SLV.Global Reviews 190

It was an amazing experience. I really had a lot of fun and learned so much while I was there.

I was a volunteer on the 5 week mental health placement in Sri Lanka. I enjoyed it immensely; being fully immersed in the culture, I got to learn how to live like a local. The placement really enabled me to improve my confidence in applying my skills and knowledge from my degree to a completely different setting. SLV.Global really allow you to get the most out of your experience by providing workshops and field trips, these teach you so much about psychology in Sri Lanka and teach you skills that you can apply once you return home. The staff are very friendly and you feel thoroughly supported by the company during your placement. I would highly recommend this placement to anyone who wishes to improve their psychological skills and experience whilst travelling in a beautiful country.

SLV.Global is unbelievable and exceeded all my expectations! I have met incredible people and worked with them to help service users in orphanages, hospitals, schools, etc. It was a great learning experience and I really felt as though I have made a difference in individual lives. The memories and experiences I've had throughout this trip has made a huge impact on me as a person and I will truly cherish this experience.

It was my first time volunteering abroad. I felt nervous. I was lucky to have met amazing and motivational volunteers with different backgrounds and aspirations. I realized that i was not the only volunteer that came to Bali by myself. Most of us were in the same boat and I think that is what made me feel more at ease. The SLV team where amazing too. The service users we volunteered with made it difficult for me to leave without being emotional. They were all so special in their own way. Also, we learned about the culture and traditions of Bali and the Balinese people. We had free time during the weekends to explore the island, so there was no time to rest! I didn't want to go home. I didn't want to say goodbye. Coming back home, I was glad that I came out of my comfort zone and volunteered with SLV. Thank you!

My experience with SLV.Global during the Bali placement was truly too incredible for words. Even though the placement in that location is still in its pilot development stage, the staff was superb, the projects were diverse and engaging, and the skills that I gained from planning sessions and carrying them out were extremely valuable and I know I will rely on them in the future. Not only did the program offer a wide range of psychological hands on experience, but it also taught volunteers to think on their feet and handle real life obstacles that might not allow their session plans to be carried out to perfection. Many times we were thrown into situations with absolutely no materials because of late changes in schedule, and this is probably the most valuable skill I learned. Crashing and burning was definitely present in the projects, but I must say I loved it because I am a better person for it. The island also has the most beautiful culture, and being able to work with people who are so different than you but have the same goal as you is rewarding in every sense of the word.

I had an amazing time volunteering with SLV in Sri Lanka. Not only did I gain hands-on experience, I also made new friends and have a beautiful Sri Lankan family that I could call home. Knowing you've made a service users day is so rewarding and ill be forever grateful to SLV for allowing me to develop my skills and be able to feel confident with the skills I already had. I would 100% recommend someone else to volunteer with SLV if they ever had the opportunity!

Loved my time in Sri Lanka when volunteering with SLV.Global. The placement gave me insight into a different culture and mental health issues around the globe. It also gave me experience in working with special needs, hence increased my confidence greatly. I would recommend SLV.Global volunteering for everyone! It was a great experience and I met so amazing people as well.

Honestly the best experience of my life. The people I met and the places I visited will be with me forever. I adored not only all of the service users but the team of volunteers I had the pleasure to work with. Every single project was so rewarding and I left with a real sense of achievement and the feeling that I had really made someone's day. I learnt such a variety of skills from creative therapy to perseverance in more challenging situations. These will definitely aid my in my future career. The places I travelled to on weekends were indescribable and the scenery was just breath taking. And the people I met along the way are definitely friends for life! It is safe to say Sri Lank has a very special place in my heart. Thank you SLV Global for such an unforgettable experience.

Before flying to a novel country I had no idea what to expect, but quickly realized that living and working in a new culture would be an invaluable experience and learning curve. Slv global mental health placement in Sri Lanka gave me an opportunity to learn more about unique culture differences and its effects on people's mental health and perception of psychological sector. In 5 weeks that I spent in Sri Lanka, I've been able to see how I can apply theoretical knowledge, gain hands-on experience in mental health sector and most importantly help people from various backgrounds. Working in settings that varied from psychological institutes to elderly's centers and special needs centers helped me to be more confident in my chosen career path

I LOVED volunteering with SLV. The whole experience changed my life. In the months leading up to my placement, I had a lot of questions and called their UK office fairly frequently. They were so helpful.

