World Challenge 2015

On 20 November 2015 47 very excited Year 10 & 11 students jetted off to India to begin a month abroad on the World Challenge expedition. All participating students were required to pay their own way by working part-time jobs or fund raising in the 18 months leading up to departure. The students travelled in three groups with teachers from the school and an expedition leader from World Challenge. The expedition was student lead, with members of the group taking responsibility for managing the budget, sourcing accommodation, organising transportation or finding suitable places for the group to eat.

With the expedition involving four different phases including trekking and a community based project the students had a broad range of experiences and lots of personal challenges.

This trip was certainly a life changing experience and one that students will never forget. Here are a few of the students responses:

“I found the people welcoming and the surroundings amazing. It was nice to see both the beauty of the country, not just the poverty. I learnt so much about the culture.”

“The project phase was really tiring, but so rewarding. I was scared about the manual labour but I really enjoyed it because I was doing something worthwhile”.

“I developed amazing life skills like how to manage money and how to sustain and survive in a group. I found out that I am quite a strong person”.

“This trip gave me so much knowledge about the world and myself”.

"Without my group I would not have been able to overcome the challenges I faced and without them I would not be able to feel as proud of myself as I do now”.

“I learnt lots about travelling and safety and also being independent”.

Deb Child

Over the month, Group 1 visited the picturesque town of Nainital, trekked through snow on the Roopkund trek in the Himalayas, backpacked through the spiritual towns of Rishikesh and Haridwar along the River Ganges, visited historical forts and palaces in the ‘Pink City’ of Jaipur, and stood in front of the majestic Taj Mahal. As well as this, students spent a week working in a local school helping to build and repair classrooms and play equipment. From the additional fundraising the students had raised at home, they were able to purchase desks, chairs, resources, stationary and clothing for the local school.

Above: Community Project – Sharda Primary School, Surethi, Rajasthan

Above: The classroom before and after it was cleaned, painted and refurbished

Above: Quentin Newton, Aiden Smith, Jesse Bucher, Ryan Peddle, Emma Blood, Timothy Hour-Uoy, Hannah Opaluch, Jaimee Howlett, Georgina Zerella, Stebin Stephen, Sophie Raynes, Hayley Geurts, Benji Wilmot, Tayla Ostrom, Courtney Salomon, Emily Blaak, Maggie Byrne, Emma Raulin

Below are some reflections from students in Group 1:

After a long flight, we finally arrived in India, a country famous for its huge population, delicious and spicy foods, Bollywood and of course, the Taj Mahal. It was a bit of a culture shock but I found it a lot easier to adjust to than I thought I would. Their culture and the way India works is so different to back home; there seemed to be no road rules and driving around in tuk-tuks was thrilling but scary! The food was incredible and it gave me an opportunity to try a variety of new flavors that I had never experienced before. As well as this, the local people were so friendly and kind-hearted, despite staring and crowding around us everywhere that we went. The terrain and scenery we witnessed was also breathtaking, from the Himalayan mountains to the temples, forts and museums – at times it felt so surreal, as if we were looking at it on a postcard.

Ryan Peddle

For me, one of my highlights was the trek - this phase helped my team form an incredible bond that I am forever going to cherish. We experienced so much in those few days; we hiked in snow, saw the Himalayas, and shared so many memories that I will never forget. It was also fun to experience the culture in the markets and see what it really is like for people who live in these parts of India. The next main highlight was definitely the project. Seeing those kids run out the school grounds and down the road to meet us was an image that will never be erased from my memory. After those few days of helping out the school, I was able to walk away feeling confident that I had helped change the lives of all those children. World Challenge helped me find my self-confidence and I was able to put myself out there and come away with lifelong friends and experiences.

Maggie Byrne

From the age of about 13-14, I have wanted to explore India and its culture, so when I heard Frankston High School was offering a chance to travel there, I knew it was something I wanted to do. After a long build up and nearly two years of saving, I was full of nerves and excitement for what I was going to face. Before I left, people told me how sick I would get, gave me advice about travel safety and made statements like, ‘Wow, you are brave for going to India!’ However, after a month of travel in the beautiful country, I realised how wrong they were; like anywhere, there are obviously dangers of travelling in a developing country such as India, and there is a chance you will get sick, but India is an amazing, diverse country filled with colour, culture and warmth that has changed and altered my perspective on the world. World Challenge opened my eyes to the meaning of happiness and encouraged me to take life as it is and appreciate every single thing I have.

Hannah Opaluch

Lauren Costanzo and Mal Burt,

Teachers Group 1