Project Trust enjoys the highest ever number of volunteers

Date added: Tuesday 22nd December 2009

Project Trust, a Scottish educational charity and a Founder member of Year Out Group, has just closed applications for its 2010 twelve-month programme earlier than ever, enjoying the highest numbers of volunteers in the Trust's 42-year history.

The charity invites all candidates up to its home, the Isle of Coll, for a thorough selection course before being offered a place on the overseas programme. The courses are now full, with only particip8 places remaining.  Particip8 is an eight month programme and selection is scheduled for February.

Ingrid Emerson MBE, Director of Project Trust, said with some excitement: 'With the marked increase in numbers, it has left us with the challenging task of opening new projects for the volunteers. We now have a number of new countries in the pipeline, some we haven't visited for a while and some that will be completely new. We are absolutely thrilled with what we have achieved following a difficult few years.'

Ms Emerson puts a lot of Project Trust's recent success down to the restructuring of the organisation since she became Director in March 2007, as well as the new funding for the organisation, most noticeably a substantial grant from the Wood Family Trust.  'All of this new funding has been directed into our Recruitment Department, a department which rejoined us on Coll after a number of years in a London office. An office in London became non-essential and the organisation has benefitted hugely in having the whole team centralised in the Hebrides.'

With an average of 200 volunteers overseas each year, 2008-2009 saw only 183 school-leavers travel abroad to gain work experience across the Americas, Asia and Africa. 2010-2011 volunteer numbers could be as high as 300. Total enquiries to the organisation are currently 150 percent up on last year's figures.

'Perhaps with the current economic climate as it is, such an increase in numbers has been a surprise,' said Alison Fraser, Finance & Fundraising Manager. 'Yet, maybe it's the case with the job market falling through the floor, young people are being advised more than ever to add extra feathers to their cap and go beyond the usual academic qualifications.  The considerable partnership our volunteers have with Project Trust gives them an immense sense of achievement.  It also increases awareness of global issues, builds skills in languages and fundraising as well as many other life skills that are much sought after by employers.' 

Background information

Project Trust is an educational charity with over 40 years' experience of sending school leavers abroad to mostly developing countries for long-term volunteering placements in a variety of different projects. 

Based on the Isle of Coll in the Scottish Inner Hebrides, all volunteers visit the island for selection, training and debriefing courses.  The charity sends approximately 200 school-leaving volunteers to around twenty different countries across Africa, Asia and the Americas. All projects provide long-term placements overseas, allowing the trust's ethos of immersing young people into a community overseas to be realized.

Director, Ingrid Emerson MBE, joined the organisation last year. The appointment is a significant moment in the charity's evolution as Ms Emerson brings considerable external experience of the charity sector and of youth development.

The Isle of Coll is the inspiration for the Katie Morag books, a popular series featured on many school syllabuses.