Trip leader timeline of activities by Moving Mountains Trust

TIMELINE OF ACTIVITES UNIVERSITY GROUPS

The following document gives a comprehensive list of possible preparation activities that a school, college or other organisation may wish to undertake in the lead up to their expedition. Every group will have their own preferences and possibly have tried and tested activities that suit them. Therefore this can simply be used as a general guide and list of ideas or perhaps just an aide memoir throughout the process. We are constantly working to improve our information so if you think something is missing or you have ideas for additional activities please do let us know. If you have any further questions about any of the points below or would like further information then please do not hesitate to contact the Adventure Alternative office. You can also find further guidance documents, assistance and templates on the Google Drive (GDrive) for Moving Mountains Societies in the “Handover and Resources” folder. GROUP LEADER ROLES Trip Promotion – see GDrive for posters, template e-mails and introductory presentations  Promote the trip throughout the University. E.g. through e-mails to relevant departments and societies to send out to their students and members, a stall at Freshers Fairs, putting up posters around the University, setting up a Facebook group and publicising this, publicising a trip blog, and any other way you can think of!  Hold introductory meetings where you give a presentation with more information about the trip and the opportunity for potential participants to ask questions before signing up Fundraising Organisation - see GDrive for template letters, fundraising guidance and posters for collection buckets  Organise some group fundraising activities, for example bag packs and street collections (also see Adventure Alternative Fundraising Guidance: www.adventurealternative.com/trips/page/880/guidance_on_fundraising), encourage participants to organise fundraising activities at home over the holidays, and individual and group events at University  Direct participants to set up a MyDonate page for online fundraising: https://mydonate.bt.com/charities/movingmountainstrust  Apply for any group grants, such as from the University Alumni foundation, local businesses, rotary clubs. Encourage participants to apply for individual grants, e.g. from organisations local to their home town, from their schools (travel grants, home clothes days) Logistics - see GDrive for booking online guide and template spread sheets  Talk to potential participants about how to sign up (by booking online) and distribute “booking online guide” to all potential participants  Ensure all potential participants know the date to book online by  Keep participant contact details, fundraising totals and flight details on a GDrive spread sheet: Download the relevant template spread sheet from the main GDrive (use “template spread sheets”, saved under “Logistics”). Save this to your computer then re-upload this onto your society’s GDrive – this file must be converted into the corresponding Google Docs format (see “GDrive Guide” in the “Handover and Resources” file) – this is so that the document can be edited online. Share this with AAUK (adventurealternative@gmail.com). This spread sheet should be used to track individual fundraising totals, for participant contact details and international flight details. Don’t worry about adding next of kin contact details and group data (apart from the columns – “email”, “deposit?” and “booked online?”) – just check with AA that they have the rest of this information (this should ©2012 Adventure Alternative

TIMELINE OF ACTIVITES UNIVERSITY GROUPS

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have been filled in by participants when they booked online). Editing the spread sheet online is a great way of sharing information so everyone always has the most up-to-date version. Keep track of all participants totals throughout the year (as mentioned above) & ensure that everyone hands their money in on time Organise regular meetings and circulate information to the group. Liaise with Adventure Alternative to organise any training sessions with Adventure Alternative staff Organise training sessions for the group Ensure all participants know what the trip involves and all their questions have been answered Transfer money to Adventure Alternative and Moving Mountains, if applicable. Ensure all participants are familiar with the participant code of conduct: www.adventurealternative.com/trips/page/934/code_of_conduct

