Who in their right mind would pass up the opportunity to work for a good cause in the Himalayas? For this reason four new volunteers arrived in the valley this July to work with the project helping disadvantaged young peoples around Manali and the Kullu Valley area.
The phenomenon of gap years has gained increasing popularity with more and more young people taking a break before university to travel and do social projects abroad. The Kullu Project was set up in 2002 by just such a group with local family ties to the valley. They have been working ever since to ensure a regular stream of international volunteers to the valley, putting them in contact with local schools and orphanages.
The programmes are kept deliberately open for volunteers, allowing them the creativity to design their own activities based on their particular skills, knowledge and interests. In the past this has led to volunteers providing workshops on Life Skills, First Aid, Photography, Arts and Crafts, Drama, English and Sports activities. The ethos of the project is that through a programme of cultural exchange we can enrich the lives of local people and expand their future horizons. So far the project has supplied over forty volunteers to work with more than fifteen local partners and hopes to continue to expand its recruitment and local connections.
Alison lo, Maya Sikand, Nabila Abdel Aziz, and Juliana Gartner are all students recently graduated from prestigious international schools in the United World College network and are focussing their efforts on environmental work. Their specific skills lie in sustainable environmental management, sound and visual art which should yield an interested response from local youngsters. Asking Maya why she chose the Kullu Valley her response was simple: “going to the India, especially the Himalayas, has always been a dream of mine. I wasn’t even intending to take a gap year, but when I heard about the project I changed my plans”
We wish them every luck in their endeavors and shall follow their progress with interest.
For further information on the Kullu Prject or to volunteer please contact Kris Mackay
Email: kris_mackay@hotmail.com
Mobile: 9882 183 190
The phenomenon of gap years has gained increasing popularity with more and more young people taking a break before university to travel and do social projects abroad. The Kullu Project was set up in 2002 by just such a group with local family ties to the valley. They have been working ever since to ensure a regular stream of international volunteers to the valley, putting them in contact with local schools and orphanages.
The programmes are kept deliberately open for volunteers, allowing them the creativity to design their own activities based on their particular skills, knowledge and interests. In the past this has led to volunteers providing workshops on Life Skills, First Aid, Photography, Arts and Crafts, Drama, English and Sports activities. The ethos of the project is that through a programme of cultural exchange we can enrich the lives of local people and expand their future horizons. So far the project has supplied over forty volunteers to work with more than fifteen local partners and hopes to continue to expand its recruitment and local connections.
Alison lo, Maya Sikand, Nabila Abdel Aziz, and Juliana Gartner are all students recently graduated from prestigious international schools in the United World College network and are focussing their efforts on environmental work. Their specific skills lie in sustainable environmental management, sound and visual art which should yield an interested response from local youngsters. Asking Maya why she chose the Kullu Valley her response was simple: “going to the India, especially the Himalayas, has always been a dream of mine. I wasn’t even intending to take a gap year, but when I heard about the project I changed my plans”
We wish them every luck in their endeavors and shall follow their progress with interest.
For further information on the Kullu Prject or to volunteer please contact Kris Mackay
Email: kris_mackay@hotmail.com
Mobile: 9882 183 190
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