The 8th Grade trip to the Heifer International Global Village last month was once again an eye-opening experience to remember. The Global Village "aims to educate participants of the causes and effects of hunger and poverty, and to enable them to make a difference in the lives of those in their own communities and around the world" - and it did just that!
The first day, the students engaged in group training and cooperative games where the students had to work together, learn to listen, and communicate in order to succeed. On the second day, the students undertook a 24-hour real-life simulation of living in dwellings from Thailand, Mozambique, and Appalachia. The 8th Graders took on roles in the villages (leader, child, elder, etc.) and had to barter for nourishment, water, and wood. The students were only given a limited number of matches and had to make fires, cook their own food from the few supplies given, and some even slept on concrete and wooden floors.
Says 8th Grade Co-Advisor and chaperone Stephanie Thliveris, ""This year's trip really brought to the forefront the importance of being a united community and working together for the greater good. Heifer is not a comfortable experience, it's meant to elevate their awareness and consciousness to how vital it is to come together and work to problem solve. The Heifer experience is about shifting and opening perspective to the human condition... and that is what's so incredibly powerful about this trip."
