Photo caption (Photo submitted by Caroline Bergeron)

(Pictured above: Members of the Humanitarian Educational Leadership Program at Thousand Islands Secondary School visited Nandaime, Nicaragua recently to assist the Romero Centre – an organization that focuses on aiding young Nicaraguans through alternative tourism and fair trade opportunities – and live with the families who are associated with the centre.)

(Brockville) – A group of Thousand Islands Secondary School (TISS) students and teachers recently returned from a 15-day trip to Nandaime, Nicaragua, a trip they never expected would impact their lives as much as it has.

“It was not at all what I even expected,” said Grade 12 student Jillian Harper. “I think we’ve all had an attitude adjustment.”

“You get yourself all set to go and then when you get there, it just blows you away,” said Matthew Linton, Grade 11.

The group of teachers and students are members of the Humanitarian Educational Leadership Program (HELP) at the school. For the fourth year in a row, teachers and husband and wife team Brent Robillard and Caroline Bergeron have led a group of students to the village to bring donations from the school community like sports equipment and first aid supplies, as well as to experience life in a culture much different than their own.

“We all expected to help out but the people we met were more helpful to us than we were to them,” said Grade 11 student Kayla Hoare.

The group of students spent their time assisting the Romero Centre, an organization that focuses on aiding young Nicaraguans through alternative tourism and fair trade opportunities, in an effort to keep them engaged in school and prepared for the future. The students also lived with the families who are associated with the centre. They paired up and spent their days with their new “families,” cooking, cleaning, playing with children, learning Spanish and helping with housing repairs.

The group also had the opportunity to go on day trips where they cleaned parks, delivered school supplies and food to children working in the municipal dump, worked on a collective farm, went horse-back riding, visited hospitals and schools, walked along beaches, and saw a volcano. 

“We watered 200 orange trees and planted baby coconut trees,” said Grade 12 student Kaitlyn McIntyre. “The fruit is so much better there!”

The students said the experience opened their eyes to how different people live, and made them realize what it means to be happy and to appreciate what they have.

“It made us appreciate our lives,” said Harper.

“They are so happy with what they have,” said Grade 11 student Sarah Callaghan.

“The people there have such a sense of pride,” added McIntyre. “They’re always working to make what they have pretty. They were so happy to show us what they had done to their houses or yards.”

Since returning, the group’s new goal is to bring Nicaraguan friend Wilton Castillo Aragon to Brockville for two weeks so he can experience life in North America.

“Wilton was a boy who belonged to the Romero Centre for a number of years,” said Robillard. “When he finished high school, he went to university to learn English and music. Wilton’s father and sister started a musical group and Wilton plays the marimba. We’d like to bring him here so that he can perform with us at the Multicultural Festival in April.”

The group is currently brainstorming fundraising ideas so they can raise the $1,500 to bring Wilton to Brockville. 

“All ideas are on the table now,” said Robillard to the group. “Anything would help.”

The students of HELP said that after returning from Nicaragua, they now have a new perspective on life. They’ve realized that any positive change they create – whether it is big or small – can have a huge impact on the lives of others.

“It makes you feel good to be able to change something,” said McIntyre.

“Even though we can’t change the world, we know we can change our mindset,” said Grade 11 student Shelby Howlett.

For more information please call:

Brent Robillard
Teacher
Thousand Islands Secondary School
613-342-1100

Caroline Bergeron
Teacher
Thousand Islands Secondary School
613-342-1100