Tales from the volunteers

My name is Leigha Summers, I am 17 years old. I study sport at Kirklees college.
During the project I worked alongside three different coaches and assisted in the coaching of different size groups of children. Our scheduled coaching sessions were predominately planned for late afternoons, during the day time we learnt about the culture of Martinique, we visited the slave museum and spent time with youth in town, visiting different places on the island of Martinique.
Thanks to Erasmus +, I have gained more confidence in speaking to large groups of young children. I have also learnt to be more assertive, this is important when coaching as the children need to listen and respect my instructions.
Leigha Summers

 
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Vocational Educational Training (VET) project part of ‘Discovering More’, co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union.

DM Banner Kirklees YITT LQ

The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Hi, I am Kyle Render, I am 18 years old and currently studying at Kirklees College. I wanted to come to Martinique to gain more experience in coaching and develop my coaching skills.
During the project I coached different sports and gained the experience I was seeking. The language barrier was a difficult hurdle to overcome but I relished the challenge.
During free time I have played beach volleyball and went on a Jet Ski with Luke.
I learnt how to use visual aids to supplement my coaching, I learnt how effective these can be to relay coaching instructions more effectively.
I learnt that I am an independent and responsible student, who is ready for my next life venture of university.
Kyle Render
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Vocational Educational Training (VET) project part of ‘Discovering More’, co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union.

DM Banner Kirklees YITT LQ

The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

I am 18 years of age and live in Huddersfield, England, studying a level 3 sport BTEC at Kirklees College.
What motivated me to participate in this project is the fact that I had never been abroad until now and wanted to experience flying, a new country along with the activities Martinique has to offer.
During our free time, my favourite place we visited was the Port De France, the place had a lot to offer and had many amazing sights and tourist attractions.
Thanks to Erasmus +, I professionally learned a few words in French, these assisted my coaching whilst delivering numerous coaching sessions during my time on the project. I also now know how to introduce myself in French. Personally, I learnt that I’m not terrified of flying and I am not terrified of the sea. I have also gained insight into a different country and culture are like outside of England. I now want to visit more places to continue experiencing different places.
Kai Stannard

 
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Vocational Educational Training (VET) project part of ‘Discovering More’, co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union.

DM Banner Kirklees YITT LQ

The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

My name is Josh, I’m 18 and I’m a second-year student at Kirklees College.
During the project, I coached kids in sports such as gymnastics, basketball, athletics and football they seemed to have fun. I enjoyed the challenge of communicating in a different language as the kids were helpful and assisted me on the words that I struggled with.
Thanks to Erasmus+, professionally I learned how much of a factor the language barrier is when running sessions and this taught me that the skill of demonstration is highly required when the kids are struggling to understand what you are trying to say to them.
Personally, I learnt that everyone in Martinique is very generous and joyful as well as being very relaxed especially when trying to communicate with them.
Josh Newman

 
____________________________________

Vocational Educational Training (VET) project part of ‘Discovering More’, co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union.

DM Banner Kirklees YITT LQ

The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

My name is James Smith I am currently studying a Level 3 Extended Diploma in Sport at Huddersfield Kirklees College.
The day to day of the project has involved being a part of many coaching sessions in a variety of sports such as Rugby, Football, and Athletics.
My favourite free time activity was snorkelling on a beach near Le Carbet. I saw multiple species of fish and a sting-ray.
I have learnt some very useful skills that are very hard to obtain if not for projects like this, skills such as how to coach using diverse skills other than just verbal communication such as the use of demonstrations, hand gestures and body language to pass across messages.
I have learnt about how how to overcome a language when trying to communicate with different people.
James Smith
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Vocational Educational Training (VET) project part of ‘Discovering More’, co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union.

DM Banner Kirklees YITT LQ

The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

My name is Dan North and I am 17 years old, I am currently studying at Kirklees College.
During the project, I have coached and assisted in rugby, athletics, gymnastics, football and basketball. I have enjoyed all the coaching so far and feel it has all be successful as the children have been engaged and seemed to thoroughly enjoy it all.
My favourite free time has been the trip to Fort De France as we were able to look in some shops and pick up some souvenirs, grab some tasty food as well as walk along the pier and have a laugh within the group.
Thanks to Erasmus+ I have been able to develop my coaching skills as well as meeting some new people and learning about new culture. Personally, I feel like I have been able to prove my teamwork skills as well as my ability to work on my own.
Dan North

 
____________________________________

Vocational Educational Training (VET) project part of ‘Discovering More’, co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union.

DM Banner Kirklees YITT LQ

The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

I am Caitlin. I am 18 years old, I live in Cleckheaton and study sport at Kirklees College.
During my time in Martinique I gained a wealth of experience in sports coaching. I coached Football, Athletics, Biking and Gymnastics. Through this experience I have learnt different methods to coach different age groups.
During free time we took part in numerous water activities. I enjoyed kayaking, the most.
I have learnt how to improvise coaching drills when the scenario changes such as  having less participants than I thought I would. I have also learnt some of the French language. I have become more confident within myself and particularly when coaching large groups.
Caitlin Ramshaw

 
____________________________________

Vocational Educational Training (VET) project part of ‘Discovering More’, co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union.

