Hi family and friends! As I'm sure you're all more than aware, I can't help but keep travelling and exploring the world. One of my next adventures combines this with something else I'm even more enthused by (if that's even possible): psychology and its practise. I'm really proud to share that I've recently been accepted to join a team of likeminded people to take part in a 4 week volunteer mental-health placement in Bali, Indonesia with SLV.Global. SLV.Global is a fantatsic and competitive organisation that takes on psychology students and graduates in the endeavour to help improve global mental mental health focusing specifically on areas around the world that simply don't have the resources, or sometimes the inclination, to do so. Simultaneously, it provides an opportunity for students like myself to gain hands on experience in the world of psychology which is incredibly difficult to obtain here in the UK. Maintaining strong mental health and well-being is of the upmost importance and should be considered as important as physical health which is why is why I'm really happy it is being considered by volunteer organisations like SLV.Global.

My placement will involve tackling a number of different approaches to help restore mental health to individuals from early childhood to those who are 40 years or older! I'll be involved in a range of activities: working with individuals who have special needs; working within a psychiatric hospital and helping with both english for development (a teaching scheme teaching english as a foreign language for career development) and children's general development. All of these feats offer me, as an educational psychology student, invaluable hands-on experience whereby I'll gain crucial skills and knowledge relevant to the field of psychology in which I hope to prosper later in life. Overall, it will really help prepare me for such work, something I would really struggle to make possible here in the UK. Moreover, I'll do this from a culturally enriching perspective, an aspect of psychology I personally believe to be very very important. Plus, Bali isn't exactly bad to look at.

To take part in this placement I have to raise a very large amount of money (seeming even larger to me now as a very poor student). I'm aiming to raise £2000 by the beginning of May this year and this only covers the essentials- my spending money will be earnt by myself running around tables and serving food with a smile 🙃. A a large majority of this money goes directly to SLV.Global which will help further their organisation, cover my training, transportation and food whilst on my placement whilst the rest of this money will, hopefully, cover my flights, insurance, visas and all the other boring bits. So, any contributions to this will help me massively, whether it's a £1 or anything more I'll be so grateful!

Here is a link to the organisation's website to find out why they do what they do, where they do it and how! SLV.Global