Emanuel School East Timor Trip 2017  – First Boarding Call!

July 31 to August 9, 2017 (Term 3 – Week 3)

If you will be in Year 9, Year 10 or 11 in 2017 then you are invited to join the second ever Emanuel School trip to East Timor!

Last year ten students in Years 9 and 11 pioneered a relationship between Gildapil, a remote rural East Timorese village and Emanuel School. Mrs Hastings joined this inaugural trip and signed an agreement with the principal of the village school to show that we wanted an ongoing connection to them. In 2017 we want to strengthen and maintain this friendship by sending another group of adventurers and global thinkers.

Destination Dreaming (www.destinationdreaming.com.au) will again facilitate our partnership with Gildapil in the far Western region of East Timor. Students will explore the environment, culture, history, language and food of one of Australia’s closest and poorest neighbours. The trip starts in Dili with a look into the recent and sad history of East Timor under Indonesian rule and the struggle and joys of independence. Then we drive to the mountainous region of Lolotoe and arrive to a special traditional welcome at Gildapil. We are the first school, in fact the first ever foreigners, to stay at this particular village. It is a chance to learn through service and engage with Timorese children of a similar age. We are not there as ‘voluntourists’ but as partners. In 2015 the village school requested that we help teach the local school kids English so that’s what we did and that will again be the focus in 2017. The hikes, dancing, swimming, singing and playing were a bonus.

Destination Dreaming provides us with all guides, transport, tours, meals, accommodation as well as pre-departure workshops. If we get 10-12 students the likely cost is around $2,800. This price unfortunately does not include flights. Hopefully with 12 months notice, the students and families who are keen can plan and save for this big trip.

This is an eye-opening and life-changing opportunity for our students. It is an investment in their journey of self-awareness and broadens their worldview.  It will serve as a reference point for the rest of their lives as they consider ethical regional development, poor world issues, human rights and reflect on their own life and opportunities.

If you want to join this special trip next year please email David Whitcombe on dwhitcombe@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au 

David Whitcombe – Geography / Legal Studies Teacher / Outreach Co-ordinator (Jilkminggan/East Timor)