Oasis launches next generation gap year

Threesixty, the new volunteering opportunity from Oasis launches this week and signals the beginning of a new kind of volunteering experience for 18-25 year olds.

The new initiative is sponsored by V, the youth volunteering charity established by the government to inspire a million more young volunteers in the UK, and is rooted in Oasis' long-term strategy to deliver integrated community transformation.

Charlie Ferdinando, Oasis' Volunteer Development Manager explained, "Threesixty begins as a gap year type experience, but that's really just the start of things. For those who find themselves ready to commit longer-term, threesixty becomes their way into volunteering, training or working with Oasis in one of our hubs which are all about sustainable community transformation."

It is because of this opportunity to commit to a local community in the longer-term that Oasis anticipates threesixty will appeal to university graduates as well as college leavers and is what makes the Oasis approach stand out.

Steve Chalke, founder of Oasis said, "threesxity is not only new for Oasis, but ushers in a new kind of volunteering experience. As you volunteer with Oasis, you will learn about serving in a holistic, joined up and integrated way.

"It's involvement that's three hundred and sixty degree and brings transformation at every level - social, spiritual, educational, physical emotional.

"As you commit to a community you begin to understand it's what the good news of Christ always was and still is about."

Integrating gap year volunteering into long-term sustainable community development has also caught the imagination of V, the charity that since 2006 has been charged with outlining a new national framework for youth action and engagement in the UK.

"You can see Oasis believe in the potential of young people and are providing them opportunities to make a positive contribution to their communities," said Nigel Mansfield, V's Fundraising Manager.

"We believe [Oasis'] volunteering hubs project will make an exciting contribution towards achieving a step change in the quality, quantity and diversity of youth volunteering," added Terry Ryall, the Chief Executive of V.

Visit www.oasisuk.org/threesixty