Use the ChipIn service at the side, or the paypal donate button (either is fine) to help me raise the funds I need.
It will automatically go the secure account which will be transferred to my project trust fund.
Thursday, 12 January 2012
Grace Village
http://gracechildrensvillage.org/
This is where I'll be going in Uganda. Looks like my work for the year is set!
This is where I'll be going in Uganda. Looks like my work for the year is set!
Wednesday, 4 January 2012
SELECTED
YEAH I GOT SELECTED!!
Now i need to start raising all the funds so that i can actually get there!
Presentation & Ceilidh
The final day of the selection course, the most gruelling and harrowing of all.
What makes it so? The answer, the traditional celidh dance night. Oh, and the 10 minute formal presentation.
As i mentioned before, i chose to do my presentation on the ancient history of oban, stretching as far back as 10,000BC, right up to the Roman invasions of 100AD. During the presentation I could tell that my nerves were apparent, but I continued and managed to remain somewhat calm throughout, and When I asked my peers their opinion, they said that they were proud of me for carrying on regardless.
I had been looking forward to the dance all day, as a way to relieve the stress that had accumulated over the week. We would learn and then repeat the 'traditional' dances such as Boston Two Step, Gay Gordons, Dashing White Sergeants, Canadian Barn Dance, Strip the Willow etc.
Whilst this would usually have been an awkward situation for most people on a selection course, I think everybody in the group enjoyed it very much, as by that point we were all good friends, and saw the night as good fun and a great end to the week.
What makes it so? The answer, the traditional celidh dance night. Oh, and the 10 minute formal presentation.
As i mentioned before, i chose to do my presentation on the ancient history of oban, stretching as far back as 10,000BC, right up to the Roman invasions of 100AD. During the presentation I could tell that my nerves were apparent, but I continued and managed to remain somewhat calm throughout, and When I asked my peers their opinion, they said that they were proud of me for carrying on regardless.
I had been looking forward to the dance all day, as a way to relieve the stress that had accumulated over the week. We would learn and then repeat the 'traditional' dances such as Boston Two Step, Gay Gordons, Dashing White Sergeants, Canadian Barn Dance, Strip the Willow etc.
Whilst this would usually have been an awkward situation for most people on a selection course, I think everybody in the group enjoyed it very much, as by that point we were all good friends, and saw the night as good fun and a great end to the week.
Days On Coll
Near the end of the week the weather cleared up enough for the ferry to be able to travel to the island, which meant that we could complete our selection course (mostly) as intended.
During the ride we were interviewed by the course leaders on things such as our reasons for joining project trust, and what we hope to achieve from the experience.
Once on the island we had a lecture about fundraising opportunities and tactics, and then we left in small groups to meet our hosts who would be accomodating us for the next few days. On the final day of the selection course we were supposed to give our 10 minute presentation, so I used this down-time to prepare my notes on ancient history of Oban.
The next day we were split into pairs and assigned tasks across the island, which primarily involved manual work. i presume that these tasks were indicatory of how well we could work in unfamiliar surroundings, performing unusual tasks. My partner and I were tasked to help transport hay bales to cattle fields, and then to collect firewood. I felt lucky in receipt of this work, as i had been feeling quite cooped up just writing notes all week, and i wanted to 'stretch my legs' as the saying goes.
During the ride we were interviewed by the course leaders on things such as our reasons for joining project trust, and what we hope to achieve from the experience.
Once on the island we had a lecture about fundraising opportunities and tactics, and then we left in small groups to meet our hosts who would be accomodating us for the next few days. On the final day of the selection course we were supposed to give our 10 minute presentation, so I used this down-time to prepare my notes on ancient history of Oban.
The next day we were split into pairs and assigned tasks across the island, which primarily involved manual work. i presume that these tasks were indicatory of how well we could work in unfamiliar surroundings, performing unusual tasks. My partner and I were tasked to help transport hay bales to cattle fields, and then to collect firewood. I felt lucky in receipt of this work, as i had been feeling quite cooped up just writing notes all week, and i wanted to 'stretch my legs' as the saying goes.
Oban/Coll
I will be playing catch-up a little bit with these first few posts, as these things have happened in the past few weeks
The first stage of the Project Trust program is the 'Selection Course'. This involves travelling to the base of operations for the organisation, located on a island in the hebrides named Coll.Unfortunately due to issues with the weather it was impossible to travel by ferry to the island, so the most part of my experience was in the town of Oban, where the ferry departs from.
This however turned out to be advantageous to me and the rest of the group, as it allowed us to bond as a group, and get to know eachother a lot better than if we were stationed on coll. During our time in Oban we were instructed to perform various tasks which were designed to test us and to highlight our abilities and tasks we may struggle with.
These tasks involved construction challenges, whereby we were given limited resources or funds, and we had to construct the best possible result, following guidelines given to us. This was important as it shows how we as individuals and as a group can cope with similar situations which may be presented to us in real life, such as budgeting, adapting to new rules, teamwork and leadership.
Another main element of the selection course was the lessons and presentation tasks. Whilst directed differently, both were designed to test similar skills of the volunteers. The lesson task was sprung on us unexpectedly, and we were instructed to lead a 7 minute lesson to a group of 12 on any subject of our choice. I chose Basic computer internals, as it is a subject which I felt i was confident in my knowledge and presenting ability. After the 30 minutes of allocated preparation time I felt i had suitably coreagraphed a lesson comprising of starter, information, and a test at the end. I think i did relatively well during this lesson, regarding how incredibly nervous I was Throughout.
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