Slv.Global

Yesterday was Poya Day in Sri Lanka and #SLVGlobal Volunteers got the day off projects to travel and experience all the traditional local festivities. Poya Day is celebrated every month on the day of the Full Moon and is regarded in Buddhist culture as a day of rest and celebration. Happy Poya! 🌝🎆 Photo cred: Volunteer Taylor, who is currently on the Advanced Placement in #SLVSriLanka 📷🇱🇰 #ThrowbackThursday #PoyaDay

Is this what you thought psychology work experience would look like? 🤙
Challenge your expectations. Challenge yourself and apply today. 🙌

Psychology work experience available. Passport required. ✈️ 🛂 😎

Are you confirmed on a team this Summer? ☀️ Or just interested in our placements? Come down to our pre-departure meet up session on 16th May to find out about all things SLV.Global placements! 🌴⬇️

🎉The 2019 dates for our Clinical and Ancient Psychology Program in India are now open! 🎉
Join us for two culturally immersive weeks where you'll not only expand your knowledge of global mental health, but have the opportunity to explore stunning Southern India as well. ✈️🌏🙏

We are on the lookout for five incredible individuals to join our London HQ crew! Take a look at our vacancies to see where you might fit! ⬇️ www.slv.global/jobs

After many months of data collection and assessment, we're ready to release our #slvsrilanka Evaluation Report! 🙌
This report, created with UK clinical psychologist, Dr. Kemmis, has been designed to give a real insight into the work we've been doing, and its subsequent impact, within the Sri Lankan community over the past five years.
We're really proud of what the data shows and we especially want to thank our volunteer teams who have donated their time and skills over the years to make hugely valuable contributions, which have resulted in such positive, lasting changes.

Volunteers get weekends off to travel and see the sights - find out what our favourite spots are in Bali! 🇮🇩🏝️

SLV.Sri Lanka Volunteer Internships
Do you have an interest in supporting your own community in Sri Lanka? Do you have experience working with people with special needs or with children? Would you like to gain experience with an international mental health organisation?
If the answer is yes to all of the above, you may be who we're looking for! We're recruiting 10 Sri Lankan residents to volunteer with our team from May-September.
... Please fill out the application form here and we will be in touch. https://goo.gl/forms/vREzrP40vKMMCEZi1
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Yoga is a fantastic way to help promote positive mental health, and we at SLV.Global are huge fans! Read on to find out about yoga's positive benefits 🧘‍♂️🙏🧘‍♀️

80% of our previous SLV.Global volunteers have successfully fundraised to cover their placement fees. In our experience it helps to be as creative as possible when it comes to getting that cash! Have a look at our Fundraisers' Hall of Fame for some inspiration 💸

Calling all Psychology students & grads...join us in stunning Sri Lanka or beautiful Bali and get your Master's in Adventure! 🌎
We've got a few spaces left for gregarious grads on our 2018 placements! Don't miss out! Apply today! 🙌

Volunteering and travelling abroad can throw your usual routine out of whack. In this blog our SLVIP, former Assistant Project Manager, and personal trainer, Charley, provides some top tips on how to squeeze in some extra activity while on placement...or any time you may be away from home! 💪 #MondayMotivation

Tomorrow is Nyepi, the most important Hindu celebration on the paradise island of Bali. This day marks the New Year in the Caka Calendar and is observed strictly island-wide. From sundown today to sundown tomorrow, in observation of Nyepi, the island will be complete silent. Seriously. No transport allowed on the street, no establishments open for business, no internet or WiFi service and even the airport is shut. This day is reserved for quiet contemplation and also for the... vanquishing of any evil spirits which may have descended upon the island in the previous year. The day of silence is meant to trick the spirits into thinking everyone has left, so they won’t want to linger. In the days leading up to Nyepi villages construct statues of these bad spirits, called ‘ogoh-ogoh’ to symbolically usher off the island during ceremonies leading up to Nyepi day. This is such a special day for so many of our friends and project partners on our #SLVBali team and we want to wish all of Bali a peaceful and blessed Nyepi. 🙏🙏 Photo credit: Sedana Putra I Ketut 📷
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Happy International Women's Day to all who identify as women and who are working every day to make this world more just, equal and safe for all of us. Keep leaning on each other, ladies, we got this! 💪💪🏼💪🏽💪🏾💪🏿
Big shout out to all SLV.Global female-identifying staff and volunteers for leading the way by empowering, and showing compassion to, those most in need. ❤️ #IWD2018

Are you a fan of exciting opportunities, yummy recipes and competitions for prizes? If the answer is 'duh', then make sure to follow us on Instagram, and kiss that #FOMO goodbye. Your daily dose of #wanderlust is just a click away. 📷🏝️☀️🍛
👉 www.instagram.com/slvglobal 👈

