students combine volunteering and travel on service trips
A group of students bask in the Nicaraguan sun, taking care of orphans on an island, an active volcano simmering below them. A thin layer of dust and grime coats the back of an Urdu textbook, as a student attempts to help a squirming toddler learn the day’s lesson in a crowded city in Pakistan. Scrambling to grasp discarded trash before it’s carried away by the rising tide, students run along the beaches of Costa Rica, attempting to improve the environment.
Whether it’s to experience a new lifestyle, gain knowledge of other cultures and languages, or aid people in need where they need it most, volunteering abroad is something that requires a huge amount of skill and commitment. It represents the pinnacle of service; actual, hands-on support that allows one to make a difference firsthand, seeing the change before their very eyes. Some students at Saint Paul Academy and Summit School have chosen to volunteer abroad over the summer, hoping to aid others in a more effective way.
“It was enlightening to learn about other people’s cultures … [volunteering abroad is] a more cohesive experience [than volunteering locally], you’re not just leaving your house for a couple of hours,” sophomore Cara Pomerantz said.
Pomerantz volunteered in Costa Rica, painting murals, digging trenches for sidewalks, building bleachers, planting trees, picking up garbage, beach cleaning, and relocating turtles during her time there. She found the experience both fun and surprisingly eye-opening. “It’s very interesting to see how the rest of the world lives, the United States is kind of an outlier,” she said. In addition to learning about the culture and lifestyle of the Costa Rican family she was staying with during her trip, Pomerantz also developed her Spanish speaking skills, which helped her academically.
Junior Kent Hanson has been involved in Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos, an international service organization inspired by Christian values for nearly eight years. He first got involved through his church. “Back 7 or 8 years ago my church combined with another church. So, in order for people to get to know each other my family started this mission trip that goes every year to Nicaragua,” Hanson said.
Hanson believes strongly in the success of hands-on service, rather than just monetary donations. “I'm aware of the debate on whether its worth it to actually have a trip down [to Nicaragua] compared to sending the money that travel would cost down, but once you go, you will understand that it’s definitely more advantageous to actually travel down there,” he said.
Over the years, Hanson has helped build houses, farm, paint and entertain the children that live at the NPM orphanage he volunteers at. Although he enjoys doing all of these activities, his favorite part of the experience is building connections with the locals. “The kids there don’t have any figures to look up to. It’s kind of special being able to return every year and knowing that there’s some consistency … recognizing the same kids every year,” he said.
Hanson also improves his Spanish speaking skills on his trips abroad. “I lived in Costa Rica when I was in second grade for a year, so … I'm fluent in Spanish [and going to Nicaragua] helps me maintain that,” he said. On a deeper level, Hanson has discovered his passion through these trips. “It changed what I wanted to do with my life. I want to help the world,” he said.
The benefits gained from this mode of service are, in Hanson’s opinion, especially beneficial for SPA students. “[I gained] an awareness of what’s going on in the world. I think a lot of kids at SPA haven’t had that experience, so they don’t understand the struggles that a lot of people go through in the world. Its a good reminder every year [when I go] to Nicaragua, understanding that we live a pretty privileged life,” he said.
Sophomore Tabeer Naqvi has had her own share of overseas service experiences, as she volunteered at an SOS orphanage in Lahore last summer, one of many sites in Pakistan that is part of the larger global service project called SOS Children’s Villages International. Naqvi’s experience hit her a little closer to home, as she used to live in Pakistan as a child. “I walked in, and it was like all those worries weren’t there anymore. I felt a connection to the people there, because I’m also a Pakistani … it was a change for me, because I come from a family where we have everything, and they [the orphans] lived very simply. It gave me a sense of peace,” she said.
Naqvi was part of a teaching program at the orphanage, and she was assigned to a three-year-old boy, the youngest at the orphanage. “When I think of an orphanage, I think sad and gloomy, but it [the SOS orphanage] wasn’t like that.There was a sense of belonging for each kid,” she said.
Naqvi was at the SOS orphanage during the month of Ramadan, so she was fasting during the hours that she volunteered. “It was nice for me to do it during Ramadan because I felt like I was actually doing something [to help other people] and appreciate what I have,” she said. During Ramadan, muslims fast from dawn to dusk in order to develop self-control and foster an appreciation for their material wealth.
