Lattitude Global Volunteering

Lattitude Global Volunteering was a United Kingdom-based youth volunteering organisation established in 1972 in Reading, Berkshire. Originally called GAP Activity Projects, it was created to provide school leavers with safe, structured and worthwhile voluntary work before they progressed to university or other forms of further education. The organisation helped popularise the concept of taking a gap year, and its original name is associated with the development of the phrase “gap year” in the United Kingdom. The organisation’s core service was the arrangement and support of overseas volunteering placements for young people, generally between the ages of 17 and 25. Placements typically lasted from three to twelve months and covered educational, social-care and environmental work. Depending on the destination and project, volunteers could assist with schools, community initiatives, care-related activities or conservation programmes. Lattitude’s role extended beyond simply matching applicants with projects: it provided preparation and placement support, while volunteers normally arranged and paid for their own travel and contributed a fee to meet the charity’s operating and programme costs. To make participation more accessible, Lattitude offered scholarships and promoted fundraising assistance and grants. At the placement, food and accommodation were generally provided, and in many cases part of the programme fee was returned to the volunteer over the course of the placement as an allowance. This model combined an international travel experience with a defined period of service and supervision. The organisation expanded during the 1990s and early 2000s. It was placing approximately 1,500 volunteers annually by 1995, rising to about 2,000 per year by 2005. In 2001 it opened offices in Australia, New Zealand and Canada, supporting its international reach. In 2000 it helped establish the Year Out Group, an organisation intended to promote well-designed and responsible year-out programmes. In 2008, GAP Activity Projects adopted the name Lattitude Global Volunteering. The rebrand was intended to communicate more directly that the organisation focused on international volunteering for young people rather than presenting itself primarily as a general gap-year provider. The timing followed a trademark dispute involving the clothing retailer Gap and another gap-year company, although the available material does not establish that this dispute caused Lattitude’s name change. Lattitude reported coordinating activities for its 40,000th volunteer in 2012. Despite this long operating history and international network, the organisation voluntarily entered liquidation in 2021. A notice published in The Gazette records that resolutions to wind up the company voluntarily were passed at a general meeting in Reading on 26 August 2021. Lattitude is therefore a defunct volunteering organisation rather than an active travel or education brand.

Lattitude Global Volunteering began in 1972 in Reading, Berkshire, under the name GAP Activity Projects. Its initial purpose was to give school leavers a safe and constructive way to spend time in voluntary work before moving on to university. The programme model combined travel, community service and personal development, with the organisation arranging placements and providing support to participants. The organisation became formally recognised as a charity in 1976. Over time, its programmes developed into an international network of placements for young people, generally aged 17 to 25. Volunteers could choose among educational, social and environmental projects, with assignments commonly lasting from three to twelve months. Volunteers were responsible for their own transport and paid a programme fee that helped cover the charity’s expenses. Food and accommodation were normally supplied at the placement, and many placements provided an allowance funded partly through a return of programme fees. GAP Activity Projects grew substantially during the 1990s. It was reported to be placing around 1,500 volunteers each year by 1995, compared with approximately 2,000 annually by 2005. Its work contributed to the development of the modern British gap-year sector, and the organisation is credited with helping coin or popularise the term “gap year” through its original name. In 2000 it co-founded the Year Out Group, which sought to promote well-structured year-out programmes and responsible practice in the sector. International expansion followed in the early 2000s. Three offices opened in Australia, New Zealand and Canada in 2001. These offices supported the organisation’s ability to recruit and place volunteers across different national markets, while the central programme remained focused on service placements rather than ordinary tourism. In 2008, GAP Activity Projects relaunched under the name Lattitude Global Volunteering. The new identity was intended to make the organisation’s international volunteering mission clearer and to distinguish it from a general gap-year travel provider. The change occurred shortly after the clothing company Gap had pursued a trademark dispute involving another gap-year business, but available references do not confirm that the dispute was the reason for Lattitude’s rebrand. Lattitude’s operating model placed emphasis on access as well as international experience. The organisation offered scholarships and provided fundraising advice and grants to help reduce the financial barrier to participation. Its placements covered schools and education, social and care-related settings, community work and environmental projects. The organisation’s reported coordination of its 40,000th volunteer in 2012 illustrated the reach accumulated over four decades. The company ultimately ceased operating in 2021. The Gazette published notice that, at a general meeting held at 9 Greyfriars Road, Reading, on 26 August 2021, members passed special and ordinary resolutions for the company to be wound up voluntarily. Lattitude Global Volunteering therefore remains a historical youth-volunteering brand and charity, but it no longer offers placements or operates as an active organisation.

• 2021

  Voluntary liquidation

  [2]Notice of voluntary winding-up for Lattitude Global Volunteeringthegazette.co.uk

  The company passes resolutions to wind up voluntarily and ceases operation on 26 August.