Flights & Insurance - see GDrive for advice for participants  Research flight options and prices for the group. Book or reserve flights or ask the group to ring to book and pay for their own flights (dependent on leader agreement – you may want to leave flight booking entirely to individuals. If you do this ensure participants know the date they must be in country by and the date the trip finishes)  Research insurance companies & policies, disseminate information to the group and ensure each participant has taken out adequate insurance for the trip (dependent on leader agreement – you may want to leave insurance research and booking to individuals, however it is essential leaders advise on the correct insurance policies and ensures everyone is aware they need insurance and has taken this out. Also see “websites and resources” document) Vaccinations & Malaria tablets - see GDrive for advice for participants  Research vaccinations and malaria tablets required (NB each participant should be advised to get individual advice from their GP or nurse as they may have pre-existing medical conditions which need to be taken into consideration). The first port of call would be GP practices, Student Health or a local travel clinic. See “websites and resources” document for relevant websites and details for InterHealth & their travel health advice line. Visas & entry requirements - see GDrive for advice for participants  Research visas and entry requirements. What validity is required on passports (e.g. some countries require 6 months validity on the passport from date of entry to the country), can visas be obtained on arrival, or should these be obtained before departure from the UK? If they can be obtained on arrival, how much do visas cost, do you need passport photos to get a visa? If they have to be obtained before departure, how do participants go about doing this? Kit & personal first aid kit lists - see GDrive for downloadable kit lists for participants  Review the kit list (there is one on each of the trip pages on the Adventure Alternative website and a downloadable copy on the Google Drive “Resources and Handover” file) and disseminate this information to the group  Review the personal first aid kit and disseminate this information to the group (there is a downloadable copy on the Google Drive “Resources and Handover”) – maybe groups of 3 participants could share a personal first aid kit ©2012 Adventure Alternative

TIMELINE OF ACTIVITES UNIVERSITY GROUPS  

Ensure that people with medical conditions have had an appointment with their GP about the trip and have the required medication on them at all times during the trip, and enough to last e.g. inhalers, epipen, insulin etc. Look into having a discount evening at a local travel store; they may keep the shop open for the group for the evening and provide discounts for all participants on the trip

Money while away - see GDrive for advice for participants  Disseminate information to the group regarding how to take money with them e.g. cash, credit card, traveller currency card (e.g. www.caxtonfx.com). T-shirts - see GDrive for Adventure Alternative and Moving Mountains logos  Organise funding for, and get t-shirts /fleeces etc. for the group (with the MM, AA and RAG (if applicable) logos). These are very useful during fundraising events and on the trip. NB – synthetic materials are much easier to dry and cotton clothing is not appropriate for mountain climbs, such as Kili. Consider synthetic base-layer tops and micro-fleece jumpers. Moving Mountains  Research the work Moving Mountains does and disseminate this information to the group  Look into the work Moving Mountains is doing in the region you will be travelling to and the projects you will be visiting. We can put you in contact with our staff in Kenya, Tanzania, Nepal and Borneo to help get more info and give you a direct link to the work of the charity on the ground in the regions and communities where we work  Research international development, for example in Kenya, and what Moving Mountains is doing in this field  Encourage participants to look into the above points (and other aspects which interest them). They could write a blog post for the Moving Mountains blog, and link this in with the projects they will be visiting and the trip they will be doing (see “Social Media” section below). We can send information to you about writing a blog post for MM and some possible ideas; blogs can be on any subject related to the work of Moving Mountains in any of the countries where we work or on any development related issues (e.g. a blog on the Black Cats programme in Kenya and the use of football and sport for development, deforestation in the Himalayas and Moving Mountains eco-friendly cooking stove projects in Nepal, indigenous cultures and our work with the Penan communities in Borneo, ethical volunteering, the history of Kenya, culture and development, related to a world day of recognition, e.g. International Women's Day, World Water Day, etc. Blogs should link back to an aspect of the work or Moving Mountains. Please ask any of the AA/MM staff for ideas or support. Other Research – good starting points are the Adventure Alternative and Moving Mountains website. See also the GDrive for an intro to Moving Mountains and Adventure Alternative links to Sustainable and Responsible tourism  Local culture, customs & language  International Development in general, as well as directly in relation to the work that Moving Mountains is doing  Sustainable and responsible travel and the importance of this. Also how Moving Mountains and Adventure Alternative contributes to this.  Ethics and issues surrounding your trip e.g. climbing Mt Kilimanjaro  Ethics of international volunteering, Fair Trade Volunteering (Gavin Bate was a co-founder of Fair Trade Volunteering)  Sustainability in projects ©2012 Adventure Alternative

