By Lucy B

When I left Gorseinon College, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do but I didn’t think I was quite right for University! I thought about a ‘Gap’ year but being unemployed, found it a struggle to save up enough money to get started. I had been doing some volunteering locally for a while and this volunteering experience helped me to gain a place on the Platform 2 (Dept for International Development, Christian Aid and Islamic Relief) Project. I was selected to join a small team for an amazing volunteering experience in India.

Last autumn, just a month after my 18th birthday, I travelled to Palampur, Himachal Pradesh in Northern India with a group of ten young people from all over the UK and I worked for 3 months in a small community in the Himalayas. Although the accommodation was not 5 star, the house where we stayed was purpose built for volunteers and the view of the Himalayas was an amazing sight to wake up to each morning!

During the time I was in Palampur, I worked with the local community to start up a Childrens’ Day Care Centre and taught 2-6 year olds basic Hindi, Bahari (local dialect) and English. I also taught English to girls and boys aged 14-19 in an After School Club at the local High School in Kandi Drognu.

When I went to India I took a rucksack full of arts and crafts material and showed the children lots of messy play! I also took rugby balls and introduced them to our ‘national game’.

Although we worked hard during the week, every other weekend we had two days off to do some traveling. When we had a weekend off, we spent hours on local buses on very bumpy roads to get to the nearest towns, visit temples and try out some unusual sports like ‘zorbing’.

My main hobby is photography and Platform 2 and Christian Aid allowed me to have some photographs printed up for an exhibition. Since returning to Swansea I have been giving talks to groups and also worked with pupils at Pentrehafod School on their Citizenship Day to tell them about volunteering with Platform 2.

I have recently been selected for a place on the British Council UK-China 400 - a ten day study visit in July to China for young leaders with The All China Youth Federation (ACYF) and the British Council in China. The objective of the study visit is to inspire and motivate young people to develop themselves as global citizens, understand other cultures; and work with others locally and internationally on key issues facing the world.

If any Young Peoples’ groups would like me to come along to give a talk on my experiences in India and China (after I get back) they can contact me via the CLIC National Editor: ryan@cliconline.co.uk. 

This article was originally published on CLIC, the online magazine for young people in Wales.