country. This opportunity to travel helped me “open my eyes to the world” by learning and understanding different cultures. It was because of Lattitude that I was able to have such a great experience!

I’m really looking forward to working as part of the Lattitude team to provide current and prospective volunteers who will be coming to or leaving New Zealand with a truly incredible experience.


Dzien Dobry!
I’m Jenn, one of the newest members to the Lattitude team. I am originally from the Far North of New Zealand. I grew up in a tiny rural town called Okaihau, and boarded at Whangarei Girls High School.
In January 2009 (thanks to Lattitude and my parents) I packed up and jetted off to Poland. I was there for a five month teaching placement in an urban Junior High School in Warsaw. I had the coolest time getting to know the country and the culture. I surprised myself with the Polish language and my teaching, and had heaps of fun with my students, host family, and fellow Gappers.
After my placement finished, my Dad decided to cash in on the fun and we travelled a bit of Poland and Ireland together. It was fantastic to able to travel with one of my parents and show them what I had been up to for the past five months, but after he returned home to NZ, I jumped on a Contiki tour for a whirlwind trip around Europe.
Returning home I was excited to be back in NZ and see my family and friends, but also feeling a little bit sorry for myself, now unable to skip from European country to European  country. I was back up north working when I applied for the Lattitude
Internship position and in just over a month from interview to starting the job, I am now living in Palmerston North, my car filled to the brim with my belongings, working as an Intern for Lattitude New Zealand. I’m very excited to meet new applicants and in country volunteers and help them have the same cool experience which I received.

To read news from Lattitude Volunteers currently overseas click here, and for more information on Lattitude Global Volunteering see our website.

Scholarships News

We are delighted to announce the recipients of the NZ Travelbrokers / Air New Zealand Scholarships for 2011.

The first recipient is Nikola Fraser from Te Puke High School. Nikola will receive a scholarship for a placement at a boarding school in the UK in 2011. Her scholarship will cover her return flights, her Lattitude fee, travel insurance and visa costs. Nikola will also receive a Contiki Tour of Europe sponsored by Contiki. Nikola is a fantastic young woman, her reference states that she is a superb student, a strong and positive role model, actively involved in all aspects of her school, including leadership roles, pastoral care, sports and service. Congratulations Nikola!

The second recipient is Ces-Ron Lupo-Moke from Wellington College. Ces-Ron will receive a scholarship for a placement at an outdoor education centre in the UK in 2011. His scholarship will include his return airfares to the UK, his Lattitude fee, travel insurance and visa costs. Ces-Ron is hoping to pursue a career as an outdoor education specialist and we sincerely hope that this opportunity will see him well on the way to achieving this goal. Congratulations Ces-Ron!

We would like to thank NZ Travelbrokers, Air New Zealand, Contiki and QBE for so kindly sponsoring these scholarship opportunities. Their continued support means that we can continue to make available opportunities for all young New Zealanders. We believe that the opportunity to volunteer overseas adds so much to the development of young New Zealanders.

Applications are now open for 2011

Well it has been a very busy couple of months for the Lattitude Gloabl Volunteering New Zealand office. Laura our intern has completed her intership and is now on her Lattitude placement in South Africa. While we wish her all the best for her time in South Africa we also miss her technical skills as she was our main blogger!

We are currently looking to recruit a new intern. This is an ideal position for a returned Lattitude volunteer or a new grad. The position will start in April and will last for around 9 months. It is a great way to gain some valuable work experience in a Not-For-Profit organisation. At the completion of your internship we will provide you with a fully funded placement overseas! Applications close Friday 26 of February. Go to www.lattitude.org.nz for more details about our organistion or to Seek or Trade me jobs for the job description.

Applications are also open for volunteers wanting to take a gap year in 2011. Application forms are available from our website www.lattitude.org.nz. Please feel free to phone the office if you need more information (06) 350 5920

Some final gap year thoughts...

Here at the Lattitude office we love to hear feedback from our volunteers, especially when they are having an awesome gap year. Today we recieved a wonderful letter from Kat,who is nearly finished her placement in Hamilton, New Zealand. We wanted to share some of the things she said with you all...

Dear Sharyn, Katie, Michelle and Laura,
I Just wanted to drop you all a quick note as my placement is
coming to an end...
As I’m writing this it is less than 3 weeks until I return to the UK, so I am crazy-busy organising mode… I did want to take a last opportunity to thanks you all for this year though, it’s been the most incredible experience and I’ve had the most amazing time ever!

Working at Waikato Diocesan School has been
so brilliant; I can’t thank you enough for getting me this placement. From day on everybody went out of their way to make me feel a proper member of the school
community. They’ve given me so many opportunities and allowed me to get involved with so much, especially in the drama department (between directing, lighting
and even acting in the performances, I don’t think I could have done much more!) and now that I am heading home and looking for a job in theatre I’ve acquired so many valuable skills which will benefit me hugely in the future.

I’ve also met some amazing people at Dio, and between the school staff, the boarding staff and the girls themselves, there’s always someone to talk to or
laugh with, and I really do feel like I have made some friends for life.

Throughout the year there have always been people around to support me through the bad times and to enjoy the good ones with me. Even a smile and a wave form a year nine pupil can brighten up a dull day. It’s going to be incredibly hard for me to leave Dio, and I know I’m going to miss it so much, but I wouldn’t change a thing about this year and I can’t imagine enjoying any placement more.

I’ve also had some incredible experiences outside of working, and my travels around New Zealand and further afield have provided me with memories that I will cherish forever. Driving the whole of the South Island with 14 other volunteers was so much fun (even if it did cost us 2 cars) and our weekend trips away have been amazing. I never imagine that I could be able to see or do so much in a year and that there would be so many places to visit!

I’ve also been to Tonga and Australia since I’ve been over here. Two very different experiences but both
amazing, and a brilliant opportunity to see a bit more of this part of the world. Life in Tonga is so different to anything I have ever experienced before, and I did so much in my 2 weeks in Australia, I’m going home a fully fledged traveler!

I decided when I came to New Zealand that I was going to adopt the attitude of “try everything once” but I had no idea of the things I’d end up doing – I’m heading home having been skydiving, bungee jumping,abseiling, black and white water rafting, sandboarding, mountain climbing, scuba diving, and walking around the outside of the Sky tower in Auckland! I’d always thought of
myself as a bit of a daredevil but this year has seen me doing things I never imagined I would do, and it’s been incredible; a few white-knuckle moments but its been awesome having the chance to do so much and I’ve loved every minute of it!

It certainly hasn’t all been smooth sailing, and plenty of things have gone wrong this year; loosing 2 cars on our south island trip was a bit of a setback, 12 weeks on crutches put a bit of a dampener on my adventures, and of course there have been days when I’ve just wanted to pack my bags and go home. But I’m so happy I stuck it out; for every bad day there have been so many happy memories and amazing experiences, and I know I will remember this year forever.

So as I prepare to leave the land of the long white cloud, I wanted to thank all of you for making this year possible. You’ve all been amazing and without your organisation, support and friendship I think this year would have been very different. It’s been fantastic to meet you all and to get to know you this year, I’ll miss you a lot. Thanks again for an incredible year, all the
best for the future, and keep in touch!

Love and
Hugs
Kat