Raleigh - India Expedition, July - September 2009: Last Days of Raleigh India 08I

18 December 2008

Last Days of Raleigh India 08I

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The start of something amazing!

The excitement of embarking upon a new expedition never diminishes. A Raleigh expedition is a wonderful experience never forgotten. For me, this is the best job in the world because I get to live that experience over and over again.

During the next 8 weeks we will undertake a journey of self discovery enriched through the cultural vibrancy of a wonderfully rich country which is Incredible India. This year we celebrate Raleigh's 25th anniversary. The last 25 years have given us a wealth of experience in running outstanding expeditions that really make a difference to our volunteers and the world around us. We look forward, wholeheartedly, to shaping another group of young people to understand and appreciate what it means to be global citizens.

On Saturday 4th July our new Field Base team arrived here in Mysore to get systems up and running for Raleigh India's eighth expedition 09I. The energy levels here are high and we are all looking forward to making this the best ever Raleigh expedition.

The induction and training period of the expedition is the most important for me. It sets the standards and expectations for our volunteer managers and lays the foundations which are key to a really successful expedition. Over the next three weeks our volunteer manager team will undergo training here in Mysore for the expedition ahead. By Saturday 25th July we will all be fully prepared and eager to meet the 83 venturers who will be part of the 09I expedition this summer.

We have, as always, some really valuable and worthwhile projects to get stuck into over the 16-day project phase. We have 4 community projects and 2 environmental projects planned for our 6 groups of volunteers to undertake. Over the next 3-weeks our project managers will be undertaking detailed planning visits of the projects and you will be able to see more information about them posted here in a short time.

Following the project phase, on 15th August, we will embark on the adventure challenge element of the expedition. This will take place in the beautiful 'Gods own country' - Kerala state some 400km south of Field base. This will be a really exciting and fun phase for our venturers and project managers, but it will also be challenging - stretching them both physically and mentally.

So it is with great pleasure and pride that I am able to welcome our readers to the start of the 09I blog. Over the course of the expedition you can keep in touch with friends and family and experience, through the web, our journey as it unfolds.