After a lot of research, there were three main things that made me feel comfortable and confident in my decision to apply: 1) they had a focus on sustainability in the communities they work in, meaning they do not initiate new programs, they only support ongoing local programs and they minimize the impact of a high volunteer turnover on their service users; 2) there are criteria and minimum levels of education you must have to attend—not just anyone can go; 3) the staff were so passionate and helpful. So I applied, had an interview, and I got accepted, yay!

SLV was professional and organized beyond my wildest dreams. I got my own portal login, a webpage I could visit to pay my fees, upload my documents, communicate with staff, and get information about my placement (from packing to needles to cultural requirements) all in one place. It made an intimidating process a lot less scary.

My first week in-country was filled with thorough training, experiential learning, practice and supervised sessions, and educational workshops with Sri Lankan mental health professionals. I felt completely prepared to begin my work with the service users on the projects.

SLV gives you accommodation with a local family and several other volunteers. I loved the homestay experience– living like a local in the community added a whole new level to the experience. The home was clean, comfortable, and the food was incredible. It was really nice to have a cozy, happy home-away-from-home. I was also super impressed by the level of support that was available to volunteers 24/7. There was always someone to reach out to in case of emergency or just to talk to if someone needed it. The permanent staff were always eager to help and shared their personal contact information with us to use anytime, and some permanent staff even live in the homestays with you. In all homestays there are peer mentors, which are other volunteers who stay in the country for at least 12-weeks and receive additional training to provide peer support.

I learned so much and I highly recommend this organization!

SLV are run by a bunch of likeminded and lovely people looking to promote positive mental health in many countries whereby the subject is often taboo and under-represented. I really enjoyed my time in Sri Lanka and as cliche as it is the experience was life changing. It was so inspiring to see the work that all of the volunteers are doing having a positive impact on the service users lives. A great way to experience clinical psychology work experience whilst experiencing a great culture and country!

With almost not being able to go on my trip due to a medical reason a last minute miracle enabled me to take my flight and go out to Sri Lanka for 5 weeks and it was the best thing that could have happened. From the minute I arrived we were greeted at the airport by SLV staff and taken to our homestay where we would stay while on the projects. The home-stays were basic but lovely, allowing us to fully immerse ourselves into the vibrant culture. There were peer mentors and supervisors living locally to ensure we never felt out of our depth. The range of projects allowed you to gain experience working with both adults and children in a variety of settings, helping those with mental health illness, disabilities as well as teaching English. Along with this great experience I also met friends of whom I will keep for a long time, the environment and energy is very positive and I never felt alone. The best bonus to a great placement was the number of places to explore in the country on the weekends of which we could travel with friends. From the beach to the jungle, going on a safari or releasing turtles, it was the most beautiful country of which I have ever been to and have since recommended it to many. I highly encourage anyone to take the opportunity to go to Sri Lanka with SLV and do a placement.

It took me month to apply for the 6 weeks placement in Sri Lanka and to get everything started because it’s a really big thing to travel to a country you’ve never been before and you don’t exactly know what you’ll be doing and who you’ll meet and what’s happening, plus you’re doing it on your own. But it was the best decision I could’ve made and the six weeks went by so fast. You meet great people (SLV staff, volunteers, locals and service users) and gain so much experience in working with people with special needs. That’s helpful for your future in the psychological area as well as for your personal life because I found it was such a formative time for myself!
You have interesting and great weeks working with service users and exciting weekends, traveling with other volunteers and friends. And a lot of great workshops and presentations as an ‘extra’. I would recommend this placement for everyone who wants to experience an adventure and gain experience for their future! This was way out of my comfort zone but, in the end, clearly the best thing I could have done.

One month.
Friendship like family.
Priceless psychology experience.
Memories for a lifetime.

Couldn't fault a thing.

