By BEN CAMERON
A GROUP of Berwick Secondary College students are betting on a $6000 investment returning the experience of a life time.
Twenty-four students and four teachers from the college left for Costa Rica and Nicaragua on 25 November for its latest World Challenge trip.
World Challenge takes young people out of the classroom, and their comfort zone, into developing countries where they learn life skills such as leadership, teamwork, self-awareness and compassion.
Two teams from the school will roll up the sleeves in a small Costan Rican village called Maleku, vegetating the land, fixing classrooms, helping local children learn English, engaging in sporting activities, and basically getting a global perspective of life.
Assistant learning leader Jackson West said the experience was priceless.
“It really challenges kids in a safe environment,” he said.
Students will also learn the skill of running a tight budget with teams given $10,000 to share for food, accommodation and transport.
“They’ll be living on around $6 a day,” he said.
“They’ll learn how to manage themselves.”
Each trip costs a student between $6000 and $7000 each.
Year 10 student Taylah O’Hagan, 16, said she held sausage sizzles, sold chocolates and ran a trivia night to fund her trip.
Having only flown once before, to Western Australia, the nerves were settling in.
“It’s a bit nerve wrecking to be away from home for a length of time,” she said.
“But it will be great to go over and help those less fortunate.
“I’m hoping to make some life-long friends and improve my leadership skills.”
She’s already picked up a bit of the local language to help her communicate.
“I’ve learnt some small Spanish phrases,” she said.
“My cousin went to Vietnam two years ago. It really taught the lesson of respecting what you have.”
World Challenge has helped to renovate over 130 classrooms, establish 25 new community vegetable gardens and assist over 20 projects dedicated to the conservation of endangered species.
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