Posted: 9/4/2018 | September 4th, 2018
Earlier this year, we revealed our most current FLYTE partnership, with the Victor School from rural Montana. Our goal was to send a group of its high institution trainees to Guatemala for a week as well as a half of learning, service, as well as travel.
Quick side note: If you’re new to this website, FLYTE (Foundation for discovering as well as youth travel Education) is the nonprofit foundation we produced just over 3 years back to send high institution classes on academic as well as service trips overseas. Our objective at FLYTE is to equip trainees with transformative travel experiences.
We understand the power of travel can modification you – as well as so do the instructors we partner with. Unfortunately, great deals of institutions just don’t have the resources as well as funding to send classes overseas. That’s where FLYTE comes in. We serve underserved neighborhoods around the united states that don’t have the resources to send their trainees on class trips abroad. So far we have sent entire classes to Mexico, Ecuador, as well as Cuba.
And with your help, we did it again. We increased over $18,000 to assist these trainees go on their institution trip to Guatemala!
The students, the school, the parents, me — all of us say thanks to you for being part of this!
In late June, they landed back in Montana, so today I wished to provide you an update on their trip so you understand where your assist went. (I know, I know. It took a while for this update to happen. I’m a sluggish writer.)
Remember, Victor institution is found in the little rural town of Victor, Montana that serves a overall trainee population of 300 where 100% of the trainees get complimentary or reduced-price institution lunch. The hardship rate is high in this neighborhood as well as lots of households struggle to make ends meet. Their instructor Lindsey was ecstatic to partner with us to make sure her trainees had the chance to see a part of the world they’d never gotten to see before.
After three flights as well as almost 20 hours of travel, the youngsters made it to Guatemala. For most, this was their very first time leaving the United States, checking out a establishing country, being in a location where the culture as well as language are starkly different than that of their hometown, as well as for some, it was their very first time out of Montana!
FLYTE trips are not just holidays for teens. The itineraries are crafted to include different develops of learning, teaching, adventuring, interacting with regional communities, as well as participating in activities that push themselves out of their comfort zones.
The students spent the very first part of their trip in the city of Antigua, where they took Spanish lessons (which brought their language studies from Montana to life) as well as climbed the Pacaya volcano. That experience affected the trainees as well as what they believed they were capable of so much that they stopped on their method down as well as journaled to paper their enjoyment as well as acknowledge themselves of what they had accomplished.
On the shores of Lake Atitlán, they experienced living communally. part of their service discovering took location at the Amigos de Santa Cruz, a regional NGO, where they made authentic Mayan cuisine, discovered about vocational training programs, as well as contributed books they collected in Montana for the NGO’s preschool library. They likewise spent an afternoon connecting, playing soccer as well as hacky sack with the community kids.
They spent time volunteering with Konojel, a nonprofit whose objective is to minimize chronic malnutrition as well as endemic poverty. They assisted out at the neighborhood center where undernourished kids get healthy meals as well as academic enrichment.
The trip to Guatemala eventually altered their perceptions about the world outside the united states (and small-town Montana) — as well as what they wished to produce with their own life.
As the trainees showed on their trip, we heard a few typical themes.
The very first was the realization that what they heard on the news is not always really accurate. They now comprehend exactly how powerful as well as crucial it is to see as well as experience things for yourself. It’s a unfortunate truth that we see on the news is not the whole photo as well as that all as well often if it bleeds, it leads. just inspect out what the trainees had to state about their shift in exactly how they viewed Guatemala when they experienced it first-hand:
“I wasn’t going to go to Guatemala since of all the stuff I heard others stating about it, like that I would be kidnapped, or that it was poor, or that I would get lost. however I’m extremely delighted I did, since that wasn’t true at all,” stated Zoe. “I’ve never had people smile at me randomly, however these people in Guatemala did.”
Or as Sam R. said, “A great deal of [my] household stated Guatemala was a hazardous location as well as provided it a poor track record without ever being there, however when I went, everybody was incredibly friendly as well as I was comfortable.”
And even though these trainees come from an economically-deprived, a lot more rural part of the United States, traveling overseas made lots of of them recognize exactly how lucky they have it compared to others. This is one of the crucial things I realized when I went on my very first trip overseas. It’s what got me out of my head as well as made me recognize that I had a great deal a lot more chances that I believed when I was living back at home.
Sam believed that “(being from a household without any money) I had nothing, yet there are locations with even less than us. It makes me a lot more grateful for all of the bit things we have, like hot water.”
Ellyse couldn’t believe that “little things to us — like institution as well as clean water as well as toilet paper — are such a privilege as well as we abuse it” after seeing exactly how unusual those were on the trip. “I believed Victor needed a great deal of work as well as that it was rural, however it’s not [that] bad.” a lot of of the trainees came back from Guatemala much a lot more grateful teens. They shifted their point of view in a method that had them checking out exactly how lots of chances they really have, rather than focusing on what they don’t have.
