A university graduate is spending three months this summer as a volunteer manager in India with Raleigh International.

Julie Montgomery from Gransha, near Enniskillen, left this week to embark on what she considers to be a unique and challenging experience.

Her role will involve organising and running a project site in a remote area with little external support, managing a group of 12 international young people aged between 17 and 24 in a cross-cultural environment often isolated from the rest of the expedition team.

"During this time, I could be living in a rural tribal community, working alongside the villagers, teaching in their schools, eating traditional Indian food and immersing myself in their warm generous hospitality or sleeping in bashers and cooking my meals on a camping stove the next," she says.

Her adventure phase could involve camping and carrying all her own food and living deep in the deciduous forests of the national parks in areas not visited by tourists and getting up close to the wildlife of southern India.. One of the aspects Julie is looking forward to is working with World Wide Fund for Nature(WWF) in elephant and tiger reserves.

Julie, a daughter of Willie and Esse Montgomery, was Head Girl at Devenish College before studying at Manchester Metropolitan University with a degree in Contemporary Crafts. Since then she has worked both in Ireland and in Liverpool before deciding on challenging work with Raleigh International to further her professional development.

She has plenty of experience in travel overseas and in being self sufficient. She developed skills taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme and took part in the Ulster Project trip to the United States. She also planned and completed an extensive self-funded travel throughout Canada and America.

Julie says she feels she has the skills which will enable her to tackle some of the challenges over the next three months.

"Being an adaptable person means I am able to cope with stressful situations and stay calm in a logical manner if things don't always go to plan. I possess excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate concisely with people which will help in decision making and problem solving," she stated, saying that she has no doubt that her experience will make her a strong, more determined person.

As part of her commitment to travel with Raleigh International, Julie had to raise £2,500 sponsorship. This is in addition to paying for the flights, visas and vaccinations.

Julie has been organising various fundraising events both in England and nearer home including supermarket bag packs, etc. However her biggest venture was held locally recently when she organised a night which she termed a farewell party with food, some live bands, an auction and raffle. She wanted to particularly thank all her family and friends who have been supportive to her to help to raise the necessary funding. She revealed that she has raised in excess of the £2,500 and will donate the remainder to Raleigh International projects when she arrives in India.

Julie flew out this week to Bangalore in the south-west of the country just as it is experiencing its monsoon season.

But she was up for the challenge as she gathered together her valuables in her rucksack.

"I want to get an experience that will stay with me for the rest of my life. I fully intend to make the most of this opportunity as well as having the time of my life, and I hope it will give me time to identify what I really want in life at the same time giving something back in a worthwhile experience." Raleigh International has been operating around the world since 1984 and added India to their list of destinations in 2008. The area where Raleigh works in India will include the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, part of the UNESCO protection programme.

And with India having the world's fastest growing population but also some of the worst inequalities, there is a focus on health, education and agricultural land reform. The Raleigh team will be aiming to improve the quality of life for rural communities where they can make a difference.

At the end of her three-month trip, Julie hopes to spend another three weeks travelling to see more of India and then continue her travels for another few months to Thailand, Cambodia, Bali, New Zealand, Fiji and Australia.