World Challenge

A culmination of more than 12 months of student-led planning saw 17 students from St Patrick’s College Townsville undertake a 24-day expedition to Nepal as part of the 2019 World Challenge Adventure in December last year. A life changing and unforgettable experience, the students built self-confidence and resilience in a six-day Trek of more than 80km, before a week-long community service project at the Basic School Belsi, Nepal.

“The whole project was completely student driven,” said Year 11 World Challenge participant Charlotte Rush. “We worked as a team to independently plan everything from budgets, through to travel and accommodation, as well as the delegation and completion of the building projects at the Basic School Belsi.”

St Patrick’s College students learned a great deal from their community hosts, completely immersed within their culture and way of life. “It was enormously rewarding to work with and learn from the students at Belsi,” said Charlotte.  “They taught us traditional dances and language and we taught each other sports and games. We were really pleased to be able to complete a mural for the school as a thank-you gift for hosting us.”

The expedition not only facilitated community service but played an important role in student self-discovery. Charlotte said the team faced many challenges but that they worked together, supported by their teachers, to resolve any problems. “My biggest takeaway form the trip was to learn that I am a lot stronger, both physically and mentally, than I ever thought I was. I am really proud of myself and my team for our resilience and strength. I think we will all walk away more confident.”

World Challenge was an extremely empowering experience that complemented school learning, giving students the opportunity to become true lifelong learners and true global citizens. St Patrick’s College Townsville is proud to have partnered with World Challenge and they are looking forward to ‘Adventuring Like A Pat’s Girl’ in the near future.