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The Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) is launching a national press

campaign to challenge people's perception of volunteering and the type

of people who do it.

The two press executions, through Leonardo, feature real volunteers who

have returned from their two-year stint with new skills and

experiences.

The ads centre on the real countries and tasks that the volunteers

experienced.

One ad, "bag on head", shows a woman standing at a bus stop with a

shopping bag on her head because during her time in Kenya she learned to

carry produce in the local way. The ad shows a bus ticket, which has

details of the work she did while in Kenya.

The second execution, "bus", shows two young men sitting on top of a

moving bus because they travelled in this fashion during a spell

volunteering in Rwanda and Zambia. The copy includes the line, "they've

done it", to reinforce the sense that volunteers gain new experience

from their time with VSO.

The new activity follows recent work from Leonardo that backs a

documentary called VSO: Making a Difference, which is running on Sundays

on ITV1.

Leonardo's activity attempts to support the light-hearted programme with

a more serious message.

Gary Sharpen, Leonardo's creative director, said: "We are trying to

challenge perceptions of what volunteering work is and to say that

people who do it are normal people and not dippy-hippy do-gooders."

The campaign was written by Wesley Hawes and art directed by Stuart

Button. The typographer was Dave Brady and the photographer was Ariel

van Straten.

Media buying is through Starcom Motive.