“Being a part of this trip allowed me to experience Timor Leste and its culture in a respectful way. Encouragement House has had a great impact on me and how I engage with other cultures. The main thing I learned is that there are so many ways to build a relationship — the importance of kindness and empathy when building these relationships can make all the difference, not only on a small scale but globally too. Communication can occur in so many ways, language is only one of them. Learning this really changed me.”
Alyssa Topy, 17 years old, UN Youth Australia 2017
Your school has the opportunity to be involved with fundraising for the ongoing developments at Encouragement House. Through this engagement with the EH community, students learn about cultural engagement at a personal level. They experience how education shapes the future of children’s lives in Timor Leste and how their contributions can make a significant difference to the lives of others.
For schools offering the International Baccalaureate Diploma, involvement with fundraising for Encouragement House can be a part of the Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS) component of your program. Through the work being done in Maliana students can participate in fundraising but perhaps more importantly see the principles of encouragement which embraces global citizenship through shared decision making, recognition, acceptance and appreciation. Encouragement House demonstrates community progress through effort, focussing on expanding strengths and changing expected outcomes through strong community empowerment.
Here are some ideas that your school could be involved in for fundraising for Encouragement House.
Follow the EH community as they participate in activities that prepare them for a changing world.
“I’ve learned that traveling to pretty places and sightseeing is a pretty meaningless experience. I would rather physically and emotionally get involved in the community. The important thing I learnt is about living in the authentic world.”
Max, 16 years old, Destination Dreaming 2017