Lively Lady for young adults

Voyage for LIfe and Raleigh International team up for sailing adventure

Voyage for Life, the UK organisation that provides challenges to help young adults renew their lives, has agreed a partnership with Raleigh International to enable 100 people aged from 18 to 25 to take part in a demanding round-the-world sailing voyage.

Raleigh International is providing support to the Voyage for Life 2005 Ocean Challenge by managing the recruitment and assessment of applicants, as well as the final selection of 100 participants.

Successful applicants will join ocean adventurer Alan Priddy on part of a nine month circumnavigation aboard the 36 foot teak-hulled Lively Lady which was sailed around the world solo by Sir Alec Rose in 1968, or join the voyage support team. The voyage will provide participants with a wide range of skills and qualifications that are transferable into their daily lives.

The partnership will also see 80 places offered on Raleigh International's land-based expedition programmes.

“Participants will all have different reasons for being there, but they will all be trying to reach the same destination - a life that that is more rewarding and richer than the one they know now,” said Voyage for Life project director Joanna Lichfield.

Over the next six months more than 800 candidates are expected to apply for a place on the programme, with hundreds participating in a series of selection activities. These will include recruitment days, assessment days, a residential assessment centre, sail taster days, survival training and completion of the Royal Yachting Association Yacht Master training course. The selection process is also designed to build self-confidence as well as social, teamwork and leadership skills.

Once selected, the ‘Voyagers’ will receive support from Voyage for Life and Raleigh International via a structured mentoring programme, which will also include expedition planning, survival, safety and first aid training.

These activities have been specifically designed to discover character, skills and talents that until now have been withheld, dormant or unrecognised. The activities will fully prepare candidates for the challenges and adventure of the round-the-world ocean voyage and equally challenging land based expeditions.

Steve McCall, Raleigh International's chief executive added: “We are delighted to be partnering Voyage for Life to provide this incredible opportunity for young people across the UK. It is an extremely exciting programme; one that will see the Voyagers increase their skills and improve their confidence while experiencing true adventure. Our expertise in working with young people from a socially excluded background will ensure that the Voyagers are fully prepared for the once in a lifetime challenge that awaits them.'

Raleigh International has 21 years of experience in selecting and preparing young people for overseas expeditions. It also has over 12 years’ experience of working with socially excluded young adults, with over 1,100 joining expeditions across the globe.

From the point of application to candidates stepping onto the Lively Lady, Voyage for Life and Raleigh International will give the young adults the support and focus they will need to take on the Voyage for Life 2005 challenge as well as giving guidance and reassurance to those who don’t make the final team.

Voyage for Life has a ‘no failure’ commitment, so this partnership will also manage and deliver a referral programme for applicants who do not make the final selection, or who drop out during any of the earlier stages. The programme has a unique ability to refer candidates to specialist support agencies or to individual Rotary International clubs for continuing support and assistance, or will offer a Voyage for Life Bursary for a land based expedition place in the Spring of 2006, to ensure that every applicant has a positive and motivating experience.

Voyage for Life is also giving employers the chance to give their staff the challenge of a lifetime by engaging them in the fundraising Kinabalu Challenge. Companies sponsoring the VFL can use the programme as a tool to engage their employees.

The Kinabalu Challenge, managed by Raleigh International, is a unique jungle adventure race set in the Malaysian province of Sabah, Borneo. The event is designed for teams of four people and in a short but intense nine days pushes competitors both physically and mentally without losing a fun and exciting atmosphere.

The Voyage for Life selection process will be launched at a VIP event at Gunwharf Quays shopping and entertainment centre at Portsmouth on 17th June 2005. The re-fitted Lively Lady will also sail into her Voyage for Life berth courtesy of Gunwharf Quays Management, prior to taking her place in the line-up for the Round the Island Race.

For more information go to http://www.voyageforlife.com