We're still on the lookout for epic Peer Mentors to join our placements this summer! Want more, but for le$$? Check out this video from ex-PMs, Harriette and Edward, to learn more about the role. 🌴 If you'd like to apply, just fill in the quick form in the video description.
There's also loads of new vids on our YouTube channel, so while you're there check them out! 🙌🎬

This Student Volunteering Week, we want to say a massive thank you to all of our past, current and future volunteers for all of your hard work and commitment. Keep it up! 🌴🧠🎉📚

We have been named one of GoAbroad's Top Rated Volunteer Abroad Programs of 2017! 🏆🎉🥇🎀
A massive thank you to all our amazing volunteers for taking the time to review your SLV.Global experience - we couldn't have done this without you. We can't wait to see what 2018 has in store!

Who says you have to choose between getting psychology work experience and travelling the world? You really can have it all. ✈️ 🌎 🌴

The SLV placement I attended in Sri Lanka from December to January 2017 was an incredible experience! Throughout the week time was spent volunteering on community projects, which whilst challenging at times, was also equally rewarding. One of my favourite things was meeting so many incredible people on placement and spending time talking with individuals on projects, hearing their life stories. It opened my eyes to how great the influence of culture is and how it impacts the way mental health is perceived. The combined practical experience of engaging in projects, workshops, traveling around, and meeting new people gave such an in-depth insight into the religion, culture and mental illness stigma surrounding discussion of mental health in Sri Lanka.



Understanding that the work of SLV is sustainable makes it all worthwhile, with each new volunteer continuing the work, playing an important role in community projects; promoting the overall progress and wellbeing of individuals using alternative methods to improve well-being and facilitate recovery at psychiatric hospitals, with children in institutional care and people with special needs.



I am so inspired and grateful for the time and effort those working for the organisation SLV global put into their work and am proud to have been a part of such of an amazing team!

My first experience of volunteering with SLV was in Sri Lanka, after completing my A levels, and I was quite nervous that I would be surrounded by Psychology graduates and feel out of my depth. I was indeed surrounded by Psychology graduates but I can honestly say that they were incredibly friendly and supportive, as were my homestay family and all of the SLV staff. It was especially fulfilling to be part of a team going into schools and hospitals and feeling like we made a difference, however small, to the well-being of the adults and children we worked with. Indeed, I enjoyed the whole experience so much that I returned to volunteer with SLV in Bali, having completed the first year of my Psychology degree. This was equally rewarding and I particularly appreciated the chance to visit Java and work with patients on a psychiatric ward. SLV’s helpful and professional approach to taking care of all that is involved in sending volunteers overseas was first-class – and I am pleased to have ended up good memories and good friendships from the time I spent in Sri Lanka and Bali.

My 5- week placement in Sri Lanka was challenging but extremely rewarding. I’ve gained experiences in running creative art therapy sessions at psychiatric facilities and centres for people with special needs, as well as teaching English and improving access to opportunity to children residing in marginalized area. I’ve also shadowed a psychiatrist in carrying out a group talking therapy on substance misuse. These above experiences provided me insight into the huge treatment gaps, and disparity in accessibility and understanding of mental health issues in Sri Lanka. Seeing the smile from service users, I've experienced the most simple but fulfilling happiness. I can see how changes can be made in the mental health services and environment, further affirms my interest and goal in pursuing a career in clinical psychology. Besides, staying in a homestay family and working with people from all sort of background were not easy, however, it helped me reflect more on my team working and communication skills. I am extremely thankful of the supportive and caring SLV staff and other talented people I've met during my time in Sri Lanka.



All in all, this mental health placement is challenging but eye-opening and beyond rewarding. Thank you SLV for giving me this opportunity to have such an inspiring experience!

Just finished the Clinical and Ancient Psychology program in India, and it was honestly an amazing experience! I learned so much about the culture of India, and how the country deals with the treatment of mental health issues. Everyone on the trip was lovely, especially the coordinators: Manju & Yasintha. I would highly recommend going to India (or the other placements) with SLVGlobal!

In January 2018, I volunteered as a Peer Mentor on the Advanced Graduate Mental Health Placement for 14 weeks in Sri Lanka. During this time I learned a great deal about mental health in the country and came to understand the stigma surrounding it. I was immersed in the local community, living with a home-stay family, and developed a more in-depth understanding of the country and its people.



This experience has been highly beneficial to my professional development gaining transferable skills and increasing my employability. In my 14 weeks, I worked alongside mental health professionals, facilitated recreational activities in a juvenile detention centre for young men, shadowed a psychiatrist in some of the most deprived communities and attended a range of different workshops led by psychologists and mental health professionals.



