The comunity volunteer placement I did for a whole year was the most incredible experience i’ve ever had in my entire life. I learned life skills that I would have never imagined I will do, like taking care of two little kids, traveling a lot by myself or even learn how to ski.

My main “job” was to help a family and be an aupair of 5 year old twins, but actually in the end they became family to me! I lived 25 minutes away from central london so I used to go in my free time so I made many friends of all around the world. Also, I did volunteering in a children hospice shop for children with cancer, where I learned many skills while doing a really nice thing for the community.

While being there I had the chance to travel to many places in the United Kingdom and Europe, I went to places that I used to just see in pictures and I did many things that I will always remember

This had changed me in a very good way, it helped me to grow as a person and expand my life, friends and even family! It was an incredible year.

I went 10 months to new zeland in Totara springs and it was the best time of my life, I have never seen such a beautiful country and awesome people, it was 1 in a life time experience and I am very glad I went there with new adventures. Is something u would recommend to any one out there.

I Had such a Great Great time here. Working with the kiddies Really was the most rewarding and awesome thing I have ever done, and really helped me grow as a person. Just the feeling of coming into a classroom and in 20 faces the sun rises, that’s an incredible feeling you can not get elsewhere. Also, the experience of being alone in other country, especially Poland, where there are not so many international volunteers so you have to get in touch with local people was really a challenging, but ultimately character growing experience. I can really just recommend doing this kind of international duty to everyone, especially in Poland.

I spend 10 months at Balmoral Hall School in Winnipeg, Canada 🇨🇦. It was such a great experience. I always felt supported by multiple people. At the school, at New Ventures Worldwide, or my organization VIA e.V.

In my situation NVW task was mainly the communication between the school and VIA e.V. They did a great job!

I can only recommend taking this opportunity to live in a different country away from home after school 😄.

For the past 10 months, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to live in the beautiful city of Żywiec. Located in the heart of the southern Polish mountains, this town is known not only for its brewery, scenic lake, and delicious highlander cheese, but also for its remarkable high school: Zespół Szkół Mechaniczno-Elektrycznych. If you’re wondering how to pronounce that—congratulations! That’s exactly how I felt before coming here. But after 10 months of practice, not only can I now confidently say the name of my placement but have even reached a communicative level of Polish. Sometimes I still surprise myself by actually understanding the conversations around me.

As a language assistant, I primarily worked in English classes. I helped students prepare for their matura exams, built vocabulary, played games, and—my favorite part—had one-on-one conversations with my students in English.

Thanks to my coordinating teacher Asia and my two wonderful host families, I experienced Polish hospitality at its finest. Celebrating traditions on Christmas Eve, Easter, and national holidays, skiing and hiking in the nearby mountains, and visiting stunning cities and the Polish seaside were definite highlights of my time here. But what truly made this experience unique were the small moments: making silly jokes with my younger host siblings (being the “big sister” was a first for me), walking the dog, or chatting with students in the hallway.

I also really enjoyed meeting up with the two other volunteers who were working in different parts of Poland—sharing stories, laughs, and experiences was always fun.

I’ve learned a lot—about myself, about the power of communication, and about what it feels like to not understand anything at first, which has made me more tolerant and open-minded. But perhaps my most unexpected personal growth? Learning to love black tea. I used to hate it, but during those cold Polish winter days and boredom in the teachers’ room, I slowly got used to it. Now, I have to admit: nothing beats a good, hot cup of czarna herbata.

The last 10 months were absolutely amazing. I have made unforgettable experiences and learned a lot of new things in Whitemoor Lakes and in the whole UK.

Even with no prior experience, you will be taught how to use ropes properly and what it needs to be a good canoeing/kayaking instructor. There are loads of qualifications that you are able to get, such as the Paddlesport Instructor or Archery Instructor.

To be honest, it wouldn´t be the same without the people here. It´s the other volunteers and instructors that make this place worth it. I love spending time with them here – whether it´s just after work, in the pub or during trips. Whitemoor welcomes everyone, resulting in a variety of volunteers from France, Germany, England, Ecuador and other countries. Together we went to a variety of places. My favorite ones are definitely London, Snowdon, Edinburgh and Liverpool.

However, I have to admit that the work can be very demanding, especially during the busy season. The average day starts at 8:30 am and finishes at 6 pm, with some breaks of about half an hour in between. Sometimes, there is also an evening session from 7 to 8 pm after dinner, e. g. a campfire with the children. Nevertheless, working with children can be really funny and it is very rewarding. You can often see that they really enjoy the session and sometimes gain confidence as well. There is a variety of sessions that you will have with the children – climbing, zipwire, canoeing, team games, circus skills, fencing, abseiling, …

The food is provided during this placement and kitchen staff always cooks something for the volunteers here which is normally the same food as the children get. One downside is definitely that the meals repeat itself very often so it can get kinda boring.

