A trip planned for the March break is helping several senior students from St. Dominic Catholic Secondary School acquire a new perspective.

After their trip to Europe was cancelled, the Grade 12s were left without anywhere to go.

The group said through some research Grade 12 student Brittany Belbeck learned of a humanitarian group called Volunteer Abroad (owned by the Canadian Federation of Students) that connects not-for-profit groups with colleges and students who want to help.

Through a list of criteria outlined by the students, the organization gave them a list of destinations that included Nicaragua, Thailand, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru and Nepal.

Jinotepe, a town of 32,000 in Nicaragua, was chosen because it fit their budget and was close enough in distance to accomplish the most work in the time allowed during the school break.

Teachers Emmet Mellow and Maria Vandenberg will be escorting the students to Jinotepe. They will help at an orphanage by interacting and teaching hygiene to the children, planting an organic garden to complement the local diet with seed bought by the students, and painting orphanage buildings from March 5 to 17.

“We have just as much invested in this as they do. I think it is an excellent opportunity to avoid passive tourism (go to the resort and avoid the locals). Here we get to experience the culture first-hand and do something positive for the people in the place where we are travelling,” he said in an e-mail.

He added that the students will acquire a greater appreciation for what they have in Canada, receive a sense of accomplishment for their efforts, and be role models for adolescents.

The group, who have all paid for their trip, is excited and hopes to inspire others to help them so they can give more to the orphanage.

Grade 12 student Lisa Truchon, who has never travelled to South America, wants to gain a new experience and to learn about how people live in Third World countries.

“I thought it would be such a cool experience to go and help other people and not just go somewhere as a tourist. I think it will be a great experience,” she said. “I’ll be interacting with people that live lives so different from my own. We hear about Third World countries and how bad it is for them, but we’ve never experienced it first-hand.”

Sean Richardson has lived in Europe and wasn’t disappointed the original trip was cancelled. He looks forward to the new travel plans. As the trip is advertised, he knows that any difference he could make would be worthwhile for himself and the people he will help.

“When I have the chance to do something like that I thought, why not? This trip will be different. I will actually remember it for the rest of my life. It’ll mean something rather than just sitting on a beach and doing nothing . . . hopefully it’ll improve these peoples’ lives and make them happier, even if it is for just the week. We have everything we need so why not do something for other people,” he said.

Nicole Edmonds cannot see this trip being possible at any other time in her life and believes it is the best opportunity to do this and to share this experience with her friends.

Boston Pizza in Gravenhurst is hosting a Celebrity Servers event between 5 and 8 p.m. tonight. Students will help during the night, with 10 per cent of the proceeds going to the trip. This Friday the Knights of Columbus will be hosting a fish fry and silent auction at the school starting at 5:30 p.m.

The school will be accepting financial aid, clothing (that is new or in good condition), hygiene products and school supply donations. The last day for donations at St. Dominic is March 3.