This opportunity has helped me to narrow down my career options. I worked on a diverse range of projects from psychiatric facilities to classrooms in temples. One of my favourite projects was ‘Community Outreach’ providing extracurricular English Lessons to children often marginalised by poverty and circumstance. I developed a passion for teaching and enjoyed working with children and young people to enhance their English skills and build confidence.



In addition, I worked with individuals with a diverse range of needs on the ‘Special Education Activity Support’ projects. These were perhaps the most challenging yet rewarding, providing targeted activity support sessions to service users to develop key life skills and enable them to lead more independent and fulfilled lives. Since finishing my placement I have combined these interests and have been applying to SEN teaching assistant positions.



As well as gaining practical experience in psychology I also wanted to travel. Over the 3 months, I was able to see so much of the country travelling at weekends with other volunteers. There is so much to do from exploring the markets of Colombo, releasing baby sea turtles in Hikkaduwa, seeing wild elephants up close in Udawalwe National Park to a number of sunrise hikes.



Sri Lanka is a beautiful and resilient country and the people are some of the most hospitable. The team and staff you work alongside are so supportive and inspiring. I couldn’t recommend this placement enough!

I went to India on the Clinical and Ancient Psychology Program and then the Mental Health Placement in Indonesia last summer! India was fantastic!! It was really great to have the opportunity to speak to so many clinicians in the field. I also thoroughly enjoyed my time working as a Mental Health Activity Support Worker in Bali but my favourite part was definitely living with the homestay family and being able to fully immerse myself in the Balinese culture!

I volunteered with SLV in Sri Lanka for 2 months and my experiences through the course of my SLV journey were exciting, challenging and incredible. You are able to experience a vastly different culture alongside other passionate volunteers from around the world (who end up becoming your best of friends) whilst developing invaluable skills within the mental health field which you can then apply to psychological work settings in the UK. Sri Lanka is one of the most beautiful countries however still has stigmatised views of mental health and through SLV your time will be spent providing much needed support and creative therapies to service users who may not otherwise get the access. The feeling that it was you and your fellow volunteer’s hard work that was able to make a genuine difference within a small community is infinitely rewarding! Therefore I cannot recommend SLV enough, it’s a once in a lifetime experience! :)

I volunteered with SLV in Bali, Indonesia for 4 weeks and believe it is a great way of understanding the stigma and issues around mental health from a different perspective as well as gaining cross-cultural psychology experience. My highlight of the placement was running therapeutic activities in psychiatric facilities with the supervision of mental health professionals. It was incredibly rewarding to see the positive impact SLV volunteering has on the service users. I couldn’t help but feel even more enthusiastic to purse a career in Clinical Psychology. Aside from the variety of projects offered throughout the week, the placement gave me the opportunity to explore the beautiful island, make new friends and immerse myself in the welcoming Balinese culture.



The SLV organisation were supportive from the start of my application to end of my placement and did not fail to make it an invaluable experience. I would definitely recommend volunteering abroad with SLV and as Dr Seuss points out, “you have brains in your head and feet in your shoes, you can steer yourself in any direction you choose.”

I volunteered in Sri Lanka for 4 weeks and I can easily say it was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. It was inspiring meeting like minded people from all over the world and having the opportunity to work in such a variety of projects, ranging from psychiatric facilities, special needs centers, orphanages and temples. The programme was so well organized and completely exceeded all expectations. I can’t recommend SLV enough!

I spent 6 weeks in Sri Lanka on the Mental Health Placement. Sri Lanka has everything you could ever want to do, great food, great weather, and wonderful, wonderful people. There is something fantastic about Sri Lanka and this placement gives you opportunity to see it all – you get to live as Sri Lankans live and see all that you want at the weekend, it’s surprisingly easy to pack a lot in in a couple days if you put your mind to it!

The projects themselves are great; you are there to genuinely make a difference. I will never forget the service users I worked with! Projects are varied and challenging in different ways, but it gives you an incredible amount of confidence and you really can surprise yourself in what you can end up being capable of doing if you just try. It took me a while to build myself up but I think I got there eventually, I stopped being worried and looked forward to projects, and I made a difference whilst I was there. This is a massive opportunity to gain new skills and explore what you can do and how you can help in the mental health field in an environment unalike to anywhere else.

In the beginning, I did find the placement was too arts and crafts based. BUT the amount of psychology you put into your placement is controlled largely by you if given the opportunity. Our supervisor Hannah banned arts and crafts for one week which worked incredibly well. For the rest of the placement I felt truly that we were working on improving specific mental health functions with focused activities, not just what pretty craft we could do next, and this made the whole experience for me much more fulfilling! If focus becomes too much on crafts this is something that can be changed.

