{"id":5955,"date":"2025-05-21T10:48:23","date_gmt":"2025-05-21T10:48:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/?p=5955"},"modified":"2025-06-03T08:49:18","modified_gmt":"2025-06-03T08:49:18","slug":"south-africa-summer-volunteering-the-mighty-roar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/south-africa-summer-volunteering-the-mighty-roar\/","title":{"rendered":"South Africa Summer Volunteering – The Mighty Roar"},"content":{"rendered":"

Name:<\/span><\/b> Joshua Franklin<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Degree subject and school:<\/span><\/b> Politics and Modern History, LAWPL\/SHARE<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Type of Global Opportunity:<\/span><\/b> International Summer Programme, Volunteering Placement<\/span><\/p>\n


\nWhere did you go?<\/span><\/b>
\n<\/span>Plettenberg Bay, South Africa. I found the opportunity through The Mighty Roar.<\/span><\/p>\n


\nWhat motivated you to take up a Global Opportunity?<\/span><\/b>
\n<\/span>I wanted a challenge to do something completely different to my degree, and to experience a different culture whilst making a difference with my opportunity<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What were your top 3 highlights from your time abroad?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. A humpback whale hopping from the water right in front of me<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Watching the sunset from Robberg Nature Reserve<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Feeding elephants in the Knysna Elephant sanctuary<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    What was your biggest challenge? How did you overcome it?<\/span><\/b>
    \n<\/span>My biggest challenge was the variety of tasks I completed. I had to educate members of a local charity to complete research that the organisation was carrying out, only the day after I had learnt it myself. This meant teaching volunteers species identification and trends within whales, dolphins, and sharks, and how to spot them as they had many false positives previously.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    How has your placement been beneficial to your studies as Cardiff University or your future career?<\/span><\/b>
    \n<\/span>My placement has helped me grow my confidence as it has taught me both new skills, and how to apply skills I’ve developed from within my degree. I now have more content to use in interview questions, and am prepared for my future career to adapt across various industries as I know that I can adapt with it.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    What is the one thing you wish you\u2019d known before you left?<\/span><\/b>
    \n<\/span>I wish I’d known how much I’d enjoy my placement so I would’ve gone for longer!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    What would you say to a student that was unsure about spending a period abroad?<\/span><\/b>
    \n<\/span>Just go for it! When I considered going abroad the financial aspect was a barrier, but the university helped me overcome this. Think about the barriers against going abroad and I’m sure that the GO team can help you out! I would fully recommend taking advantage of these opportunities as you never know what you might learn or who you might meet!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    What are 3 things to do in your host destination?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Ocean Blue Adventures dolphin and whale watching tours!<\/span><\/li>\n
    2. Knysna Elephant Sanctuary<\/span><\/li>\n
    3. Embrace nature, whether Nature’s Valley, Robberg, or Central Beach!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Please sum up your experience abroad in one sentence<\/span><\/b>
      \n<\/span>An incredible adventure: Dolphin and whale tours, beach surveys, and excursions. The experience allowed me apply my skills, build confidence and left me with unforgettable memories<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/figure>\n

      \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Name: Joshua Franklin\u00a0 Degree subject and school: Politics and Modern History, LAWPL\/SHARE   Type of Global Opportunity: International Summer Programme, Volunteering Placement Where did you go? Plettenberg Bay, South Africa. […]","protected":false},"author":7101,"featured_media":5957,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[475,270],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-go-student-ambassadors","category-summer-programmes"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4QQbz-1y3","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5762,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/why-i-chose-to-spend-my-summer-saving-sea-turtles-in-greece\/","url_meta":{"origin":5955,"position":0},"title":"Why I chose to spend my summer saving sea turtles in Greece","author":"Jessica Scurlock","date":"January 10, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Why I volunteered with Wildlife Sense through The Mighty Roar: If I could go back and tell myself a year ago that I'd book non-refundable flights to go to Greece and make friends from around the world, I wouldn't have believed it. 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