Teens trek to Tanzania
Church group embarks on African adventure
A group of local teenagers are shipping out to Africa, Sunday. The members of the St. Georges'-On-The-Hill youth group will spend a month in a village in Tanzania, south of Mount Kilimanjaro, to lend a helping hand in the community and learn about local customs. 
The group's leader, James Noronha, said the trip to Africa has been in the works for some time, and he's thrilled at how hard the kids have worked to get there.
"They are very socially engaged," he said. "They do a lot of work within the community, which is neat because they can transfer that to daily life."
Noronha, who works a day job with the Special Olympics, has worked with this group for seven years, and has accompanied them on a trip to a native reserve in Minnesota and to Calais, Maine, a border town which was devastated by hightened border security in the wake of the attacks on the World Trade centre and Pentagon in 2001. The group helps down-and-out communities get back on their feet, while learning about local culture.
Noronha said the group's mission is not about religious conversion, it's about helping people in need.
"It's almost like slipping what religion we do through the back door. The truth is they'll find what they want to believe in on their own time, at their own pace."
Jamie Elliot, who just celebrated her 16th birthday this past weekend, said she's excited to try out a new camera she recieved as a gift. She said the group has been preparing for the trip by taking Swahilli lessons, and learning about Tanzanian customs.
"We learn about things like when someone asks you to sit down, you have to sit down - you don't have a choice," she said.
Vanessa Van Daele, who is turning 17 on Friday, said she's looking forward to sharing knowledge with the children she'll be working with.
"I'm excited to meet everyone there, and learn about the culture," she said. "I'd like to compare the different lifestyles."
Noronha said the group will be learning a lot about Africa, while the Africans learn about Canada.
"They take a bit of Canada with them, which is cool," he said.
To raise money for their trip the group had to get creative; the fundraising target for the trip was more than $100,000. To raise the money, the group walked 31 kilometres for a 'Walk by the Water' event, sold bracelets, ran a scratch-card campaign, a book sale, a Mardi Gras evening, multiple car-washes, and even held a talent auction where people could auction off skills or services. For example, several members of the youthgroup who are musicians auctioned off an evening of classical music.
"These kids work so hard you wouldn't believe it," said Norohna. "They take hits to their social lives as well, giving up their Friday nights to come to meetings."
Joseph Selander, 17, isn't nervous about the trip, although he says his parents may be a different story.
"I think they're kind of nervous," he said. "They're not showing it, but I think the distance will make it tough."
He's gained a lot of experience from his time with the group.
"James likes throwing us out of our comfort zone," he said. "Normally I'm not overly fond of working with really little kids. So on the first trip I found myself doing that quite a lot."
Andrea Eversley, 16, is looking forward to seeing African wildlife, although she hopes she doesn't get sick. She said it's just hitting home with her that she will be on a different continent by this time next week.
"We're going to put ourselves in the community and be one with them," she said.
