Every Fijian village is unique with its own traditions and ways of life. What you experience will depend on the knowledge, interests, and generosity of the youth and elders in your host community. No two villages are the same, and that’s what makes the experience so special.

The examples below illustrate the kinds of skills and conversations that past students have been welcomed into… but your journey will unfold in its own way, shaped by the people who host you.

Identity and Custom

• Fijian Family Structures – Learn about the extended family model that defines village life, including the deep kinship ties, unique relationships, and responsibilities that connect individuals across generations.
• Origin Stories & Local History – Hear oral histories passed down through elders, from migration stories to legends that explain the land, the sea, and the community’s place in the world.
• Yaqona (Kava Ceremony) – Experience the cultural, social, and spiritual significance of Fiji’s ceremonial drink, and understand its role in building unity, respect, and connection.

Food & Daily Life

• Farming Practices – Explore subsistence agriculture in action: planting taro, cassava, and yams, and seeing how food security is maintained through collective effort.
• Lovo Cooking – Take part in preparing a lovo, the traditional earth oven feast, and discover the symbolism and hospitality woven into food preparation.
• Cooking at Home – Join your host family in the kitchen, learning everyday recipes and the rhythms of rural domestic life.
• Fishing & Gathering – Learn traditional methods of fishing, reef foraging, or river gathering, and how sustainable practices ensure the community’s survival.

Arts, Expression & Creativity

• Meke (Dance) – Learn and perform traditional meke, where music, dance, and storytelling combine to pass down history, values, and identity.
• Vucu (Song) – Join in song traditions, from powerful communal chants to melodic harmonies that carry deep cultural meaning.
• Handicrafts – Try weaving mats, making jewelry, or creating designs that showcase the artistry and symbolism of Fijian material culture.
• Bilibili (Raft Building) – Experience practical innovation as you construct and ride a bilibili bamboo raft, once essential for transport and trade.
• Pottery – In some regions, learn the ancient techniques of Fijian pottery-making, shaped from the land itself.

Community Perspectives

• Globalisation – Discuss how global influences  (from tourism to technology) are reshaping Fijian life, identity, and opportunities.
• Youth Perspectives – Hear from young people about their hopes, challenges, and visions for the future, often balancing tradition with modernity.
• Gender Roles & Perspectives – Explore how gender shapes daily life, responsibilities, and opportunities, and how these are evolving in a changing Fiji.
• Religious Perspectives – Understand the central role of faith and spirituality, from Christianity to indigenous beliefs, in shaping community values, identity, and cohesion.

Why This Matters

These experiences are not staged “activities,” but everyday practices shared generously by local people. They give you the chance to see life through Fijian eyes, to reflect on your own identity and worldview, and to build a genuine appreciation for cultural knowledge systems that are often invisible to outsiders; lessons that stay with you long after you leave.

1. Intercultural Awareness & Global Citizenship

• Develop an in-depth understanding of Fijian culture, traditions, and values through immersion in daily village life.

• Gain cross-cultural communication skills by living with a host family and engaging in talanoa (open dialogue).

• Appreciate diverse worldviews and explore the role of indigenous knowledge in sustainability and community resilience.

2. Personal Growth & Independence

• Build confidence by adapting to unfamiliar environments, from rural villages to new cultural norms.

• Strengthen resilience, adaptability, and problem-solving skills while navigating challenges outside your comfort zone.

• Develop empathy, patience, and respect for alternative lifestyles and traditions.

3. Employability & Transferable Skills

• Enhance teamwork and collaboration by working with peers and community members.

• Gain leadership experience through group tasks, reflection sessions, and community engagement.

• Acquire practical skills — from intercultural communication to traditional Fijian practices — that demonstrate versatility and adaptability to employers.

4. Academic & Career Alignment

• Deepen academic knowledge by linking theory to practice in areas such as sustainability, geography, community business, sociology, anthropology, education, or climate resilience.

• Understand global issues (e.g. climate change, food security, cultural preservation) in a local, human context.

• Strengthen future career readiness by demonstrating initiative, cross-cultural competence, and global perspective.

5. Connection to Environment & Sustainability

• Learn about subsistence lifestyles, regenerative practices, and community approaches to sustainability.

• Explore the interconnection between people, land, and sea in Pacific Island identity.

• Reflect on how climate change impacts rural island communities and the lessons for global sustainability.