TIMELINE OF ACTIVITES UNIVERSITY GROUPS

Social Media – see GDrive for a social media and promotion strategy document  Facebook page/group for the trip where students can access updates regarding the trip and also trip information (all the trip information is on the AA website – so the “files” could include links to relevant AA website pages). For example see the Bristol groups: Borneo - http://on.fb.me/180Vp4z and Nepal http://on.fb.me/ZR75Ar, under the “files” tab.  We also have an MM Facebook page (www.facebook.com/movingmountainstrust) which you can post on to get the word out about fundraising events or achievements to let other MM supporters know about what you are doing.  Set up a twitter account for your trip to raise awareness of what you are doing, help promote the trip, your fundraising, Moving Mountains…  Write a trip blog throughout the year, during and after the trip. If your trips are through RAG this could be done through the RAG website or you could have a separate expedition blog. This can help raise awareness of what you are doing, attract interest in the trip (both for people supporting you and for next year’s promotion) and provide memories for the trip participants, for example. Relevant blog posts can also be sent to Moving Mountains to be put on our blog. Each participant should have the opportunity to write a blog post, however the trip leader should be the link between AA/MM and the participants. They should also help to structure the blogs to give a more focused opportunity to research and write about the region and project/programme where you will be going, and to think about your part in the bigger picture and the community where you will be.  Flickr – this could be used to share all your trip photos. Moving Mountains has a Flickr account, so trip photos can be shared with the MM Flickr account too.

TIMELINE OF ACTIVITES UNIVERSITY GROUPS

TIMELINE OF ACTIVITIES Approx Date July & August

Activity Fundraising

July & August

Research

August/beginning September

Logistics

September

Social Media

September

Trip promotion

September

Fundraising

September

Logistics

Beginning of term

Trip promotion

Beginning of term

Trip promotion

Description Organise group fundraising events e.g. bag packs and street collections – dates for bag packs get booked up months in advance, so do this as early as you can. Research Adventure Alternative and Moving Mountains, how they started, how they work, the link between the two, sustainability and responsible tourism, international development, ethics of volunteering, Gavin Bate and the expeditions he has completed for MM Confirm prices and itinerary with Adventure Alternative. Book introductory presentation with AA representative. Set up the trip Facebook page, add a few photos and trip information to the “files” tab e.g. relevant MM/AA website links (see website and resources document for previous group Facebook page links) Set up the trip blog and write the first blog post – for example describing what you will be doing Get trip promotion information together e.g. flyer for the fresher’s fair, e-mails to send to departments and societies to circulate around the students, posters to put up around the University Start applying for group grants e.g. University Alumni Foundation, local rotary club, local businesses. Grant could be for participants to put towards their fundraising total, for t-shirts Set dates and book rooms for the intro evening and meetings throughout the year Determine training sessions throughout the year & speak to the AA office to confirm any with AA staff Set deposit, application & medical form hand in deadline. Set totals deadline (AA need the total payment at least 4 weeks before departure, so the deadline should be at least 8 weeks before departure to give time to transfer the money to AA and MM) Promote the trip throughout the University e.g. at the fresher’s fair, e-mails to departments and societies, posters around the University. Send links to the Facebook group, your trip blog, AA trip page, MM website Hold an introductory evening with a presentation about the trip, Moving Mountains & Adventure Alternative and the opportunity for potential participants to ask more questions. Obtain list of names and contact details for all students who are interested in joining the trip. Provide an e-mail address where potential participants can e-mail to find out more information. Ensure everyone has Facebook page & blog links, the relevant trip page on the AA

References Ring local supermarkets and local councils for permission GDrive “Handover and Resources” documents www.adventurealternative.com office@adventurealternative.com Tel: 028 7083 1258 www.movingmountainstrust.com info@movingmountainstrust.com www.adventurealternative.com office@adventurealternative.com Tel: 028 7083 1258 www.facebook.com http://wordpress.com www.adventurealternative.com www.movingmountainstrust.com http://mmtrust.wordpress.com Social Media & Promotion Document GDrive “Handover and Resources” documents

office@adventurealternative.com tel: 028 7083 1258

GDrive “Handover and Resources” documents

office@adventurealternative.com Tel: 028 7083 1258 GDrive “Handover and Resources” documents

