Katherine Dib, Mukisa Kakembo and Jessica France Melanson epitomize one of Mahatma Gandhi most iconic quotes: 鈥淏e the change that you wish to see in the world.鈥�
The three students are a part of , a free leadership program offered through the university. Since its inception three years ago, DALConnects has provided students the option to choose from one of four paths 鈥� Foundations, Career, Social Justice and Organizations 鈥� with the goal of improving leadership skills and enhancing community engagement and volunteer experience.
After each receiving a certificate from one of the pathways, Katherine, Mukisa and Jessica yearned for more. Over the summer they participated as part of the program鈥檚 planning committee program鈥檚 committee and were given the resources to create a fifth pathway: DALConnects World Wide.
鈥淲e started with the idea of taking a group of 10 students to a foreign country and came up with the name,鈥� says Jessica. 鈥淣ow we鈥檙e here.鈥�
Headed abroad
What she means by 鈥渉ere鈥� is the group less than two months away from its DALConnects World Wide pilot project, sending its first group of students overseas. This April, nine students will be traveling to Nicaragua as part of a grassroots initiative. Partnering with social enterprise , the group plans to take part in community-building projects, including potentially the building of a classroom onto an existing school structure or the construction of a water sanitization project.
鈥淲e chose Nicaragua for a number of reasons,鈥� says Katherine. 鈥淚 think the fact is that it鈥檚 the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, so it鈥檚 definitely in need of help.
鈥淲hen you go to a different country, it鈥檚 interesting to see how much effort goes into production. I鈥檓 hoping we might be able to see how or what they do might connect to Dal or what we buy here, so that鈥檚 what I鈥檓 excited for.鈥�
Another thing the students will have in mind during their journey is the topic of global citizenship. For Mukisa, joining DALConnects was an attempt to not lose the keen interest in volunteering she had developed throughout her high school years. She believes the opportunity to travel to Nicaragua will allow her to expand on her previous community engagements to learn what it means to be a global citizen.
鈥淚t鈥檚 easy to get caught up in every day life and the nitty-gritty of work and school, but there鈥檚 so much more going on in the world and so many people in need,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 think we have a responsibility to be aware of that and help out in any way that we can. This will give us a first-hand experience and a different perspective on how we live.鈥�
Finding support
In preparation, the students have been participating in workshops that focus on various aspects of their trip, including Spanish lessons, learning more about global citizenship and tackling the question of culture shock. Following their return, they will need to complete a reflective assignment to earn their certificate.
They鈥檝e also been facilitating fundraising initiatives to help offset the costs of the journey. The cost of the trip is $3,350 per student, which includes airfare, accommodations and the cost of the build. , the group has raised nearly $5,000, and the students have also received received $1,000 in grants from the President鈥檚 Office and the Career and Leadership Development Centre. With all these fundraising efforts so far, every student only has a third left of their trip to pay out-of-pocket.
鈥淚t鈥檚 crazy to be a part of the first group that goes,鈥� says Jessica. 鈥淚鈥檓 hoping that this pilot project turns into a unique opportunity for AV俱乐部 students in the years to come.鈥�
To contribute to this exciting grassroots initiative, you can .