This was likewise echoed by Sophie, who said, “We realized exactly how much we take for granted, like toilet paper, clean water, as well as complimentary education.” For Emma, “it made me a lot more grateful of what we have, like great water, garbage/recycling services, etc. I am so lucky to online where I do as well as I am so grateful for all I have.”
Sam wishes to work harder in institution “because I now understand what type of chance I have.”
Summer observed, “We are so spoiled. We have so much a lot more than some people in Guatemala might even dream of.” Sam S. said, “that although Victor is thought about bad by American standards, we still have it extremely easy.” Madison felt that she had “a personal experience of exactly how the genuine world works, exactly how different countries are genuinely so different. It made me appreciate my house so much more.”
The trainees had other epiphanies as well. Gracie realized that “everyone has their own method of living, as well as mine is no much better than any individual else’s.” Emma said, “It’s simple to fail to remember that there’s so much outside of your bit bubble as well as bigger problems in the world that we don’t see or experience in the U.S.”
Many realized they might push themselves beyond their comfort zone as well as do things that they never believed they might do.
Sadie “tried lots of different foods as well as tried to take pleasure in things that would usually frighten me,” as well as Emma stated “I accomplished my goals by putting myself truly out of my comfort zone. I discovered that even in rough times, I can do what I requirement to make myself feel better.” Gracie truly liked the shared hostels (two thumbs up from me!) even though she had never experienced anything like that before.
This trip influenced them to travel a lot more too!
Zoe wishes to go to Hawaii as well as likewise potentially back to Guatemala (“and bring my household with me so they can see it’s not dangerous, just adventurous”). Ellyse would like to go to Sydney, Haiti, Nicaragua, as well as Mexico. summertime likewise wishes to see Australia. Julia wishes to research study abroad in Spain. Audrey wishes to go to Greece, Norway, France, Spain, “and so lots of a lot more countries.” Sam would like to go to Guatemala once again to see other areas. Madison has been influenced to travel “everywhere!”
Sophie plans on traveling, as well as this trip “helped show me not to have any type of presumptions about a location I’m going as well as to just enable myself to discover there.”
These lessons that the trainees discovered are why I produced FLYTE — as well as why it’s so excellent that so lots of of you support the objective too.
With the division, lack of understanding, as well as concern of the other that’s permeating our culture today, this is precisely what makes the fundraising, the coordinating of group travel logistics, as well as the difficulties of running a nonprofit — all worth it. These trainees left their comfort zones as well as had experiences that produced a shift in their perspective.
Will this single trip of Guatemala modification the world? Maybe, perhaps not. however what it does is put these youngsters on a path toward success, toward growth, as well as toward believing bigger! as well as we never understand the ripple impact that occurs when we’ve thrown that very first single pebble. By cracking open the door, we enable other things to get with that will only widen it with time.
Thank you once again for assisting us raise money for the institution as well as making an effect on these teens as well as the future generation of globally-minded citizens!
***Three final thoughts:
First, if you or somebody you understand is an teacher in an under-resourced institution as well as wishes to have an experience like Victor School’s, you can let us understand right here as well as we can get in touch with you when applications are open again.
Second, just as it takes a village to raise a child, it took an entire neighborhood to send these trainees to Guatemala. say thanks to you to all our partners for making it possible for trainees to experience new cultures as well as countries as well as to expand their worldviews! We are permanently grateful to these sponsors:
World Nomads, our travel insurance coverage provider, which contributed protection for all our trainees as well as chaperones. A extremely huge say thanks to you to them for assisting out as well as ensuring our trainees were protected!
MYGHT Travel, which handled all our airline bookings as well as contributed eye masks so the trainees might get some shut-eye on their flights.
Om the Go, which contributed Asana pillows for the entire group. The youngsters practiced yoga everyday as well as liked that they all had their own personal yoga mats to stretch out as well as sweat on.
Our team of FLYTE champion blog writer fundraisers, who produced their own fundraising pages as well as assisted us fund this trip: Carol (Wayfaring Views), Kristen (Kids Are a Trip), Gabi (Dream of travel Writing), Anisa (Two traveling Texans), Nicole (Wandering with a Dromomaniac), Amelia (Passports from the Heart), as well as Maggie (The world Was right here First).
Path’s Crossing, a travel card game that prompted concerns that made the group both laugh hysterically as well as cry with gratitude. The business contributed a game to Victor institution as well as a portion of all its sales to FLYTE.
Mahadevi Ashram, which housed the group at Lake Atitlán as well as supplied them with everyday yoga as well as meditation at a discounted rate.
Lastly, limitless thanks to our private donors. We understand that there are lots of deserving organizations out there, as well as we’re honored that you selected to donate to FLYTE. You made this trip occur as well as we can’t say thanks to you enough!
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