Chelsea Academy travel to Bosnia to work with local orphans

The Chelsea Academy used their Leader Award Grant from the Jack Petchey Foundation to organise a trip with Our Kid Foundation to Bosnia. During this trip the young people had the chance to work in an orphanage. They grant was put towards the flights, accommodation and activities for the young people from the Chelsea Academy, as well as to organise activities for the orphans in Bosnia too.

Ahead of the trip, the young people had organised various fundraising events and activities to add to the funds needed to cover the trip. They held a football tournament and bake sales as well as selling refreshments at their parents’ evenings to add to the fundraising total. The money was raised was added to the grant from the Foundation, in order for the group to go on their trip to Bosnia.

While in Bosnia, the group of young people were able to experience many new things. This included being in an unfamiliar environment of the orphanage and working with young orphans. Many of the young orphans had learning difficulties, so the young people had to show patience and empathy when communicating and taking part in activities together. They had to lead small groups and many of the orphans did not speak English so their communication skills were tested throughout the trip too. They got the chance to build on their leadership skills and general teamwork.

One student commented on the trip: “This trip was by far the best thing I’ve done in my life, it teaches you to think about others before yourself, it exercises your patience sometimes and will definitely make you a better person. You become more than a student to your teacher and more than just another friend to your friends, and you’d be surprised by how close two groups of people who just met can get after spending just a week together. I speak for everyone when I say we made friends for life and had an unforgettable experience.”

Another student said: “As a young person I do often feel as though there’s nothing I can offer or do to help others but taking part in this trip helped me see this differently.”