A very unique experience unlike any other I am aware of.
If you are reading this then you are most likely aware of the SLV programmes. As a company, SLV offer absolutely all the support you could desire whilst working in mental health in a country such as Sri Lanka. From arrival day you are greeted with positivity - I was very impressed with the range of placements and other excursions available to the vounteers whilst on placement.
My Sri Lanka placement was the single most inspiring thing I have ever done. To work on the ground with psychiatric hospitals and patients can be daunting and overwhelming yet with the help and support of staff and volunteers, it was made easy for me to step up to the role. It was honestly one of the if not the most rewarding thing I have ever done. To see a smile on the faces of service users is invaluable and I would not hesitate to recommend this programme to anybody.

SLV is truly doing its best work in the eastern countries. Being able to experience that culture so closely and intensely was a life changing opportunity. There are some things to not change but improve on which there is always room for improvement on anything. Overall, it was very rewarding work and I couldn’t have felt more blessed to be able to work with all these diverse and caring people.

A diverse placement that teaches so much about mental health in another culture. It challenged you to be confident, caring and creative; all skills useful for any career in psychology.

When I got on my flight to Colombo to commence my placement in Sri Lanka, I honestly had so many mixed emotions running through my mind - what am I doing? I do not know anyone -. It was definitely a huge step outside the comfort zone!

The homestay:
During my time in Sri Lanka as a volunteer, I was blessed with an incredibly supportive and welcoming homestay family, who I still keep in contact with today. They taught us Sinhalese, how to cook traditional Sri Lankan food, and always cared so much for us. I even had the opportunity to introduce them to my Mum who visited form home. They were so happy to meet her. The other volunteers in my homestay also became my family, and I think we had 10 different nationalities!

Volunteers:
I remember being so overwhelmed with happiness because I had never been surrounded by so many like minded people before! I made life long friends with the other volunteers from all over the world. I loved sharing every tough and rewarding experience with them. It is incredible how much we can learn from one another.

Placement:
Having 8 projects a week kept us all very busy. We did session planning as a homestay every night in preparation for the next day. We had so may ideas for every project! The placement provided us with experiences from a range of different populations, including aged care, special needs, English support and work in mental health facilities. Overall a fantastic widespread of experiences!

SLV.Global:
SLV.Global were there every step of the way, they are a fantastic organisation who provided immense support all the time. Our local team did a fantastic job ensuring our timetables were perfect, and organised extra curriculum's for us including lectures from international speakers and social events for all homestays to get involved with. I had the opportunity to be apart of one of the local teams, as i was a Peer Mentor on my placement. this job was very rewarding, I was able to be of extra support to my fellow volunteers in times of need, and also have the opportunity to be given extra responsibilities throughout the week.

Weekends:
Weekend time was travel time! We visited so many different areas of Sri Lanka across 14 weeks. We went far north and south and most places in-between! We hiked countless mountains including the famous Sir Pada (Adams Peak) and experienced this hike with thousands of locals during pilgrimage season. We released baby sea turtles into the ocean, bathed elephants, experienced so many sunrises, beach parties, swam with reef sharks, drank tea in beautiful tea plantations and we even fitted in a little trip to the Maldives! We definitely used our time wisely.

Transport:
Sri Lankan transport is unlike anything I have experienced before, the usual tuk tuk ride to work and being squished on a public bus to projects became normal. We would spend most weekends on trans and buses normally 5-10 hours! It was a great experience riding with the locals. We met wonderful families on our trips, who cooked for us on the side of the road. So many incredible experiences.

Home time:
When it was time to go home, I again had a head full of mixed emotions! However this time I couldn't believe I had ever doubted my decision in the first place. It was a great time for reflection, over my 14 weeks. Very hard to say goodbye.

I recommend this experience to everyone looking to step outside their comfort zones. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity which I am forever grateful to have been apart of!

A culture of kindness,
Bali and the SLV team were inherently kind to their core and really helped to facilitate a wonderful placement. The placement enabled me to grow as a person and professionally.

Slv global provided me with the most amazing and valuable experience, I have made friends from all over the world whilst also aiding individuals with a completely different culture and outlook on mental health. The homestay family that we stayed with were so caring and treated you like their own, really making you feel at home. I can thank SLV global enough for giving me this experience.