6. Reflection & Ongoing Impact

• Engage in structured reflection throughout the program, culminating in a group debrief.

• Translate experiences into actionable insights for personal, academic, and career development.

• Build lasting networks and friendships that foster ongoing cross-cultural exchange.

• Embrace Community Life

  • Life in Fiji is wonderfully communal. Farming, fishing, and even mealtimes are shared experiences.

  • Join in! Whether it’s playing cards, strumming a guitar, or drinking Kava at sunset.

• Settle Into Your New Home

  • Villages are small and close-knit, and your host family will welcome you as one of their own.

  • Be ready for simple living: cold bucket showers, pit toilets, and limited electricity are part of the experience.

  • If you’re placed with children, expect excited little brothers and sisters who can’t wait to play with you!

• Eat Like a Local

  • Your meals will be provided by your host family, with costs covered by Think Pacific.

  • Hospitality is central to Fijian life, so don’t be surprised if extra guests join at the table.

  • Enjoy hearty dishes of root crops like dalo and cassava, with plenty of fresh fish.

• Give Yourself Time to Adjust

  • The lifestyle may feel different at first strong traditions, communal living, and new routines can take time to adapt to.

  • It’s completely normal to feel out of your depth in the first few days.

  • Lean on your host family, teammates, and Think Pacific leaders, you’ll soon feel at home.

• Learn Some Fijian

  • Most people speak English, but a few Fijian words go a long way.

  • Children and elders may not speak English, learning simple greetings and phrases will deepen your connection.  We provide video guides in our pre-departure portal.

• Go With the Flow (‘Fiji Time’)

  • Life runs at a slower, more relaxed pace. Plans may change or run late, and that’s part of the charm!

  • Smile, relax, and welcome the beauty of “Fiji Time.”

Central to any rural Think Pacific experience, the course has an agreed and consistent structure that is delivered across all projects. This ‘syllabus’ allows room for local variation of skills and knowledge but also remains consistent across villages. This syllabus therefore is made up of ‘themes’ rather than specific universal sessions.

Four themes explored:

• Identity and Custom, Perspective, Art & Food

These categories are not mutually exclusive as almost all of them will relate to at least another one of those categories. (Eg. Meke would come under the category ‘art’ but can easily also relate to identity and language, even food.)

What they can be used for, however, is structuring each week consistently with other programmes whilst allowing for local variations on each category. If x2 sessions from all categories are hit and delivered, that will make up the successful completion of the course.

Delivery

x5 key youth members are highlighted by the community prior to your project beginning. These will be consistent members who would be leading delivery. Community youth will lead the sessions based on what they feel comfortable delivering and facilitating within the community and Think Pacific leaders are there to support. They can have free creative license to teach about any aspect of culture they feel passionate about (there may be a unique tradition that they wish to include), and there are a variety of interactive actives that come under the four themes of culture we’re exploring. Every village is unique and therefore every project has its own flavour.

• Pride in their culture and upbringing and the practicing of traditional skills and knowledge.
• To encourage personal growth in the form of a boost in confidence, communication skills, team working, leadership, time management and presentation skills.
• Financial support for those involved and the youth group of the community.
• Any outstanding individuals can be highlighted for scholarship / employment opportunities
• Appreciation of diversity: appreciation of the opinions and values of others, sensitivity to cultural diversity, and becoming more aware of their culture.
• Broader Perspective: Reconsider the cultural framework they have been brought up in and to acquire skills that will enable them to observe and analyse encounters with diversity and to extend these beyond the framework of their culture.
• Critical thinking.

The official definition of ‘Youth’ in Fiji according to the Ministry of Youth and Sports is anyone between the ages of 18-35. Villages in rural locations in Fiji more often than not have a registered ‘Youth Group’ that is made up of members of the village of that age. The extent to which that group is utilised within the village varies due to member commitments and their re-ignition is a real focus for the current Ministry of Youth.

18-35 year olds in the village often come with a variety of backgrounds and life stories: some may have dropped out of school as early as the age of 14 who engage in farming within the village’s subsistence lifestyle, others may be returning university students or school finishers, but all will be gain from the interactions that the project facilitates. Due to a variety of reasons, rural communities in Fiji have a significantly lower access to opportunity to urban areas and the ‘Youth’ are the primary demographic to be affected by that. This means that fundamentally out projects are outreach initiatives.