But the people working here are open for criticism and really care about everyone. The time that you work longer will be given back to you with some more rest days and in May there´s also a trip to Wales with all the volunteers where we went outdoor climbing, hiking and caving. Every Tuesday evening we can go and play football which is always good fun. The bedrooms are usually single or double, depending on how many volunteers there currently are.

I can definitely say that it was the right decision to come to Whitemoor Lakes for my gap year. I will never forget all the amazing memories and I´m happy about every person that I have met during my time here. Hopefully, I can visit some friends from England, Ecuador or France at their home one day. This year helped me to gain lots of experience in teaching children outside of the classroom and to improve my level of English significantly.

I had wonderful experiences during my 10 months working as a primary school teacher in Poland. I was placed in the location that fit me best, just outside of Warsaw, with the opportunity to live with a Polish host family. The experience of being able to make my completely own decisions for the first time in my life, was very formative and amazing. I learned more about myself, my habits and my needs. I now feel way more prepared to face living as an adult person on my own, than a year ago. I learned how to be an (assistant) teacher and I met very nice people, from the teachers at school, Beata from NVW, new Polish friends, and the other volunteers. I can only recommend this experience, because it made me feel more secure in navigating the world on my own and overall was a culmination of seeing beautiful new places and meeting nice people.

My experience working with children at PACCAR has changed my life and perspective. It’s taught me to strive to ensure everyone enjoys every second of the activities. To be honest, I learned to appreciate every single laugh and smile because we make a difference in children’s live. Also, being surrounded by nature pushes you to be more active and always on the move. Volunteering opened my mind and gave me the opportunity to travel throughout Europe and the UK. I can tell you it wasn’t easy, sometimes you really need to face your fears and push your limits in ways you’ve never experienced before, but every sacrifice has a reward and recognition in the end. Finally, this experience will give you lifelong friends around the world that you’ll never forget. I think we need to remember that that’s the whole point, to experience and connect with people, even if you grew up in different worlds and with different cultures, traditions and even languages. The love you feel around you and with other volunteers with always lingers in your heart. Thank you all. Thank to PACCAR. Most importantly thanks to the gappers 2024-2025.

I personally went from volunteering in schools in Spain to scout camps in the uk; from travelling alone in this world to forced to live with strangers

It’s been the greatest transition in my adventure of this world, I have loved every moment.

Scout camp volunteer has its high and lows but some of the best rewards, like strong work ethic, the closest friends you will ever make and strange but useful skill sets.

I can easily say the past year of working hard have taught and given me the best lesson and memories.

I am leaving my camp teary eyes with a full heart and full head of knowledge.

I would and will recommend this program and PACCAR to anyone willing and interested in hands on and big adventures

Thank you Paccar

I loved the work with the children, everyone at work was so nice, we did stuff together outside of work as well. Good accomodation, had my own room, I would say almost luxurious furnishing for what I expected. 1 hour from Melbourn, one hour from the great ocean road, could take camp car almost everywhere, next town 15 mins away, enough food money, close other camp with more gappies, had two coworkers living with me, were now really good friends, hab a lot time off to travel, almost saw all of Australia, would recommend

Leaving my comfort zone and my home country wasn’t easy, but it’s something I would recommend a thousand times over, to every young person in their 18s.

It’s simply an experience that changes you from the moment you arrive in a new country; it’s like a fresh start for six months.

I haven’t stopped learning since I arrived, and getting to know new cultures and people is amazing.

I took a gap year before university to do something different that would change me. I wanted to experience independence, managing my money, cooking every day, keeping my space clean, moving alone. Nothing seemed better than challenging myself to try something new, halfway across the world.

I am volunteering in an outdoor camp, I have been in Blackwell Adventure for three months now and I am very lucky to have this Team. Staff members are amazing people that are used to welcoming people from other countries, they have become real friends to me.

My year in New Zealand has been great. I worked 9 months as an Intern at the YMCA Kaitoke Outdoors Education Camp. I met so many cool people, experienced New Zealand and its culture, got better in English and made friends for life.

Even though I’ve liked almost every single second there were struggles and some issuers. This is why I called it climbing Mount Taranaki. Cause climbing is not just fun and great views. But after all the pain, walking and exhaustion there gonna be a great view and a huge feeling of proudness afterwards. And this is how I feel about my year.