By Olivia Brown, Trip Participant, Los Trozos, Honduras, February 2016 This past reading week, I had the opportunity to travel to Honduras with a group of Carleton students to assist in the construction of a vocational training centre. Our team had met during a few pre-departure and team bonding activities, but I would have never …
The Real, Hands On Experience of SOS Outreach Trips Read More »
By Jessica Guthrie, Outreach Trip Participant, Pueblo Viejo, Nicaragua, May 2015 I used the journals that SOS provided religiously. I wrote in mine several times a day to ensure that I would not miss any moments in the 14 days we were in Pueblo Viejo, Nicaragua. Each minute in this country presented itself with a …
14 days. 336 hours. 20,160 minutes in Pueblo Viejo Read More »
By Stefanie Cepuran, SOS Outreach Trip Participant, Ovejeria Larama, Bolivia, May 2015 · Do not take anything for granted. EVER. · Why complain? · Smiles, laughs and sports will always be universal. · Presence > Presents. Always. · You can have fun without Wi-Fi and electronics. · Chase your dreams- first for yourself and second …
How can volunteers make a meaningful impact in two weeks? The benefits of volunteering abroad have been a focal point for academic research and cultural debates for over a decade. A key question within the debate is if short term volunteering generates lasting change within the communities they work in. Many volunteers interested in SOS …
Measuring Our Impact: Successful Short Term Volunteering with SOS Read More »
Students currently attending, or having recently graduated, post secondary institutions are living a very important period in their lives defined by many attributes. Millennials, or Generation Y, are said to be troubled by academics, corporations, policy makers, and media outlets alike. They are said to be addicted to social media, in debt, unable to afford …
Generation – Y – Participate on an Outreach Trip? Read More »
By Rebecca Paddock, Wilfrid Laurier University Trip Participant, Los Trozos, Honduras “Stop and smell the roses”… I never quite understood that quote until I went on an SOS outreach trip this past August. Roses are beautiful, but who really has time during their hectic day to pause everything and enjoy a small piece of nature? Those …
By Dorothy Soares, Ryerson University Outreach Trip Participant From May 1 – May 15, I had the opportunity to join SOS on an outreach trip to Pueblo Viejo, Nicaragua. This trip exceeded every single one of my expectations and every moment spent was an experience. Our project was to help build a new kindergarten classroom …
By James Martin, SFU Trip Leader, Tecpan, Guatemala I recently returned home after an amazing trip to Chajalajya, Tecpan, Guatemala. The trip was everything I could have imagined and so much more. It is definitely an unforgettable experience that I highly recommend. During our stay we helped complete a new kindergarten classroom that was desperately …
Oh, The Places You’ll Go and the People You’ll See Read More »
By Queen Jacques, Carleton University Outreach Trip Participant In the month of February 2015, during my one week study break, I got the chance to participate in the most amazing adventure in the world. It may not be on everyone’s to do list, but it certainly was on mine. As a university student trying to …
By Berlin Capalad, UBC Trip Leader, Las Arrugas, Guatemala Our last day in Las Arrugas was spent saying goodbyes, shopping for school supplies, and finishing the last few things on the library. On this day, there were two moments that really humbled me. At first being a Trip Leader for me was simply a position …
Handprints in Guatemala: Reflections from a Trip Leader Read More »