I could literally write thousands more words but no one wants that so, overall, this placement is hard work and full on, but it’s so, so worth it. SLV is making a difference and it was wonderful to be a small part in it. Once in a lifetime experience! :)

I had the most amazing time with SLV while volunteering in Bali for 4 weeks. I had never done anything like this before and was worried I would let people down by my lack of experience and knowledge, however this was not the case. Everyone made me feel so welcome and comfortable. My homestay was incredible and the family were so lovely and caring. The placements in which we worked at were amazing the children and adults were so lovely, grateful and fun to work with, I really felt SLV and my role within were making a positive impact. I am thankful and appreciative of the experience. I have also made amazing friends and experienced a different culture.

I did a 5 week placement with SLV global in Sri Lanka and it was one of the most rewarding experiences! While there are challenges along the way being given the chance to promote positive mental health was a wonderful opportunity for personal growth and I was able to make amazing friends with people from all over the world along the way! I highly recommend this placement.

I completed the mental health placement in Sri Lanka back in July, and would never of expected to enjoy it as much as I did. One of my main reasons for doing the mental health placement was to get some mental health experience in a different country. While I was very excited to go, in my mind I saw it more as an educational experience over a fun one. However, I was very wrong, not only did I learn so much about Sri Lanka and what it has to offer, I experienced some of the best days of my life, not to mention the invaluable psychology experience. My previous experience of volunteering prior to Sri Lanka, whilst still good, involved being more of a 'helper'. In Sri Lanka volunteers are given the opportunity to completely take charge of sessions. The separate workshops your taken on during your stay also help you learn so much about Sri Lanka and mental health. My personal favourite workshop, involved shadowing a Doctor, whilst he visited patients with various intellectual/mental health disabilities. To anyone debating signing up to do a mental health placement, I would 100% recommend signing up, especially if you are thinking of pursuing a psychology based career later in life. Thank you very much SLV, for an amazing experience I will remember forever!

Absolutely amazing experience!! Highly recommended!!



The right balance of work and play! We learned so much in such a short space of time that I didn't touch on in my degree and saw some magical places! Plus all the people were really lovely and so open and friendly! Holiday with work experience, whats not to like!



Seriously do it!!!! :D

I've recently completed the 8 Week Foundation Placement in Sri Lanka. What an extraordinary experience it was. While it was very challenging in many ways, not only was it so rewarding in terms of being able to utilise your knowledge to help others in need, but it also was a wonderful experience for personal growth. I would recommend this placement for those who want generalized experience in promoting positive mental health and wellbeing in all walks of life, and also experience living in a vastly different and rich culture.

Thanks SLV for a life changing experience!

I volunteered with SLV in Sri Lanka for 6 weeks and had such a rewarding experience. It was a great way of developing an understanding of mental health in a different culture, and it has introduced me to some inspirational people, both volunteers and service users. I really enjoyed running therapeutic activities in the psychiatric facilities and loved some of my teaching projects, they brought a smile to my face. Also, how good SLV are with organizing workshops and travel to and from projects really put me at ease. It was rewarding to put my degree to good use and to see the impact being made at certain projects, all while working in such a beautiful country!

I joined SLV in Sri Lanka for four weeks on the Level 1 Mental Health Placement and it gave me valuable experience of working with children and adults in the education and mental health sectors. The opportunity to live with a host family was really great as it really helps you immerse in the culture of Sri Lanka. There was a great support system and I believe the whole experience has given me a good insight in mental health work and it has made me determined to become a qualified psychologist.

I have just got back from spending 8 weeks on the foundation placement in Sri Lanka. It was such a great experience and I learnt a lot about global mental health. I really appreciated the opportunity to attend different therapy workshops and be in the shoes of the service users. This is valuable experience that I will take home with me. The projects I attended during the week were challenging but also incredibly rewarding. From working in a rehabilitation centre to teaching English to teenage boys, everyday was different. The family I stayed with were so helpful and kind and made me feel welcome. The permanent members of staff that work for SLV are the best! I have made some great friends from all over the world and I will never forget this experience.

Thanks so much SLV xxx

I attended SLV Global's mental health placement in Bali and Java, and I'm happy to say that it gave me a profound understanding of a variety of mental/psychiatric disorders. And not just that, the projects involved working with some of the most talented individuals from all over the world, including mental health professionals from Indonesia itself, and with clients of all ages, with varying degrees of intellectual/developmental disability.

The workshops/seminars were quite interesting too, and the trans-cultural perspective, especially how mental health is approached in a highly religious and collectivistic community, was eye-opening.

In short, practical experience trumps textbook knowledge any day, and I'm thankful to SLV for having a program that caters to that.