Hi, my name is Alex Kidd; I’m a pupil at Whitley Bay High School working hard to get my A-levels and hoping to study law at University. At the end of August this year I applied for a year abroad volunteering with the charity Project Trust.
The first step in this adventure was to travel to Coll, a small island off the west coast of Scotland with just over 200 inhabitants, to take part in a selection course with Project Trust. Living with a local family, the course lasted a week and involved taking part in group activities, climbing to the highest point on the island, helping out the local people and making a lot of new friends.
As a result I was chosen by the Trust and will be spending a year in the Peoples Republic of China teaching English to mixed aged students in a local school. This is a dream come true; China spans almost a quarter of the globe and is famous for its beautiful and diverse culture, exotic foods, stunning architecture and wonderful festivals. The chance to not only experience this but spend a year living within the local community and help them by teaching English is the greatest opportunity I’ve ever had.
To take part in the gap year I must raise £5,400 on behalf of Project Trust in order to send me abroad. I have already been in a fun run dressed as a penguin, held cake sales at school, arranged a race night at Whitley Bay Golf Club, held a bottle draw and organised bag packs in local supermarkets – so I’m well on my way to my target – but I need all the help I can get. If you would like to donate please visit Virginmoneygiving.com and search ‘Alex Kidd gap year China’. If you see me out and about feel free to ask me how things are going; for more information please contact me at atkidd95@gmail.com. Information about Project Trust is at www.projecttrust.org.uk.