Welcome to the autumn Raleigh alumni newsletter 2008. Whether you've just returned from your first expedition, or are preparing for your next you'll always be part of our global community.

This month Raleigh head office in London has been visited by Pei Ting one of the committee members of Raleigh Kuala Lumpur and in the next newsletter we will report on their activities and the discussions of the Raleigh Asia conference in Malaysia in November. We have a newly formed member, Raleigh China which is based in Shanghai and we are currently looking for funding and someone to send to help them get established with their 300 volunteers. If you can help in any way please contact Stacey Adams at Raleigh HQ by emailing stacey.adams@raleigh.org.uk

We always love to hear how you're getting on, so remember to get in touch if you have any ideas or want to share your news with the Raleigh community by writing a feature in the next edition. You can contact Debra Hay, our Alumni Manger on +44 (0) 20 7183 1280 or debra.hay@raleigh.org.uk for further details.

Our new addition to the Alumni team is Rosie Palliser, Alumni and Events Assistant. She will be working on the 'fourth challenge'; encouraging Raleigh alumni to make a difference in their own communities back home. You can contact Rosie on +44 (0) 20 7183 1290 or rosie.palliser@raleigh.org.uk for further details.

In the meantime make sure you're kept up to date with all the news at Raleigh and preparations for our 25th anniversary in 2009 by completing our alumni registration form at http://www.raleighinternational.org/raleigh_alumni/

Raleigh Mentoring Scheme

Raleigh is delighted to announce the creation of our new mentoring scheme exclusively for our alumni. Many conversations, completed surveys and anecdotal evidence have highlighted the desire of our volunteer managers to continue to offer support to young people from all walks of life once expedition is over.

We very much value the skills and knowledge which our volunteer managers bring to expedition life and we are thrilled that there will be a continued sharing of knowledge post expedition.

We would love to hear from our alumni who have skills which they are willing to share with others via email, telephone, 1:1 meetings or even workshops in the U.K and overseas. Are you a lawyer who would be willing to read a young person's university application for a law degree or can you help a venturer prepare for that all important interview for their first job or to get on to a graduate training scheme? Perhaps you would like to continue working with young people and support them to continue to build their confidence and self belief. Find out more...

Raleigh and your company

Did you know that Raleigh works in partnership with businesses and organisations? We deliver employee development and corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes alongside our core expeditions. As someone who really understands the power of the Raleigh experience, you are best placed to understand how we can help your company. We would be interested in working with you to bring the Raleigh 'can do' experience to your workplace. Have a look at the following and contact us if you think we can help you or forward the information to someone you think needs it. Any profits made support our work with young people.

How we work with companies:
As you know Raleigh programmes inspire people, enabling them to drive their performance through improved leadership, teamwork and by increasing their ability to manage in an unpredictable, rapidly changing environment. If that sounds like the world your business or organisation operates in and skills that you need, then Raleigh can help you.

Since 1984 Raleigh has paved the way in using real, sustainable projects as vehicles for personal and professional development, both in the UK and overseas. Real projects carry real risks and are of real consequence. Participants engage physically, intellectually and emotionally because they know the projects we source fit into the bigger picture of long-term sustainability. They know their efforts will make a very real difference. This level of engagement embeds learning through experience at an extraordinarily deep level, focussing on personal, team and corporate values. Read on...

Raleigh launches
new Youth Forum

Whilst young people across the country enjoyed the final few weeks of their summer holiday, several young Raleigh alumni ventured to London to attend the charity's first ever Youth Forum.

Raleigh set up its Youth Forum to provide an official channel to engage with young people and to ensure that their ideas and suggestions are heard. Focusing on how the charity can improve the expedition experience for participants, the Forum which now has eight members, will also discuss opportunities for alumni to volunteer on return from their expedition.

The Forum will equip members with new skills, such as the ability to chair meetings, set agendas and research new ideas; and the opportunity to work with people from different backgrounds and at different professional levels. Read on...

ippr researches the long
term effects of Raleigh

Raleigh has commissioned the institute for public policy research (ippr) to undertake research on the impact of the Raleigh experience and to do this we need to ask for the help of our alumni.

The project aims to find out about the experiences of venturers who became involved with Raleigh through the Youth Development Programme (including Motiv8 and the early inner city schemes) over the past 24 years. The research is taking a unique approach to understanding the long-term significance of Raleigh in venturers' lives. Read on...

Raleigh is now on Facebook!

Raleigh is one of the first UK charities to develop a Facebook application. The application allows you to keep your friends and family up to date with your fundraising, you can keep abreast of all the latest news at Raleigh and you can link into our multimedia section with videos and photos.

It couldn't be easier to get Raleigh on your Facebook page. Simply search for Raleigh in the applications section and select add application. Don't forget to add yourself as a fan of Raleigh. Have fun and make sure to spread the word to all your friends!

As you hopefully know, the fourth challenge of Raleigh has always been to make a positive impact on the lives of others after expedition.

We have created a number of opportunities with our project partners for you to get involved with, from conservation to music festivals and social research to our youth forum. Find out more...

We want to hear your news. In each newsletter we will feature one of our alumni and let you know where they are now. If you would like to feature in future editions, please let us know by emailing alumni@raleigh.org.uk with answers to the questions below and two photos - one recent and one from your expedition if you still have one. Read on...

Hello alumni!

Who are we? Well, like our support group cousins around the country, Raleigh London is first and foremost a social network of like minded people who have all experienced something quite special and unique, who meet up on a monthly basis. Following in the footsteps of previous Raleigh London generations, our aspiration is to organise Raleigh-style 'fourth challenge' activities throughout the year and to support those who are curious about going on, or are in fact preparing, for expedition - like all alumni, we're full of genius fund raising and kit tips! Read on...

With summer expeditions underway and final preparations being made for autumn, the Operations team are now focusing on 2009. The new calendar for next year's residentials is now available and, as ever, we will be relying on the support of Raleigh alumni to provide the best in quality training. Read on...

loyalty discounts available!

Speaking to our alumni we know what a great time you had on expedition and how much you would like to get back out there. As a thank you for all your hard work we would like to offer all our returning venturers or volunteer managers a 10% discount on an expedition of your choice.

We are inviting applications for all previous venturers under the age of 25 to apply to be a volunteer manager.

Places are still available on our January 2009 expeditions to Borneo, Costa Rica and Nicaragua and India. Please encourage all your friends and family to apply online today!

Contact Sophie Pell on
+44 (0) 20 7183 1274 or sophie.pell@raleigh.org.uk for more information.