Overall, Naqvi had a wonderful experience, as she says volunteering at the orphanage “re-established the sense of community I have with Pakistan. I learned that you don’t need a lot of things to be happy.” Naqvi believes that volunteering abroad is beneficial for all students, not just people who come from a certain country. “Its always good to see how other people live their lives,” she said.
Photo Credit: Cara Pomerantz
Whether it’s to experience a new lifestyle, gain knowledge of other cultures and languages, or aid people in need where they need it most, volunteering abroad is something that requires a huge amount of skill and commitment. It represents the pinnacle of service; actual, hands-on support that allows one to make a difference firsthand, seeing the change before their very eyes. Some students at Saint Paul Academy and Summit School have chosen to volunteer abroad over the summer, hoping to aid others in a more effective way.
“It was enlightening to learn about other people’s cultures … [volunteering abroad is] a more cohesive experience [than volunteering locally], you’re not just leaving your house for a couple of hours,” sophomore Cara Pomerantz said.
Pomerantz volunteered in Costa Rica, painting murals, digging trenches for sidewalks, building bleachers, planting trees, picking up garbage, beach cleaning, and relocating turtles during her time there. She found the experience both fun and surprisingly eye-opening. “It’s very interesting to see how the rest of the world lives, the United States is kind of an outlier,” she said. In addition to learning about the culture and lifestyle of the Costa Rican family she was staying with during her trip, Pomerantz also developed her Spanish speaking skills, which helped her academically.
Junior Kent Hanson has been involved in Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos, an international service organization inspired by Christian values for nearly eight years. He first got involved through his church. “Back 7 or 8 years ago my church combined with another church. So, in order for people to get to know each other my family started this mission trip that goes every year to Nicaragua,” Hanson said.
Hanson believes strongly in the success of hands-on service, rather than just monetary donations. “I'm aware of the debate on whether its worth it to actually have a trip down [to Nicaragua] compared to sending the money that travel would cost down, but once you go, you will understand that it’s definitely more advantageous to actually travel down there,” he said.
Over the years, Hanson has helped build houses, farm, paint and entertain the children that live at the NPM orphanage he volunteers at. Although he enjoys doing all of these activities, his favorite part of the experience is building connections with the locals. “The kids there don’t have any figures to look up to. It’s kind of special being able to return every year and knowing that there’s some consistency … recognizing the same kids every year,” he said.
Hanson also improves his Spanish speaking skills on his trips abroad. “I lived in Costa Rica when I was in second grade for a year, so … I'm fluent in Spanish [and going to Nicaragua] helps me maintain that,” he said. On a deeper level, Hanson has discovered his passion through these trips. “It changed what I wanted to do with my life. I want to help the world,” he said.
The benefits gained from this mode of service are, in Hanson’s opinion, especially beneficial for SPA students. “[I gained] an awareness of what’s going on in the world. I think a lot of kids at SPA haven’t had that experience, so they don’t understand the struggles that a lot of people go through in the world. Its a good reminder every year [when I go] to Nicaragua, understanding that we live a pretty privileged life,” he said.
Sophomore Tabeer Naqvi has had her own share of overseas service experiences, as she volunteered at an SOS orphanage in Lahore last summer, one of many sites in Pakistan that is part of the larger global service project called SOS Children’s Villages International. Naqvi’s experience hit her a little closer to home, as she used to live in Pakistan as a child. “I walked in, and it was like all those worries weren’t there anymore. I felt a connection to the people there, because I’m also a Pakistani … it was a change for me, because I come from a family where we have everything, and they [the orphans] lived very simply. It gave me a sense of peace,” she said.
Naqvi was part of a teaching program at the orphanage, and she was assigned to a three-year-old boy, the youngest at the orphanage. “When I think of an orphanage, I think sad and gloomy, but it [the SOS orphanage] wasn’t like that.There was a sense of belonging for each kid,” she said.
Naqvi was at the SOS orphanage during the month of Ramadan, so she was fasting during the hours that she volunteered. “It was nice for me to do it during Ramadan because I felt like I was actually doing something [to help other people] and appreciate what I have,” she said. During Ramadan, muslims fast from dawn to dusk in order to develop self-control and foster an appreciation for their material wealth.
Overall, Naqvi had a wonderful experience, as she says volunteering at the orphanage “re-established the sense of community I have with Pakistan. I learned that you don’t need a lot of things to be happy.” Naqvi believes that volunteering abroad is beneficial for all students, not just people who come from a certain country. “Its always good to see how other people live their lives,” she said.
Photo Credit: Cara Pomerantz