When your Monday-Friday becomes a rotation of lecture, sleep, repeat and your evenings and weekends are full with flatmate bonding sessions, it can feel like university is all about getting your degree and finding lifelong friends. That’s great, but hold your horses - your time here can be more than that. Here’s how you can find yourself Bear-Grylls-worthy, bucket-list-ticking, once-in-a-lifetime experiences right here at UWE Bristol.

Now, before you think the craziest it gets in Bristol is a tug boat ride around the harbour, thanks to UWE RAG (Raising and Giving) you can partner with some incredible charities to explore the world whilst studying in Bristol. Check out our five International Challenge opportunities below:

1) Conquer Kilimanjaro with the Dig Deep International Challenge

You will have the opportunity to climb Mount Kilimanjaro which is the largest freestanding mountain in the world. You’ll get to trek through both jungles and glaciers on the way up, and watch the sun rise over the vast African plains from the summit. Just magical. Another great part is that the money raised by completing this challenge will fund Dig Deep, which is an amazing charity that works to provide access to clean water, sanitation and menstrual hygiene training to school children in East Africa.

NEXT INFORMATION MEETING: 27 November 2019 at 17:00 – Meeting Room 1, The Students’ Union, Frenchay Campus.
CHALLENGE DATE: August/September 2020
COST TO FUNDRAISE: £2,500
Visit Dig Deep’s website here.

2) Touch the snow on Everest Base Camp with the Hope For Children International Challenge

Any third year will know the thrill of handing in their dissertation after the long, hard trek to that 10,000 word target. Reaching Everest Base Camp is another hugely rewarding thrill of an achievement- one of the most famous treks, it’s on every keen hiker’s bucket list. It’s hugely challenging, but as we know with that pesky dissertation, the end is always worth it. Raising funds for Hope for Children, you’ll be helping to support the lives of children across the world, improving access to education and healthcare, and empowering families world-over.

NEXT INFORMATION MEETING: 18 November 2019 at 17:00 – Meeting Room 1, The Students’ Union, Frenchay Campus.
CHALLENGE DATE: June 2020
COST TO FUNDRAISE: £2,000-£3,000
Visit Hope for Children’s website here.  

3) Build playgrounds and make a difference in Uganda with the East African Playgrounds International Challenge

Travel to Uganda, live and volunteer within a local community and help to transform a school by building a new playground from start to finish with a team of trained Ugandan builders and welders. Assisting on the Creative Play Programme, you’ll help to inspire children at the school to learn, explore and develop themselves. Spend your weekends racking up those once-in-a-lifetime points by white water rafting, heading out on safari, quad biking along the Nile and so much more! Working with East African Playgrounds is an incredible way to make a difference to others and enrich your life.

NEXT INFORMATION MEETING: 28 November 2019 at 17:00 – Meeting Room 1, The Students’ Union, Frenchay Campus
CHALLENGE DATE: July/August 2020
COST TO FUNDRAISE: £1,100
Visit East African Playgrounds’ website here.

4) Trek 25 miles across three mountains, back-to-back, with Unseen’s Three Peaks International Challenge

Staying a little closer to home in the UK, but taking on a challenge that is internationally renowned as one of Britain’s toughest, tackle the Three Peaks with Bristol-based charity, Unseen. Clamber from sea level to the summit of each of the highest mountains in Wales, England and Scotland. You’ll attempt Scafell Pike, Snowdon and Ben Nevis- all back-to-back. Plus, you’ll be fundraising for a wonderful local charity which is really making a difference: Unseen is stamping out modern slavery.

TO SIGN UP: Email rag@uwe.ac.uk
CHALLENGE DATE: June 2020
COST TO FUNDRAISE: £700
Visit Unseen’s website here.

5) Freefall on a Skydive with Bristol-based charity, Unseen

We know the amazing work Unseen is doing. But did you know that just £300 could pay for six front-line professionals from the police or the NHS to spot the signs of slavery and learn how to best support victims? We have another challenge you can take on with Unseen to raise even more money for the charity, and this is a thrill-seeking tandem skydive! Harnessed to an instructor, you’ll jump out of a plane at 15,000 ft, freefalling at speeds of 120mph, with a chance to take in the magical views before safely landing. Let’s just say it’s a commute like nothing else. And all the money you raise will be going to a wonderful cause.

TO SIGN UP: Email rag@uwe.ac.uk
CHALLENGE DATE: March 2020
COST TO FUNDRAISE: £400
Visit Unseen’s website here.

You receive so much support from UWE RAG to help you fundraise for your challenge. And another great thing is each challenge needs a Challenge Leader- and this could be the role for you! Attend some training, recruit students to the challenge and with each student you recruit, you receive money off your challenge fees! It’s an incredible opportunity to build your CV, gain project management skills and enrich your university experience beyond what you could have imagined. Who knows where university will take you?

Fore more information on each challenge, please visit our International Challenges page.