TIMELINE OF ACTIVITES UNIVERSITY GROUPS

As soon as possible after introductory presentation event

Trip promotion

1 – 2 weeks after introductory presentation event

Trip promotion

October

Fundraising

October

T-shirts

1 – 2 weeks after introductory presentation: end October / early November

Logistics

As soon as possible after first meeting

Early November

Logistics

website and the MM website (can use QR codes printed on paper to have at meetings) and when to book online by. E-mail potential participants with the date for an informal meeting and the first official meeting, the links to the Facebook page, relevant AA & MM webpages, your trip blog and the trip itinerary / information booklet / specific trip information such as “General Info Medical Clinic” for the Nepal trip, “Booking online guide” Have at least one informal meeting where people can just come along and ask questions before they sign up. An informal meeting in a café or pub (before the sign up date and first official meeting) can give potential participants an opportunity to talk about the trip in a more detail and ask questions before signing up – it would be ideal to have people who have been on trips in the past at this meeting. E-mail all interested participants afterwards to remind how / when to book online and the date of the first meeting. Hold a group fundraising event such as a bag pack/street collection for the weekend around the sign up date to get fundraising kick-started Look into a company which can provide t-shirts/ /fleeces (whatever you choose) for the group. Obtain prices and colour options. Decide on a design for the t-shirt incorporating the AA, MM and RAG logos. These garments are very useful during fundraising events. Hold the first group meeting with all students already signed up / who would like to sign up for the trip. Obtain sizes for t-shirts (and/or set up poll on Facebook to vote for colour and where everyone can tick the size they want), answer any further questions, talk more about the trip itinerary, discuss fundraising (e.g. where to give in money, get buckets, MyDonate, get group to talk about a fundraising event and start to organise this), go through fundraising documents e.g. “Fundraising Guidance”, “MyDonate Guide”, “EasyFundrasing & EasySearch”, ensure everyone has contact details for the trip leaders. E-mail meeting minutes around to everyone who has signed up for the trips. Include the Facebook page & blog links, the relevant trip page on the AA website and the MM website. The following documents could also be attached to the e-mail: “Fundraising Guidance”, “MyDonate Guide”, “EasyFundrasing & EasySearch”.

www.qrstuff.com

www.adventurealternative.com www.movingmountainstrust.com http://mmtrust.wordpress.com https://drive.google.com

We can provide digital files for the relevant logos (GDrive “Handover and Resources” documents) NB – synthetic materials are much easier to dry and cotton clothing is not appropriate for Kili. Consider synthetic base-layer tops and micro-fleece jumpers NB participants can also book online – this may be easier and will involve less administration mydonate.bt.com/charities/ movingmountainstrust www.adventurealternative.com/trips/ page/880/guidance_on_fundraising www.adventurealternative.com/trips/ page/916/volunteer_fundraising https://drive.google.com www.adventurealternative.com www.movingmountainstrust.com http://mmtrust.wordpress.com

https://drive.google.com

TIMELINE OF ACTIVITES UNIVERSITY GROUPS

Early November

Logistics

November

Logistics

November

Logistics

November & December

Logistics

December

Logistics

January / beginning of term

Logistics

Ensure all participants have checked that their passport expiry dates are in line with country entry requirements. Set up a trip spreadsheet on Google Drive to track totals. Share this with MM and AA staff. Organise and hold a social Hold a group fundraising event, such as a bag pack Grant applications, encourage students to apply for their own e.g. in the home town, their school

www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice https://drive.google.com See GDrive “Handover and Resources” documents for template spread sheets.

Meetings – fundraising at University and at home over the Christmas holidays, ongoing issues (see below), discuss trip in general. Send everyone a copy of the kit list (on trip page on AA website / PDF on Google Drive) as they may want to ask for some things for Christmas! Organise meetings for next term, group fundraising events such as a bag pack and training Meetings – update from the holidays and agenda for the term, encourage to participants to organise fundraising – e.g. Three Peaks Challenge over Easter, bag packs, street collection, see “Fundraising Guidance”

www.adventurealternative.com

Discuss booking flights, encourage the group to look into this as soon as possible. Discuss taking out a travel insurance policy – this should be done asap after booking flights. Ensure that everyone knows where they have to be when at the start of the trip and the date and location the trip finishes.

