Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Report
Believe
it
or
not,
volunteering
on
the
marine
conservation
expedition
in
the
Seychelles
is
quite
a
bit
of
work.
Sure,
it
has
a
holiday
feel
to
it;
you're
living
on
one
of
the
most
beautiful
islands
in
the
world
with
daily
access
to
a
marine
protected
area
for
diving
and
snorkeling,
working
alongside
likeminded
people
from
all
over
the
world,
and
spending
weekends
exploring
new
places.
But
work
days
are
busy;
besides
the
much-anticipated
1-2
dives
per
day
that
volunteers
enjoy,
duty
groups
keep
people
busy
cooking,
filling
tanks,
or
helping
the
skipper
on
the
boat
and
classroom
time
involves
lessons
on
everything
from
marine
megafauna
to
coral
species.
Early
starts
mean
it's
not
entirely
unusual
to
see
pinks
and
oranges
peeking
over
the
trees
as
we
wake
up
in
the
morning.
Sure,
it's
not
a
tough
life,
but
we
stay
busy!
To
mix
up
our
routine
and
provide
the
volunteers
with
a
day
of
(challenging)
fun,
all
to
benefit
our
beloved
President's
Village
Children's
Home,
we
set
out
to
create
an
epic
charity
challenge
fundraiser,
and
we
succeeded.
The
kids
from
the
Home
meet
us
each
week
for
an
afternoon
of
snorkeling
and
splashing,
but
on
top
of
the
fun
that
these
days
provide,
we
help
support
them
through
several
fundraisers
a
year.
This
fundraiser
was
developed
based
on
the
American
TV
show
the
Amazing
Race,
where
contestants
race
around
the
world
following
a
series
of
clues,
challenges,
and
fun
experiences.
Our
mini
version
didn't
involve
the
$1,000,000
prize
that
the
show
boasts
of
course,
but
we
found
that
the
GVI.2014.2
'contestants'
were
just
as
eager
for
the
glory,
bragging
rights,
and
prize
that
our
race
offered.
Team
members
appealed
to
friends,
family,
colleagues,
etc
for
donations
in
support
of
their
efforts
to
win
the
Amazing
Race.
The
Race
was
a
combination
of
physical
and
mental
challenges,
everything
from
boxing
glove
jousting
to
Einstein's
Riddle
and
asking
locals
about
Seychellois
history
and
geography.
We
set
out
with
two
goals:
to
raise
GBP
450
for
the
Home,
and
to
have
a
fun,
competitive
day
for
our
four
teams
of
volunteers.
Both
were
achieved;
we
raised
GBP
650
(144%
of
our
goal),
which
will
help
finance
our
soon-to-be-completed
solar
panel
system
for
one
of
the
boys'
dormitories
at
the
Home,
providing
clean
and
sustainable
energy,
while
also
reducing
their
electric
bills.
One
of
our
Divemaster
Interns
also
seized
the
opportunity
to
use
the
planning
of
this
fundraiser
as
part
of
her
internship
project,
and
so
assisted
with
all
aspects
of
the
preparation
and
on-site
organization
of
each
phase
of
the
Race.
These
interns
spend
24
weeks
learning
about
marine
research
and
becoming
professional
divers,
but
taking
on
a
leadership
project
is
another
key
component.
This
event
provided
excellent
practical
experience
in
the
field
of
international
fundraising!
GVI.2014.2