borneo bound

Tayler Roberts

World Challenge Leader - Team 1

World Challenge provides Brunswick Secondary College students with the unique opportunity not only experience and explore new cultures and countries but also  to step outside of their normal comfort zone.

Borneo was an amazing location for this to be tested as students were able to experience a variety of situations. From trekking through jungle to snorkeling with clown fish and reef sharks, World Challenge had something for everyone.

Our two main points of emphasis were focused around Community Engagement and Trekking. Our group project was located at a village at the tip of Borneo where students were tasked with removing the existing plywood walls for the local Sunday School and constructing solid concrete walls. The students were even able to paint the walls with colourful animals. This project challenged their skills as builders, but the wall they built was fantastic! 

It wasn’t just all work when we were on Community Engagement. Students were able to mix with locals and were invited to a celebratory lunch. With daily visits to a local beach, our last day on project was spent running a sports session for all the local children (approximately 50 children).

The biggest challenge for the students was undoubtedly climbing Mt Kinabalu. Standing at a height of 4095m above sea level, it was a daunting sight from the base. Despite a few injured ankles and some altitude sickness, all the students made it to the top of the mountain and were rewarded with some breathtaking views.

Borneo provided an opportunity for all of the students to learn and get out of their comfort zone. My personal highlight was to look back and reflect on the group's first dinner and the last dinner shared in Borneo. At the start of our challenge there was not much conversation, students were apprehensive to try any food that looked too foreign and some students were apprehensive to get up and take part in a local dance. In contrast, at the last dinner (which happened to be at the same location) we had an elaborate dinner with a variety of dishes. Students not only chatted amongst our group but also to locals and other tour groups. And best of all, the entire group got up and took part in a dance.

Over the course of the 3 ½ week trip I was privileged to witness friendships strengthen, watch new friendships grow and to see our students mature - not only as teenagers but as global citizens. I would like to thank the 12 students whom I accompanied to Borneo for taking part in such an amazing experience with me.

Stephanie Lytras

Year 11

This trip was very enjoyable and educational, and it changed my perspective on my day to day life and showed me how lucky I am to live in a developed country like Australia. I made new friendships and strengthened existing ones which made the trip so fun.

A major highlight of the trip was working on the community project and working with all the cute kids and locals at their Sunday School.  Another highlight was the amazing food that I enjoyed eating and I had never tried before. There were a number of cultural differences that we all respected, like entering the Mosque and having to cover our skin. A big shock was the huge amount of Milo that was everywhere that I took advantage of! I struggled a lot climbing Mount Kinabalu since I had never climbed anything as high as 4095m but it was so rewarding - even considering the 'jelly legs' we all had for a few days after. Overall it was an amazing experience and wonderful opportunity.

Jarrod Warmington

World Challenge Leader - Team 2

The World Challenge project was an exciting and successful adventure for our students. Challenge was the name of the game, with students exposed to an unfamiliar country and culture - sights, sounds, language, foods - the lot!  The team managed admirably and it was great to share this experience with them.

Team 2

World Challenge Borneo

Our World Challenge community project was undertaken at KOPEL in Borneo as part of their Mescot initiative promoting sustainable tourism and conservation.

The project was located in the Batu Puteh village in Kinabatangan. The aim of the initiative is to restore the native forest in the degraded flood plains along the Kinabatangan River. The restoration work started after unexpected forest fires about 20 years ago which damaged large portions of the forest and habitat. The organisation is also working to restore the lake after floods introduced Salvinia, a South American invasive species, to the Tungog lake. Salvinia is a weed which completely covers the lake if it is not removed and handled correctly and which chokes  the native wetland species when it completely engulfs the lake.

On our first day we collected native seeds in the forest and prepared the seeds in the nursery to be planted at a later date. The following day we caught a boat to the damaged forest areas to cut the grass in order to clear land for tree planting which was fun despite the intense heat. We also planted 60 trees that day.

On our last day we helped to clear the Salvinia from the lake. This involved scooping it up from the water with nets, which was harder than it looked, and then disposing of the weed. In total we spent three days working on the project.

We also had time to travel to a nearby cave where ancient wooden coffins were stored which was really interesting.

On our final night we enjoyed the community cultural presentation which involved dancing and martial arts which was really cool. We also gave them some gifts and thanked them for making us feel so welcome in the village. We really enjoyed the last night, it felt really good to see how the village seemed to appreciate our help and we really enjoyed being a part of their community.