Tools

Join the Christian Aid team at the Greenbelt Festival.

Find out more about Christian Aid the best way – hands on! Spend some time with the other new gap volunteers, meet previous gappers and watch them in action leading youth work sessions at the festival.

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Get settled into your new accommodation and office. Learn about the work already underway in your region, and then start to make plans for building on it.

You’ll spend a week in London having induction training – you'll get info on techniques for working with young people and students, campaigning on issues like climate change and trade justice, and your overseas trip.

Start visiting youth groups and maybe some freshers’ fairs / university groups.

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All of the gappers along with some Christian Aid staff members visit local Christian Aid partner organisations in one of the 50 countries where we work.

You’ll have been briefed beforehand so you’ll know a fair amount about the country and the work being done there. This will help you adjust quickly so that you can start collecting stories, photos, videos and artefacts.

But the focus isn't only on collecting ideas to take home – it's just as important that you share your experiences with the people you meet, get involved in their world (even if only for a few hours) and show your support for our partners who are some of the most amazing people you'll ever meet.

You can use these experiences through the rest of the year, helping UK youth and student groups get a snapshot of the strength, hopes and experiences of our partners.

Read more about the trip here.

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Now you've got the training, the experience, and the resources, you can help others learn about and get inspired to help with the issues involved in global poverty.You’ll have a post-trip debrief to give you a chance to chat with your fellow gappers about your thoughts and experiences.

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Start building on your experience. You should be getting more requests to lead sessions from local youth leaders and student groups, so there should be loads of opportunities to tell people about poverty and what they can do to make a difference.

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Get a week's experience of the wider work of Christian Aid by shadowing a different Christian Aid team such as the HIV unit, Campaigns team or Churches team.

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Continue working with youth and student groups doing things like educational road shows, preparing for the Trade Justice Global Week of Action or supporting university groups during Fairtrade Fortnight.

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You’re almost done; there’s just time to return to the head office for a final evaluation of the scheme.

A year older and wiser, with new skills and experiences, you're more employable and you've spent a year working on worthwhile causes.Most gap volunteers come back for the Greenbelt Festival at the end of August to meet up with old friends and help out. 

‘Helping people see that if we work together we can make poverty history is what my job is all about and why I love it so much.’ Emma, 2006

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Next: Your questions answered