Program Reviews

I had an amazing time, which left me with the most amazing memories and friends. We learned so much, having lessons every day about Greek mythology, the insects and wildlife around the campsite and learning Greek. In addition to learning, we also explored Greece. We went to Olympia and many temples and castles as well as a waterfall which we hiked to along a cliff. Being in the waterfall after the exhausting hike was the most incredible feeling as the water was so cool against the morning sun and so relaxing. We learnt about the turtles and took part in morning surveys which involved taking measurements and relocating nests, as well as beach cleans.

Amazing time in Mexico working with many great people. The staff are welcoming and helpful, they are all passionate about conservation and enjoy teaching the volunteers. It brings together a lot of like-minded people which made the whole experience even better. The programs are educational and fun which motivated me to keep going. Day to day operations ran smoothly most of the time, a little difficult when there was a lack of staff. There weren’t as many GVI experiences as we were initially offered.

Seychelles was incredible, the scenes were that out of a movie and the people made the memories, I genuinely couldn't change a thing because I don't know what could beat it.
The number of times I thought to myself, "how is this real" would be surprising, but that's exactly how it felt, I was swimming in coral reeds on the other side of the world, identifying fish and helping make a difference, and that feeling will be difficult to match. Seychelles made one of the best months of my life and I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to go.

My time in Greece was a wonderful experience. I spent 4weeks working with the GVI Greece team looking after the sea turtles. I learnt so much while volunteering with GVI and felt like I was making an impact the entire time I was there! I was also able to explore a lot of the local area while volunteering as we had a lot of free time. This was such an eye opening experience that allowed me to realise my passion for conservation.
I would 100% recommend volunteering with GVI, as I will be again in the future :)

Had an incredible time with GVI Ghana; spent one month working in local partner schools with primary aged children assisting with one to ones to support literacy and maths. Work was very rewarding, kids were very engaged and you could see their progression. Felt very well looked after, food provided was a lovely mix of Ghanaian and western. Had plenty of cultural activities including African dancing, trip to Cape coast slave castle and hiking trip to the lush Volta region. Overall an incredible experience I am eager to go back!

I’m an undergrad marine biologist and decided to come to GVI Seychelles as part of my placement year at uni, my main goal of the academic internship is to gain research for my dissertation as well as get involved with marine conservation! The staff are great at listening to your ideas about things such as your project ideas or even suggestions around base. I’ve made loads of friends since being here and really don’t want to leave! If getting to dive 5 days a week in the most amazing reefs doesn’t entice you I don’t know what will!

Staff members are very nice. It takes a bit of time to get used to the base and your daily schedule but once you get used to it you will have a wonderful time. You get introduced to a life of a marine biologist who has to take care of his/her diving equipment which includes filling up your tanks by yourself. The weekends off are a great opportunity to discover the rest of the main island (Mahé) but you can also discover other islands (I went to Praslin and La Digue with the other volunteers on base). Speaking of other volunteers, during these 4 weeks I got to meet some incredible people. Working together from Monday to Friday and then having a nice weekend really helps making friends.
To conclude, I definitely do not regret signing up for this experience and encourage everyone reading this to do it too!!

I am a fourth year Biology Student at the University of St. Andrews. I chose to take part in a GVI program over the summer as a way to create a positive impact and meaningful change, whilst still having fun during my holidays! I loved that the program allowed me to get real hands on experience in turtle conservation. You learn how to do everything really quickly even if the initial PowerPoint lessons sound confusing. The communal living situation was really fun, and even though you are together all the time, it is very easy and normal to go off for some alone time each day! Overall very chill, relaxed and fun vibes, you will make some of the best memories and meet some of the best people from all over the world! Everyone I know that was there for only 2 weeks wanted to stay longer which speaks for itself!

I did the GVI Tenerife U18 program for marine conservation and I genuinely had the experience of a lifetime. It was two weeks of immersing into marine life, conservation and GVI's mission. Being in the U18 group, you also get to experience the island's culture, such as visiting Teide, surfing and going snorkeling. At the same time, you are able to get field experience by going out into the boats, collecting data on the cetaceans we viewed, and doing fin identification as a group when we got back. We helped clean the beaches we were near, and entered our collections into data. This combination of both fun and also serious scientific study is what makes GVI so appealing and perfect for teenagers to also become involved in helping the environment. I think we all have lost a bit of hope when it comes to protecting our planet, but GVI helped reconstruct it for me, and the lessons I learned there have helped me take small steps in assisting the environment from home. You also make the friendships of a lifetime. I can't wait to do it again next summer, and hopefully become a core group volunteer.

This program was full of once in a life time experiences, from swimming with turtles, sharks and whale sharks. The conservation work done by this program has had a meaningful and long lasting effect around the Seychelles protected area and is seeing a recovery. The Dive opportunities are some of the best in the world, and will stay with me for life. There is also plenty of socialising opportunities on the weekends when you can explore the surrounding islands and experience the unique local culture.