What We’re Up To: Giving thanks and service in our communities

By Sarah Dilworth

This time of year, starting with the American holiday of Thanksgiving, we are reminded to express gratitude for all we have. We also become acutely aware of those less fortune than ourselves. At Connect-123, our team members and internship participants practice giving back all year long. Here is some of what we’ve been up to this year.

Mandela Day

In South Africa, July 18th is known as Mandela Day, a day to honor the legacy of Nelson Mandela and his values, through volunteering and community service. This year our Cape Town Connectors worked with an organization, Call2Care. They painted a day care centre in Kayamandi and also helped to run a soup kitchen for about 200 needy people.

C-123 interns hard at work!
Cape Town Connectors using their painting skills!
Piggy Banks

Throughout the year, the Cape Town team encourages interns to give their spare change to piggy banks which are distributed throughout the students’ residences. Each month, it is collected and donated towards a local community organization, often an organization that is part of our existing partners hosting C-123 interns and volunteers.

Community Service Events in Buenos Aires

One of the C-123 host organizations, that works in supporting human sustainable development through natural constructions, organic growing and fair trade, invited us on a community service project trip a few months ago. The Buenos Aires Connectors built a primary public school with ecobricks in Villa Elisa, a town an hour outside of Buenos Aires. These ecobricks consist of plastic bottles stuffed solid with non-biological waste to create a reusable building block. How fun (and green) is that?

Buenos Aires Connectors getting their hands dirty!
Ecobricks- an example of the building materials used.
Sandwich Drive

A major bread manufacturer contacted one of our host organizations and then the Cape Town team in the hopes of doing a sandwich drive for those in need. Our interns collected sandwiches and handed them out at other host organizations, where we have interns and volunteers placed. These organizations included healthcare clinics, community supporting organizations, and early childhood development centers.

In addition to these Connect-123 organized activities, many of our interns participate in some form of additional volunteer work outside of their internship! Or they dedicate their entire abroad experience to volunteering through our Volunteer Program. Whichever way you want to give back, Connect-123 is here to facilitate that experience!

Sarah Dilworth

Marketing Coordinator
Sarah’s passion for cultural and educational travel was sparked by her first experience of studying abroad in Limerick, Ireland ten years ago. After graduating with a BA in Political Science from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania, she returned to Ireland to study Intercultural Studies at Dublin City University. With experience working in primary and secondary education, cultural exchange, and marketing for an international education organization, Sarah founded a freelance business aimed at supporting small businesses and nonprofits to use social media and digital marketing to their fullest potential. Recently relocated to Buenos Aires, after a few years in Dublin, Sarah is looking forward to getting to know the many barrios, discovering new foodie spots, and exploring the cultural arts scene in Argentina.


Post a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

3.239.214.173
United States
US
Ashburn
Virginia
VA
North America
NA

Barcelona, Cape Town & Dublin onsite programs are now open!

Have a life-changing internship experience aligned with your interests in Barcelona, Cape Town or Dublin!
Learn More
close-link