1 – 2 weeks after the meeting

February

Logistics

“Booking flights” and “Insurance advice” – all countries should be e-mailed to the group after the meeting. Ensure all flights are booked. You can either do this for participants or ask everyone to do this for themselves – we would recommend encouraging the group to do this themselves! Ensure all participants have taken out a travel insurance policy once they have booked their flights. Meetings – vaccination & malaria tablets, local culture, customs & language, local in-country laws, fundraising, trip specific information. Advise all participants to visit their GP or travel clinic for advice on vaccinations and anti-malarials. Give out or make available outline itinerary, locations and activities. Remind that there will be a cost involved in getting the jabs, the private prescription and the medications.

https://drive.google.com See GDrive “Handover and Resources” documents for PDF copy of kit lists

www.dialaflight.com www.skyscanner.net www.statravel.co.uk Chris Sidebottom at STA deals with AA group bookings: chris.sidebottom@statravel.co.uk Tel: 0871 230 8578 www.adventurealternative.com/trips/ page/769/insurance7 It is essential travel insurance is taken out asap after flights are booked – if something arises (e.g. a medical condition) which means that a participant cannot take part in the trip the cost of the flights will not be refundable, unless insurance covers this. www.adventurealternative.com – country pages www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-livingabroad/about-kbyg-campaign www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk www.interhealth.org.uk https://drive.google.com GDrive “Handover and Resources” documents

TIMELINE OF ACTIVITES UNIVERSITY GROUPS

February February

Logistics Research

March

Logistics

March / before Easter holidays

Kit

After Easter holidays and before summer exams After Easter & before summer exams

Research

8 weeks before trip departure After summer exams/before end of term

Logistics

Organise a group social Entry requirements and visas – can visas be obtained on arrival, or should this be done before departure? How much do visas cost? If visas can be obtained on the border do you need anything e.g. passport photos? How do you obtain a visa before departure? Meetings – kit, personal medical kit, entry requirements and visas, check up on insurance policies, vaccinations & malaria tablets, local culture, customs & language, participant code of conduct Disseminate the following documents “Visas and Entry Requirements”, “Kit List”, “Personal First Aid Kit”. Ensure participants have trip booklets and country specific documents (e.g. “General Tips – Borneo – Penan”, “Kit Tips – Trekking – Rainforest” to read about culture, customs & language & see relevant pages on Adventure Alternative website. Organise and hold an evening at a local travel store when participants can buy kit – they may keep the store open one evening and offer discounts to all participants Money while away – e.g. cash, card, traveller currency card. Are ATMs readily available throughout the trip? Meeting – briefing & checking, money while away. This helps to remind and consolidate all the information that has previously been given. Re-visit all previous information and any additional relevant items (e.g. kit list, entry requirements & visas, vaccinations & malaria tablets, insurance). Check that all the bags are of suitable type. I.e. soft backed, robust and water resistant Disseminate documents “Arrival in…”, “Contact Details”, “Money in Country” Ensure everyone has paid their full totals to Adventure Alternative and Moving Mountains. Hold a meeting to go through and check all the important details (e.g. kit list, entry requirements & visas, vaccinations & malaria tablets, insurance, culture, customs & language, participant code of conduct, money while away, arrival in country, contact details). Leave sufficient time before departure so that any oversights can be remedied.

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-traveladvice Local embassy websites www.adventurealternative.com GDrive “Handover and Resources” documents www.adventurealternative.com – see relevant trip page GDrive “Handover and Resources” documents

e.g. www.nomadtravel.co.uk www.kathmandu.co.uk www.gooutdoors.co.uk www.blacks.co.uk www.caxtonfx.com GDrive “Handover and Resources” documents

office@adventurealternative.com tel: 028 7083 1258

TIMELINE OF ACTIVITES UNIVERSITY GROUPS

Ongoing  

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Fundraising events Social Media o Facebook o Twitter o Blog posts for both the trip blog and Moving Mountains blog Liaise with Adventure Alternative Research Moving Mountains, more information about the projects, development abroad, sustainable travel, local culture, customs & language