I’m a Grade 10 student at Pleasant Valley secondary school, and an active member of the community of Armstrong.
I am a member of Girl Guides of Canada and a cadet in the Rocky Mountain Rangers Enderby Cadet Corps. I am also a youth member of Zion United Church. I volunteer in many different areas; I am a Sunday School helper at Zion, a youth healthcare volunteer at Pleasant Valley Manor, and a member of the PVSS Leadership class, which participates in numerous activities around Armstrong and Vernon, such as working at the soup kitchen and organizing community clean-ups.
Recently, I learned that there is an opportunity this summer to travel on a trip through Girl Guides of Canada and Me to We: Free the Children to Maasai Mara, Kenya. Me to We: Free the Children is a global leadership group working to improve living conditions for children around the world.
The trip involves working with community members and assisting with projects, such as building a classroom for a school that is under construction nearby and planting trees at a local tree nursery. Below is a description of the trip:
“The Kenya School of Savannah Peace and Leadership Centre is located on the edge of the Maasai Mara, Africa’s richest wildlife reserve. Experience, learn, and serve in the beautiful surroundings of the centre and local villages. Intensive leadership training, social issues and cultural education will prepare you to be active volunteers in the local community. It will change your way of life and make a difference in others. Feel the heartbeat of Africa! We will be working with local children and youth, assisting with community projects.
“Students on our trip will earn up to 20 volunteer hours towards their Ministry of Education requirements for Grade 12. This also counts as the residential project for the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award. Our program includes a Level 3 Leadership training certificate course (approximately 20 hours) that includes cultural and social issues education, building on our volunteer experience, complex social issues such as poverty and child labour through workshops and seminars that will empower critical thinking about challenges facing Kenya today.”
This trip represents an incredible opportunity and I am seeking financial assistance so that I can attend, represent our community and make a difference in the lives of children and youth in Africa. The total cost is estimated at between $4,500 and $5,000 and any amount is appreciated. I am willing to volunteer my services for any job opportunities.
A helpful way to make a donation would be the donation of your bottles and cans, which I will collect and bring to the bottle depot. The money received for the bottles will go towards my Kenya trip. For more information, if you would like to make a donation, or if you wish to donate bottles, please contact me at jeslynsimpson@hotmail.ca.
