By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
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HOME is where the heart is but often the best experiences, the most worthwhile lessons, can be learnt away from it.
This is the inspiration behind the Fountain Gate Secondary Travel Abroad Program (TAP), which will see a group of the school’s students, aged 13 to 16, travel to South Africa next month.
In addition to those students whose families are funding their trip, the school has also selected four under-privileged students from the school to be sponsored for the inaugural program.
Head of Junior School at Fountain Gate Secondary Paul Broecker, who is accompanying the students to South Africa, said he and his TAP colleagues wanted to give students the opportunity to travel overseas for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
He said some of them would never get the chance otherwise.
“Basically, what we’re trying to do is take students from our school student cohort for a, basically, life-changing experience overseas,” he said.
“We want to take them abroad, we want to take them away from the blanket of their home environment and try and change their outlook and their perceived ability to succeed.”
The school has organised several fundraising events in order to support the program, including a trivia night this week, all co-ordinated by the Tap Committee which includes Mr Broecker, Elizabeth Goldberg, Jayne Thompson, assistant principal Emma Clark and principal Vicki Walters.
“We had the backing of the principal from the start and then we just worked on building and developing the non-for-profit organisation and got approval from the tax department and from other governing bodies and went from there,” Mr Broecker said.
“We developed all the documentation; we advertised it at the school and in the newsletters. We explained what we were trying to do and explained what the aims of the program were and then we had quite a few interested people.”
In South Africa the students will engage in a range of activities throughout the 10-day trip, including visits to a range of schools and orphanages where they will donate items to children in need.
They will also tour Kruger National Park, explore canyons and also embark on a 30-kilometre walk with local villagers among a host of other activities.
“The staff are behind it, they’re very supportive.
“They’ve been attending events and the school council is very supportive of the program and it’s just going to grow,” Mr Broecker said.
“The first year is always a learning curve and there’s always a lot to do but once things are set up we’ll be ready to launch into it from the word go next year.”
For more information on the Fountain Gate Secondary Travel Abroad Program, visit http://www.fountaingatesc.vic.edu.au/travel-abroad-program.
