About Raleigh International Trust
Raleigh is a youth and education charity. Since 1984 we have inspired over 30,000 people from all walks of life, nationalities and ages to get out there and rise to the challenges of life on expedition.
We have two commitments. Our first is to provide a transformational journey for everyone who joins an expedition. We aim to awaken a sense of life-purpose and self-belief by involving participants deeply with people, places, and communities.
Our second commitment is to our host countries. With a permanent presence and long-standing partnerships with government, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and local communities, we are dedicated to bringing communities together, often for the first time, giving them the resources and motivation to achieve sustainable development.
Our vision is to be recognised as a global community of active citizens passionate about making a difference to their world.
What we do
Throughout the year we run expeditions to Borneo, Costa Rica & Nicaragua and India. These last between 4 and 10 weeks and inspire 17-24 years old to join as venturers and 25s and over (up to 75!) to join as volunteer managers. Our expeditions are a challenging, but extremely rewarding combination of community, environmental and adventure projects.
We also design tailor-made expeditions to suit the needs of a diverse range of organisations, from employers, schools and youth membership organisations, including high profile clients like the Ministry of Defence.
But Raleigh is more than an expedition; it’s a way of life. Raleigh creates active global citizens committed to making a difference on their return, supported through our Raleigh alumni programme. We call this our fourth challenge.
Why us?
There are many reasons why people choose us and often come back to Raleigh. Here are just a few of them:
- We work on worthwhile and sustainable projects – having a permanent presence in all our host countries means we know what is needed to really make a positive contribution
- We access remote areas – we often work in national parks and obtain special permits to trek remote landscapes you couldn’t access travelling alone
- We’re safe – safety is our utmost priority and we ensure all volunteers receive comprehensive safety training
- We encourage volunteers to be all they can be – our expeditions enable a diverse range of volunteers, including disadvantaged youths and host country participants to develop key skills for life
- We are a charity – all monies raised cover the cost of the expeditions including the development and materials for projects, as well as providing bursaries for host country participants and disadvantaged young people
- We are for life – volunteers are able to share their memories, experiences and skills with a growing network of over 30,000 like-minded people who want to keep contributing to society on their return
- We evaluate our work – we commission and issue our own reports and case studies to evaluate the impact our expeditions have on participants, and the communities we work in
Our history
1978 - Operation Drake
Colonel John Blashford-Snell and HRH Prince Charles launched Operation Drake, running youth projects from ships circumnavigating the globe, to enable young people to develop self-confidence and leadership through adventure, scientific exploration and community service. In 2 years 414 young people took part in the round the world voyage, working on land-based projects in 16 different countries.
1984 - Operation Raleigh
Following the success of Operation Drake, the much more ambitious Operation Raleigh was created. This started as a 4 year project running from 1984 -1988 involving 4,000 volunteers and almost 1,600 staff on the renovated Sir Walter Raleigh ship, but its success saw it continue permanently, with an emphasis on land-based expeditions.
1992 - Raleigh International
Operation Raleigh became Raleigh International in 1992, reflecting the number of volunteers from across the globe. We widened the diversity of volunteers by raising the relevance and quality of our overseas expeditions and raising issues of global awareness.
Raleigh International to Raleigh
We wanted to unite the participants from the first years of Operation Raleigh and the last participants of Raleigh International under one unifying brand – Raleigh – and, in doing so, create a global community of people passionate about the world, whatever their background, race, religion or nationality. Over 30,000 people have taken an expedition with us and we continue to inspire people from all walks of life to be all they can be. We also now work with schools, youth agencies and membership organisations.