An A-Z of all you need to know
Alpha groups – the official name for project groups. India 10k has six alpha groups, each led by three Project Managers.
Basher - Jungle ‘bed’: consists of a tarpaulin for shelter, a hammock and mosquito net. A basher is hung up between two trees and supported by rope, bamboo and canvas straps
Bravos – a term of endearment for our hard-working 4x4s. The three vehicles are officially named Bravo 1 – 3.
Changeover - a two day period where all staff and venturers return from their project sites for some respite before they are all reallocated and sent off to do it all over again.....
Comms check - As well as a daily SITREP, all Alpha projects are required to complete a second call-in each day to check in, receive messages and report any developments
Energizer - An activity to gather the group together and raise energy levels. Can be used at the beginning of the day, or whenever a quick pick-me-up is required
Energy bombs - A trekking treat – mix together oats, raisins, condensed milk and chocolate powder and roll into little balls of gooey goodness to power you through the day. (Invented by our very own Anna Tate during her time in Raleigh Costa Rica)
Field Base (FB) – refers to the Raleigh ‘office residence’ in India which is where the Field Base staff eat, sleep and work, whilst organising the expedition, manning the comms round the clock, supporting the projects, planning transport and logistics, keeping tabs on the finances and much, much more.
Field Base Volunteer Managers – For each expedition a team of Volunteer Managers (VMs) join the team of permanent staff members, the Country Director; Country Programme Manager; Projects Co-ordinator and HCV Co-ordinator. The VMs include the Deputy Programme Manager; Medic team; Photographer; Finance; Logistics (logs) team and the Communications Officer.
Icebreaker - A getting-to-know-you game
Long drop – the camp loo. Literally a deep hole in the ground, it is one of the first tasks to complete when setting up jungle camp for obvious reasons!
Longs – from 6 p.m. onwards, we all don long trousers and sleeves to discourage the bugs that aren’t deterred by DEET.
The Loop – the official tour of the Raleigh project sites. The logistics team and some of the Field Base team drive the Bravos on a loop round to each of the accessible project sites once per phase. They deliver kit, supplies, site visitors, messages from the blog and of course the all important post!
Project Managers (PMs) – project staff for the expedition. Each of the six Alpha groups has at least two PMs who work with the venturers to develop skills, lead projects, and learn about Raleigh life.
Phase - Raleigh expeditions are split into three phases; Community, Environmental and Adventure (Trek)
Review - A round-up that assesses how everyone feels, what went well and what needs work. This is sometimes an ‘activity’, sometimes a chat around the campfire, or sometimes just a bit of time to reflect. It’s an important part of everyone’s personal development so we make sure it happens every day
SITREP - Situation Report. A special comms message sent from the project sites back to Fieldbase once a day. It follows a certain format and includes all sort of handy information like where they are, what they’ve been up to, what they need and what they’re planning to do next.
Three bowl system - method of washing up involing using a bowl of bleach, a bowl of washing up liquid, and a bowl of water to disinfect eating utensils. This system is used to avoid illnesses being spread and maintain hygiene.
Trangia – a portable cooking stove. Used primarily for trekking, a trangia uses a compact design for easy travel – the entire packaged stove, including pots, is about the same size as a standard camp cooking pot.
Venturers - Participants in the Raleigh expedition.
Wash up - The last few days of expedition, spent debriefing, returning equipment, performing skits and most importantly enjoying the farewell party
Zero - A radio term that identifies the Comms controller at Fieldbase. Fieldbase monitors the phones 24-7.
