Saskia Wilson, aged 20 travelled to Costa Rica and Nicaragua with Learn Global Act...

Saskia Wilson, aged 20, did not feel ready to go to university when she was first offered a place last year. After struggling to complete A levels and almost dropping out of her art foundation course, she was less than enthusiastic about continuing her education. By the end of the course, ‘I wasreally sick of being in education and didn’t like the thought of another three years doing a degree.’
Saskia lacked inspiration or any particular goal, other than a desire to travel. When a friendrecommended she apply to join Groundwork East London’s Learn Global Act Local project, Saskia had nothing to lose. ‘My friend went on last year’s expedition, and had an amazing time’, says Saskia. ‘I applied late, in mid-August, and was lucky enough to get a place.’ After three months of team-building, volunteering and leadership training in London, Saskia and her group headed off on a ten-week trip to remote parts of Costa Rica and Nicaragua organised by Raleigh International, with Saskia’s place fully funded by Groundwork. ‘It was such a fantastic opportunity to learn about other cultures and ways of life, and to help out in their communities,’ says Saskia. For Saskia, who had not travelled outside Europe before, it was to be a life-changing experience.

The overseas element of Saskia’s project consisted of 3 components: environmental, community and adventure. The environmental work involved helping rangers to dig a path up the side of an active volcano;, says Saskia. ‘Every day there was more steaming sulphur coming from the volcano.
It was pretty scary, waking up every morning and wondering if it would erupt’. Nevertheless, the views were breathtaking. ‘We were so high up, it was like being in a plane. The weather changes from minute to minute. From the top we could see the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea at the same time. And at night it was so dark and quiet. There were thousands of stars. I had never seen anything like it.’ One drawback was the absence of hot water. ‘The rainwater that we used for washing was very, very cold. I soon learned to wash my hair in twenty seconds!’ Since effective teamwork is a vital element of the project, Saskia had some concerns about how the nine members of her group would get along under conditions that present sharp contrasts with their everyday
lives. ‘I didn’t know any of the others beforehand, and there was only one other girl in my group,’ Saskia says, ‘but all the people were lovely. In an extreme situation like that, you learn to understand each other,’ Saskia adds, ‘and see completely different sides to people’s personalities. There was one boy I didn’t get on with at all, but when we were put together in a group I got to know him and he turned out to be so nice. It reminded me that people aren’t always what they seem, and that you should give people a chance.’

After Costa Rica, Saskia and her group travelled to a Nicaraguan village for the community element of their project. ‘The villagers get their water from wells, and our job was to dig trenches so that pipes could be laid to enable them to get water in their houses.’ The mornings were spent working, and in the afternoons the volunteers cooled off in the river. ‘It was really hot, and very hard work,’ says Saskia, ‘and it really made me thing about how different things are at home.’ Seeing how the Nicaraguan villagers live has given Saskia a new perspective, making her more aware of environmental issues. ‘I’m so into saving water now!’ Communication with villagers was challenging, as Saskia had no knowledge of Spanish before her trip although she picked up a few words and phrases from the local people. ‘We communicated through photos of our families, with gestures and English songs, like ‘Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes’ which we taught to the young children in the village.’

The final overseas component of the project involved a 280 km trek through Nicaragua over a period of two weeks. ‘We had to carry our own tents, and four or five days’ worth of food at a time’, says Saskia. Local children were inquisitive about the volunteers. ‘They think all Brits are rich, so they would steal from us, though more out of curiosity than anything else – they’d never seen some of the things we had. They were also curious about our water – we had our own clean water, which we purified ourselves, while the locals drink from a stream which isn’t necessarily clean and would probably make us ill. We generally slept at schools, in classrooms, or on the verandas – it was safer to sleep inside.’ Back in London, the local part of the project involved two hundred hours’ work in the community. ‘I worked at the recycling centre in Walthamstow’, says Saskia, ‘where they recycle pain, paper and computers. Because I’m quite arty, I painted all new signs for the outside of the warehouses. Sorting paper wasn’t very interesting, but getting to know the people there was really nice’.

‘Quite simply, without vinspired’s funding the Learn Global, Act local project would not have been possible’ says Felicity Usher, Groundwork East London’s Community Project Coordinator ‘vinspired's match funding has meant that we have been able to provide them with a UK and overseas volunteering experience’. Funding has certainly made all the difference to Saskia, who would have been unable to participate in such an expedition without it: ‘I could never have afforded the £3,500 cost myself. All I had to pay for was my own equipment, and I worked as a waitress to raise the money.’

While Saskia feels very fortunate to have learned at first hand about cultures different from her own, returning home presented another challenge. ‘It’s been hard to adjust’, she says, ‘and I really miss it – it was such a happy time’. She has kept in touch with her co-volunteers, and would like to volunteer overseas another time, perhaps in South America. Not only this, but she is keen to share her considerable and sincere enthusiasm for the benefits of projects like this by mentoring the next group of volunteers as a member of Groundwork’s youth advisory panel. ‘I’m helping with the programme for next year, recruiting volunteers and talking to them about what they can expect from the project. We’re also discussing what changes can be made, and I’m contributing to that’, Saskia says. ‘I really want to help.’