• 2012

  Coordinates its 40,000th volunteer

  [1]Lattitude Global Volunteeringen.wikipedia.org

  Lattitude reports reaching the milestone of coordinating activities for its 40,000th volunteer.

• 2008

  Rebrands as Lattitude Global Volunteering

  [1]Lattitude Global Volunteeringen.wikipedia.org

  GAP Activity Projects adopts a name intended to highlight its international youth-volunteering focus.

• 2005

  Annual placements reach approximately 2,000

  [1]Lattitude Global Volunteeringen.wikipedia.org

  Reported annual volunteer placements rise to around 2,000.

• 2001

  Opens offices in Australia, New Zealand and Canada

  [1]Lattitude Global Volunteeringen.wikipedia.org

  The organisation broadens its international network by opening three overseas offices.

• 2000

  Co-founds the Year Out Group

  [1]Lattitude Global Volunteeringen.wikipedia.org

  GAP Activity Projects helps establish the Year Out Group to promote well-structured year-out programmes.

• 1995

  Annual placements reach approximately 1,500

  [1]Lattitude Global Volunteeringen.wikipedia.org

  The organisation is reported to be placing about 1,500 volunteers per year.

• 1976

  Charitable recognition

  [1]Lattitude Global Volunteeringen.wikipedia.org

  GAP Activity Projects is officially recognised as a charity as its volunteer-placement work expands.

• 1972

  GAP Activity Projects is established

  [1]Lattitude Global Volunteeringen.wikipedia.org

  The organisation is founded in Reading, Berkshire, to provide safe and worthwhile volunteer work for school leavers before university.

Structured, supported international volunteering for young people seeking a purposeful gap-year or year-out experience.

• Volunteer placement programme · 1972

  International youth volunteering placements

  The organisation arranged supported overseas placements for participants generally aged 17 to 25. Assignments usually lasted between three and twelve months and combined travel with practical service. Volunteers selected projects from educational, social or environmental categories, while Lattitude provided programme coordination and support. Participants normally paid their own transport costs and contributed a fee toward the charity’s expenses.

• Education volunteering

  Educational placements

  Educational placements enabled young volunteers to assist in schools and other learning environments outside their home communities. The programmes were designed as structured service experiences rather than informal tourism, with placement support and arrangements for food and accommodation generally provided at the destination.

• Community volunteering

  Social and community placements

  Social placements covered care-related and community activities in international settings. They formed part of Lattitude’s broader effort to give school leavers meaningful, supervised work experience while supporting host organisations. The exact duties and host arrangements varied by project and destination.

• Environmental volunteering

  Environmental placements

  Environmental and conservation projects gave participants an alternative to education or social placements. These opportunities were presented as practical international volunteering assignments, with programme support and basic living arrangements generally provided during the placement.

• Volunteer access support

  Scholarships and fundraising support

  Lattitude used scholarships, fundraising advice and grants to reduce the financial barrier to taking part. This support complemented the fee-based placement model and was intended to widen access for young people who might otherwise have been unable to fund an international volunteering period.

• 2021

  Voluntary winding-upOther

  Background

  After operating as a youth volunteering charity for nearly five decades, the company convened a general meeting in Reading.

  Action taken

  Members passed special and ordinary resolutions to wind up the company voluntarily on 26 August 2021.

  Aftermath

  Lattitude Global Volunteering voluntarily ceased operation and no longer provides placements.

  Source

• 2008

  Rebrand from GAP Activity Projects to Lattitude Global VolunteeringStrategy

  Background

  The organisation wanted its public identity to communicate its emphasis on international volunteering for young people more clearly.

  Action taken

  GAP Activity Projects relaunched under the Lattitude Global Volunteering name.

  Aftermath

  The new name was used for the organisation’s international youth-volunteering activities until it ceased operation in 2021.

  Source

• 2021

  Lattitude Global Volunteering enters voluntary liquidation[2]Notice of voluntary winding-up for Lattitude Global Volunteeringthegazette.co.uk

  Bankruptcy · Other

  At a general meeting held in Reading on 26 August 2021, the company passed resolutions to wind up voluntarily. The organisation consequently ceased operations.

• 2012

  Lattitude coordinates its 40,000th volunteer[1]Lattitude Global Volunteeringen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The organisation reported coordinating activities for its 40,000th volunteer, marking the scale reached by its international youth volunteering programmes.

• 2008

  GAP Activity Projects rebrands as Lattitude Global Volunteering[1]Lattitude Global Volunteeringen.wikipedia.org

  Other · Campaign

  The organisation changed its name to Lattitude Global Volunteering to emphasise its focus on international volunteering projects for young people.

1. 1Lattitude Global Volunteeringen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Notice of voluntary winding-up for Lattitude Global Volunteeringthegazette.co.uk
3. 3Lattitude Global Volunteering, registered charity no. 272761register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk