Fiji Island Expedition
If you are a gap year student, a graduate or a young career breaker aged 17- 35, a Think Pacific volunteer expedition to Fiji could be the unique challenge you are looking for.
We are small and personal gap year organisation and we specialise in leading volunteer expeditions to Fiji. Every expedition is designed and guided with a passion and makes an incredible difference to Fiji's poor and rural communities. This is a tough but immensely rewarding adventure; living, volunteering and travelling through Fiji.
Whether you join us for five weeks or ten weeks, each expedition begins with a five-day briefing from a glorious castaway island and ends with our island safari as you relax at a selection of beautiful resorts, trek jungle rainforests and kayak paradise lagoons, but we guarantee it will be the time in-between which you will remember as your biggest highlight, as you immerse into life in a traditional Fijian village and work as a team to achieve combined volunteer projects, which are leaving a lasting legacy in Fiji's outer islands.
Each team works to achieve specific and combined building, youth and sports development aims, which are designed by the local communities and the Fijian Ministry. You will help to build vital local facilities, inspire Fijian children, teach English, establish kindergarten schools, organise youth clubs and put your passion for sports to the best possible use as you coach on the palm fringed beaches and develop training, games and island competitions.
Just an acre in size with a circumference of golden white sand and a few grass huts lining the beach, you will live on a tiny castaway island for your first week in Fiji. We always begin with our five day comprehensive Fijian orientation. Our overseas leaders and members from the Fijian Government, Provincial Council and local communities will explain the detailed project objectives as you prepare to acheive some remarkable development aims ahead. There is plenty of time during the week to soak up the sunshine and sink into the slow pace of South Pacific life as you get to know your team mates under the shade of a palm tree. Swim in the lagoon, swing in a hammock, play volleyball and enjoy guided snorkelling trips to the magnificent reefs and day trips to nearby islands and traditional villages.
Volunteer projectsEach expedition has combined community, youth and sports development aims and you can be actively involved in all of these initiatives as part of your project. Our building project is a major focus as we create school classrooms, clinics and install fresh water supplies to remote communities. These projects are directed by the Ministry of Health and are provide huge improvement to the health and well being of these remote villages. Each expedition has a set building objective, which is funded by your expedition fee and will be started and completed during your project timeframe. Inspiring children and providing a full and engaging programme of extra-curricular activities is a major focus of every project. Day-to-day initiatives include teaching primary school lessons, leading daily youth clubs for village children, establishing the first kindergarten schools in Fiji's outer islands, introducing art, drama and music lessons, organising plays and dance productions as well as coaching a huge range of sports each afternoon including rugby, netball, football, cricket and hockey. Each expedition team completes a very busy and diverse plan of initiatives, carefully structured for each village to make the most structured and sustainable impact.
Island Adventure & R&RDuring your project there are lots of opportunities for adventure and exploration such as night spear fishing, climbing extinct volcanoes and waterfall treks. Your expedition includes planned activities, guided by our leaders as well as 'family' days to learn traditional island skills from your Fijian hosts. Learn how to drink kava with the chief, farm in the jungle plantations, weave palm leaves into mats and cook Fijian food in underground earth ovens. Each project ends with lots of rest and relaxation on our island safari as you explore some of Fiji's most breathtaking scenery, staying at a selection of handpicked resorts, castaway islands and jungle lodges and including a magnificent tall ship sailing safari through the stunning Mamanuca Islands during our ten week expeditions. We finish every project with a team de-brief and an end of project party in Fiji's tourist hot spot, Nadi, where you can end your experience with additional activities such as a scuba diving, jet skiing or a sky dive from 14 thousand feet over the islands!
Who else is going?
You will live, work and travel in a team of young, enthusiastic, slightly nervous, fresh thinking and likeminded people. We aim for a fair mix of male and female volunteers aged 17 -35. All our volunteers have the same things in common – a sense of adventure, a passion for making a positive contribution, and a desire to experience the real Fiji!
Guiding your expedition from start to finish, you will have the support of our fabulous team of expedition leaders, local Fijian guides and specialist support staff. Our staff teams are fun, dynamic, and incredibly passionate about what we do and how we do it. We believe they are the best, and the reason why our expeditions are so unique. Our leaders live alongside each team in the village; assessing the aims, updating risk assessments, guiding adventure activities and supporting your whole experience.
Joe Lawrence, ShropshireI'm so grateful that I was able to be a part of Think Pacific. You have really created a great organisation and I love the fact that it is so small and personal.