Think Pacific works in partnership with many universities across the world to support student mobility and employability. There are scholarships and grants available for students from individual university departments and/or governments in several countries.

Students can apply for scholarships and bursaries to join our projects in Fiji. To find out if there’s funding available at your university or in your areas, please email info@thinkpacific.com.

Day 1 –3 Orientation & Team Briefing

• Relax & Acclimatise at a Coral Coast resort
• Cultural briefing
• Team-building

Day 4 – 18 – Village-Based Immersion

• Live with a rural Fijian family in a traditional village.
• Weekly schedule of activities and experiences designed and led by the the rural community.
• Observe and participate in farming, cooking, crafts, and ceremonies.
• Engage in ‘talanoa’ sessions (dialogue) with youth and elders.
• Learn about local skills, structure, gender roles, and resilience.
• Learn through Expeditionary Travel Immersion
• Gain new skills, perspectives, knowledge and local wisdom
• Saturday excursions exploring nature unique to each location e.g jungle hike, river swim, waterfall visit.

Day 19 – 21 Reflection & Resorts

• Coral Coast: 2-night stay at eco-resort
• Relax, swim, snorkel or take a hike to local waterfall
• Peer-to-peer “Rose, Thorn, Bud” reflection session as a group.
• Travel to Nadi for final evening celebratory group meal before the journey ends

Our philosophy is to provide a high quality and exceptionally well structured international project. Our expeditions are packed full of adventure and cultural insight, whilst having safety and support at their core. We also ensure that through our charity, the communities you support receive long-term financial and physical assistance year-round. Think Pacific is not the cheapest volunteer organisation around, but this is for all the right reasons.

All our expeditions include:

• Airport welcome by Think Pacific Expedition leaders (or resort meet and greet if you arrive early).
• All in-country project-related travel.
• All project accommodation.
• Briefing and orientation at a resort.
• All meals during your briefing, 3 and a half weeks staying with your Fijian village family and during your final day of R&R.
• Guided weekend activities such as a short trek or attending community events.
• Organised evening Fijian activities including kava ceremonies, lovo feasts, mat weaving,
• Think Pacific Leaders and Fijian guides living with you 24/7.
• In-country Director, Fiji based Project Managers and UK team providing planning, risk assessment and 24-hour back up support.
• Comprehensive pre-departure information & personal project planning.
• Your project donation towards the youth development goals in Fiji (which is used to purchase educational and sports equipment, fund scholarships and training for local people and build village facilities and school classrooms)

What’s Not Included?

• International flights – £1000 – £1200
• Personal travel insurance £60-£100
• Spending money for extra food and snacks, Fijian clothes and items of a personal nature (we advise bringing £200 – £300 spending money).
• Visa – Tourist visa – free for nationalities of many countries including UK, Europe, Australia & USA.  Please note it is your responsibility to check and confirm visa requirements.

Apply for university funding to cover flights and insurance.

Your safety is our priority. Think Pacific team mentors co-ordinate the entire project and are available 24/7 for student support. Our biggest piece of advice for students is to not hesitate to speak to our team leaders if they have any questions about health and safety. 

During orientation, students are given guidelines to ensure they stay safe in Fiji. The guidelines also include important day-to-day advice such as where it is safe to withdraw money from local ATM machines etc.

Pre-departure briefings take place pre-departure (online webinars) and in-country to prepare you alongside our comprehensive pre-departure portal so you’re learning can begin immediately.

• Access to the Pre-departure Portal.

This portal provides the step-by-step process to prepare, including fundraising information, flight information, kit list, visa, cultural preparation. Student can watch videos with our team in Fiji and download document.

• Contact our team.

You can contact our team anytime between office hours, either give us a  call on 0113 335 9919 or email; info@thinkpacific.com.

• Online community/network. 

You can communicate with fellow volunteers, alumni and our team through our online community, hosted on the Might Network app. Within 3 months of you departing to Fiji, you shall be entered into a private group with your volunteer team.

• Live Pre Departure webinars

Our team host live sessions in the months leading up to your project. These are a great way for you to ask questions and delve deeper into planning for your project. They also add to the excitement!

• Global Skills Programme

We have created an online course to give you the set you up for success before departure! Complete short-courses in: Culture, Sustainable Travel & Global Leadership.