THE idea of a gap year appeals to many as they finish up their time at school, but one young local just home from a volunteering trip overseas is urging others to do something really worthwhile with that time.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Kaitlin Platts is back in Bombala after around five months in Canada with Lattitude Global Volunteering, which allows you to choose where you would like to go and what kind of volunteer work you would like to do.
Kaitlin decided to travel to Canada and focus on outdoor education, quickly being offered a place at Zajac Ranch for Children, which caters to young people with disabilities or serious disease.
She primarily worked as a therapeutic horse riding instructor, but Kaitlin also found herself running archery, high and low ropes and team building exercises.
She worked alongside 25 other young volunteers, relishing the Canadian Rockies setting and the experience of working with people with special needs.
As well as running group activities, the volunteers each had an individual camper needing one on one attention, with Kaitlin pairing up with Nateisha, who has cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy and developmental delays.
Nateisha needed assistance with basic day to day tasks such as showering and eating, and while Kaitlin found her role very challenging she said the volunteer experience was incredibly rewarding.
“I think perhaps one of the most rewarding times was working with a young quadriplegic girl who had been pretty unresponsive the whole stay,” Kaitlin said.
“Then we got her up on the horse with another volunteer behind her, and her face lit up with a big smile. It was magical.”
Kaitlin has been so inspired by the trip that she is now encouraging other young locals to consider the idea of volunteering overseas.
“There are quite a few people who think that they can’t do it because they can’t really afford to, but I got incredible support from the community in the way of sponsorship to help with the expenses,” she said.
“Local individuals and groups were happy to support me once they learned what I was doing, and I ran raffles and other little things to raise funds. If you’re willing to put in some effort, you can definitely do it. I’m so grateful for the support I received and the experience I had.”
Kaitlin suggests that anyone interested in volunteering overseas should check out the websites of groups like Lattitude, or simply come and have a chat with her to learn a little more about her own experiences.