Festival Republic, the promoters of Reading and Leeds Festivals, in association with Cradle, are calling for applications for the 2009 Volunteer Project.

The Volunteer Project gives Reading and Leeds festival goers the opportunity to visit supported projects. Working alongside Festival Republic and Cradle staff, the volunteers will experience first hand the work that is being done and why there is a need for it.

At this year’s project in Bosnia & Herzegovina volunteers undertook a full-on programme of community work where each morning was spent decorating an extension to a family home. In the afternoons they helped out at other Cradle projects within the area including a violin project in Mostar, an arts class at an orphanage, Lokomotiva handball team (an incentive to keep girls off the streets and safe from trafficking and drugs) as well as spending time with a Roma family. The project in Thailand was similarly demanding where volunteers refurbished the library and canteen of a village school in Phang Nga; a region that was devastated in the tsunami. Learn more about what was achieved on each of the projects and the positive impact this had on the local community, by reading the volunteer blogs.

Plans for 2009 are well underway with week long volunteer opportunities taking place at a house building and refurbishment project in Albania and a school building project in Thailand in January and February. The trips will be fully paid for by Festival Republic, including flights, accommodation and food.

To qualify for application for the 2009 Volunteers Project you must have attended Reading or Leeds Festivals 2008. You will be required to prove your attendance with either a wristband, ticket stub, ticket confirmation email, or other relevant proof of attendance. Other than that, you don’t need any specific experience or training, though practical skills may be an advantage, from painting and decorating to child care, teaching an instrument or sports skills. But most importantly you need to be keen, willing to get stuck in, be able to communicate well with people from different cultures and backgrounds and be open to a new experience.

All volunteers invited to join the next year’s projects will be expected to document their experiences in order to write a full blog on their return.
More details about this year’s Volunteer Projects and application forms available at www.festivalrepublic.com.