Raleigh International is a youth expedition organisation based in the UK. Raleigh runs overseas Expeditions for young people to work together on community, environmental and conservation projects around the world. The young people who participate in Raleigh Expeditions are known as ‘Venturers’. Established in 1984 as Operation Raleigh, over 57,000 young people have been part of a Raleigh expedition.

Raleigh International's work

Raleigh International operates in

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

and

Borneo Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...

, with permanent offices in these countries. Long-term partnerships have been established with local communities, NGOs and government departments, ensuring projects are needed and sustainable. Past countries have included

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

Mongolia Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...

and

Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

. All volunteers are trained and supported to work alongside communities living in poverty. They work in remote, rural areas to improve access to safe water and sanitation, build community resilience, sustainably manage natural resources, and protect vulnerable environments. This is carried out in a number of ways, through raising awareness of health and hygiene, sustainable farming methods, as well as the construction of early childhood development centres, community buildings, rocket stoves and other infrastructure.

Expeditions

Raleigh International runs expeditions in Costa Rica, South Africa and Borneo for individuals aged 17–75, of any nationality or background. Venturers (aged 17–24) work on community and environmental projects as well as undertaking tough adventure challenges, and are supported by Venturer Managers (aged 25–75). Expeditions are 5, 7, or 10 weeks for Venturers and 8 or 13 weeks for Venturer Managers.

International Citizen Service

Raleigh ran an International Citizen Service (ICS) program which was funded by the UK government's

Department for International Development The Department for International Development (DFID) was a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the government of the United Kingdom, from 1997 to 2020. It was responsible for administering foreign aid ...

and led by VSO in partnership with other respected development organizations. This programme is no longer offered.

History

John Blashford-Snell and

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

launched Operation Drake in 1978, running youth projects from ships circumnavigating the globe, to develop self-confidence and leadership through adventure, scientific exploration and community service. In two years 414 young people took part in the round the world voyage, working on land-based projects in 16 countries. Following the success of Operation Drake, the much more ambitious Operation Raleigh was established in 1984, and ran for five years until 1989. Two renovated ships,''Sir Walter Raleigh'' and ''

Zebu The zebu (; ''Bos indicus''), also known as indicine cattle and humped cattle, is a species or subspecies of Bos taurus, domestic cattle originating in South Asia. Zebu, like many Sanga cattle breeds, differs from taurine cattle by a fatty hump ...

'', carried 4,000 volunteers and almost 1,600 staff to take part in expeditions around the world. The success of Operation Raleigh saw it continue on a permanent basis in 1988, with an emphasis on land-based expeditions. It became Raleigh International in 1992, reflecting the growing diversity of expedition volunteers. In 1994, transworld walker Ffyona Campbell completed the last leg of her walk around the world, which ran from

Dover Dover ( ) is a town and major ferry port in Kent, southeast England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies southeast of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. ...

to John O'Groats, with the logistical support of, and raising funds for, Raleigh International. Today over 57,000 people have been part of a Raleigh programme, and Raleigh continued to work with young people alongside communities living in poverty across the world. On 19 May 2022 Raleigh International Trust ceased operations and entered Creditors' Voluntary Liquidation. The Raleigh International brand was bought by Impact Travel Group on 11 July 2022 and has relaunched with new expeditions in 2023.

Alumni

Notable Raleigh alumni include: * The Princess of Wales - Chile, 2001. *

The Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

- Chile, 2000. * Tim Peake, astronaut with European Space Agency - Alaska, 1991. * Kate Silverton, BBC News presenter - Operation Raleigh, 1990. * Ray Mears, TV Bushcraft Instructor - Operation Raleigh. * Simon Chinn, double Academy award-winning film producer - Panama, 1988. * Claire Bertschinger, nurse and activist - Operation Drake, 1978.

References

External links

* {{authority control International sustainability organizations Organisations based in the City of Westminster Organizations established in 1984 1984 establishments in England