Bronze Medallion – NZ 2012

The first stop on our tour was Zajac Ranch by Stave Lake in Mission. After a bumpy ride up a country road we arrived. What a beautiful camp! The scenery and the facilities were fantastic.

Welcome to Zajac Ranch

Zajac Ranch

Camp Director Val McKinnon greeted us as we arrived and took us to see Lattitude volunteers Ryan Page, Ashlee Oliver, Carina Martin, and Emily Wrethman who were hard at work in the stables.

Volunteers at Zajac Ranch

Ryan Page, Ashlee Oliver, Carina Martin, and Emily Wrethman hard at work at Zajac Ranch.

Next they took us on a tour of the high and low ropes courses and then down to Stave Lake.

Part of the low ropes course

Canopy

High Ropes Course

Out of the woods and back into daylight we passed two huge tepees in the making and a lovely fire pit stage area.

Tepees in Progress

Campfire Stage Area

Zajac Ranch

Next stop was Zajac Ranch’s absolutely wonderful pool and recreation area.

Outside the pool facilities at Zajac Ranch

Pool facilities at Zajac Ranch

Visiting poolside with some of our Volunteers

Lastly the volunteers took us to their cabins for a quick tour. It was nice to see how comfortable they were and how their living areas were set up. This camp seems to be such a lovely place to be and our small group seems very happy there.

The lounge at the Zajac Ranch cabins

Melissa Vassallo and Lorna Murrell visit our volunteers Ashlee Oliver, Ryan Page, Carina Martin, and Emily Wrethman.

First on the itinerary was YMCA Camp Elphinstone on the Sunshine Coast. Many of the volunteers there were a part of our March 11th orientation. It was nice to see them all settled in and in the swing of things. There were no campers in residence at the time but plenty of cleaning and maintenance work was going on around us. We were able to pull the volunteers away from their duties long enough for a chat and quick Q&A session. Then Camp Director Pam Chater took us on a tour of the grounds and facilities. What a beautiful location! With the fog and slightly drizzly overcast weather it looked like something out of a mystery movie. You can just imagine how amazing the mountains must look on a clear day.

The next day Paul, Melissa and Pia left early in the morning for a trip to Vancouver Island. After taking the ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo, we drove down to Duncan for a visit at Queen Margaret School. We were greeted by School Secretary Milly Jurisic, who gave us a tour and showed us all of the facilities. Classes were in session so we saw plenty of the students while we were there. In the primary school building we were able to catch up with New Zealand volunteers Keri Shaw and Kymberley Adams. Once their break period was over it was time for lunch with the students in the school cafeteria, quite good!

Soon it was time to leave but we had just enough time for a tour of downtown Duncan. We took a stroll and observed some of the local First Nations arwork. They have some amazing totem poles all within walking distance of each other.

Next we were headed south to another beautiful location on a misty mysterious looking lake. Dwight International School is located on Shawnigan Lake and I must say the view from our local rep Christine Bater’s office is to die for. Christine also works for Dwight and mentors our two volunteers there, Greer Paterson from New Zealand and Madeleine Keamy from Australia. Greer and Madeline gave us a quick tour and were kind enough to show us their residence dorms. We had a wonderful discussion and a much needed cup of coffee with the three of them afterwards.

What a great week! Thank you to everyone for your hospitality and for taking the time to speak with us. We appreciated the tours and thank you for sharing your experiences with us. We hope Paul had a fantastic time and that the volunteers are enjoying their placements as much as we enjoyed seeing them. Cheers!

Lattitude Article

Charters Towers – Miner Article

We have a new volunteer story to share! Solvai is one of our Canadian volunteers who traveled to Ghana for a teaching placement. She has been working at Western Royal Montessori School in Sekondi. We are thrilled to hear she enjoyed her time there and hope that you may gain some insight into life in Ghana through her story.

http://www.lattitudecanada.org/volunteer-stories/ghana-solvai/

Solvai In Ghana

Often we post the stories of our Canadian volunteers who travel to places outside of North America but here we have a story submitted by Leah, a New Zealander, who has joined us in Canada to volunteer at camp Big Cove in Halifax. We are thrilled to read she is having such a good time and that even the setbacks have been rewarding in the end.

Good luck to Leah and to all our volunteers in Canada!

http://lattitude.org.nz/blog/?p=669

Good luck to everyone. We hope you have a wonderful time!

March Volunteers Arrive in Vancouver

5 Pin Bowling with Our New Volunteers

Prepped and Ready to Begin their Placements

Below are two very interesting articles regarding the social, emotional and academic advantages of taking a Gap Year. We hope our volunteers enjoy every minute they step off the beaten path.

Gareth Cook (2012, March 4) Bridge Year, The Boston Globe.
http://articles.boston.com/2012-03-04/opinion/31118682_1_bridge-spring-semesters-financial-aid

Chris Fredrick (2012, March 8 ) Off the Beaten Path, The Stanford Daily.
http://www.stanforddaily.com/2012/03/08/off-the-beaten-path/