China may be nearly 5,000 miles away from Scotland but that’s no obstacle to a group of pupils at Morgan Academy in Dundee. They’re determined to make the once in a lifetime trip to promote child literacy in a poor area of the
country.
The youngsters, all aged 16 and 17, are hard at work raising £10,000 towards the trip to Lijiang, Yunnan Province, which they hope to take in the autumn.
Once there, Luke Burr, Nathaniel Inatimi, Rachel McCabe, Caleb White, Kalina Zawada, Jack Stewart, Rory Martin, Ryan Murray and Shona Inatimi – otherwise known as the Aperture Project (TAP) – will be teaching children games and some basic English.
Rachel explains: “TAP is part of Pure Media UK, a charity, which has a lot of connections with people in China. We’ll be delivering their youth development programme, iGNiTE.”
Jack comments: “Being part of the project has helped us all develop a wide range of skills, as well as our own confidence. The trip will give us a unique experience and an opportunity to learn some new life skills, as well as doing something worthwhile to help others.”
The group has been raising money with various community events
including a “fund run” from Broughty Ferry to Dundee and a book treasure hunt in Dundee Central Library.
Andrew says: “This is like nothing any of us have done before. It’s important for us to find out how well we can work with others, show independence and do something that will bring lasting change.”
The group admits they’re a little anxious about the possibility of culture shock but hey’re determined to tackle any challenges with a mature positivity. Kalina speaks for the rest of the group when she says: “The experience as a whole will be fantastic; we really are looking forward to meeting new people and seeing things from a new perspective, through a different culture.”
Rory concludes: “Through iGNiTE we hope everyone we work with will have a bigger, broader, bolder perspective of what is possible in their communities and in their lives.”
For more info visit Facebook or to donate to the project visit www.gofundme.com
Did you know?
Seven of the world’s 12 highest mountains are in China.
The mortar used to bind the Great Wall of China’s stones was made from sticky rice.
Hong Kong has more skyscrapers than any city in the world.
China is about the same size as the USA. However , China only has one time zone; the USA has four.
The word ‘ketchup’ comes from the Chinese word for ‘pickled fish sauce’.
Half of all pigs in the world live in China.
A 2,400-year-old pot of soup was unearthed in the Xian province of China.
A long time ago if anyone told the secret of making silk, they would be executed.
The terracotta army was discovered by accident in 1974 by a farmer digging a well, having been ‘lost’ for over 2,000 years!
Dogs get special treats on one day of the Chinese New Year celebrations.