DM Banner Kirklees YITT LQ

The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

My name is Caitlin.
This project has enabled me to develop key skills in preparation for university.
During my project in Martinique, I worked in a team of around 2-3 other people delivering and helping out coaches. I took part in many athletics sessions over there. Aside from coaching, our group took part in many water sport activities such as sailing and kayaking which were really fun but hard work!
During our free time, in the first week of the project, we travelled to Fort De France. There was a lots of food places and souvenir shops and tourists.
The most important skill I developed whilst in Martinique was team working skills. Another good skill I developed was communication- both verbal and non-verbal. Personally, I think that I became a lot more confident.
Caitlin Lunn
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Vocational Educational Training (VET) project part of ‘Discovering More’, co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union.

DM Banner Kirklees YITT LQ

The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

“My name is Hannah and I’m 26 years old.
I spent 2 weeks in Aruba on a project at the Donkey Sanctuary and at the Vets.
I loved working with the donkeys, especially taking care of the sick ones by cleaning their eyes and ears and giving them medication.

Helping out at the vets was an eye opening experience and it was great to give injections, clean teeth, take X-rays and assist with surgeries!

It was great staying in an apartment at Desere’s as there were lots of animals around and I had the freedom to cook my own meals and have some independence.

In my spare time I travelled all over Aruba with my friends, we ate at some lovely restaurants, went horseback riding and saw lots of beautiful beaches!”
Hannah Holtby

 

banners EP Eplus

The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

About me

Hi, my name is Sophie Scott and I was born and raised in Carlisle. I studied animal management level 2 and 3 at newton Rigg college in Penrith. In the beginning I did well at college earning a distinction and student of the year, but as time went on it got harder and harder for me to keep up with my assignments. When I finished college, I did not know what I wanted to do next, but I did know I didn’t want to be in a classroom anymore, I did still want to learn and I thought the best way to do this would be by traveling as I thought that it would show future employers that I am committed, have hands on experience and will through myself out there,  unfortunately I would not be able to fund such a long time of traveling by myself. Luckily, I knew about “Everything is Possible” as I went to Aruba to work at the donkey sanctuary for 2 weeks in February 2018 with my collage. I loved the experience and learned so much, so I decided to contact “Everything is Possible” and see if there would be an opportunity for me to go back and work at the donkey sanctuary and obviously there was as I am now on an 11-month project in Aruba and almost 4 months in!

Organisations

The donkey sanctuary is a charity that opened almost 22 years ago and currently has 130 donkeys in their care, it totally relies on donations to keep the place running and the donkeys fed as the government contributes nothing. I work 4 days a week here.
Contreras vets is what it says, it is a veterinary practice that mainly takes care of the island’s cats and dogs, however they will take care of any animal that needs medical treatment and they are also the chosen vets for the donkey sanctuary. I go to work here once every 2 weeks.
Dog lovers grooming salon is where locals take their dogs to be pampered and I also work here once every 2 weeks.

Day to day basis at the Donkey sanctuary

•    Unlock, open the shop and turn the tills on at 9 am
•    Morning feed of pellets and hay to the main group and donkia, the coral is fed pellets and then alfalfa cubes
•    Make sure the waters are topped up and if they are dirty clean them
•    Try and get the poop scooping done in the morning as it is too hot I they afternoon
•    Make sure the buckets are filled with pellets so the visitors can feed the donkeys
•    When the tour arrives, someone will do the speech and the others will help in the shop and bar
•    Do any medical treatments that are required
•    Talk to the visitors and serve them in the shop
•    Empty bins, clean bathroom, clean shop depending on the amount of visitors
•    Time for the final feed of hay to all the donkeys
•    Make sure everything is locked up and go home at 4 pm
In the vets first we go and help with consultations which can be for many things from a puppy having its injections to an animal that needs serious medical attention. After the consultations the surgeries begin and we learn about all the different typed of things that can be done from a spay to fixing a broken bone. There are times when we help during the surgeries, do x- rays and ultrasounds.
At the dog groomers I mainly wash the dogs and dry them. Then I must clean their ears and cut their nails. I sometimes help when a dog is having its haircut.

What do I feel proud of?

I feel proud about many things of this experience so far, one definitely is how well I am managing being away from home for so long as I have never lived anywhere else apart from Carlisle. I also feel proud of different situations that I have been thrown in to such and bringing donkeys back to health and caring for them when they have been unwell. I also feel like I have grown as a person and gained more confidence.

Free time

In my free time I have done many things that have been really good experiences such as gaining my PADI diving qualification which I can use to help regrow dead coral and see the amazing underwater world. I have been on some cultural visits around the island that has allowed me to learn about the island’s history, some of these are the goldmines, natural bridge, local churches, the natural pool, Arikok national park and more but I still have so much more to see. I have also been looking at different things that the local people too such as spending Christmas day with a local family and going to a music concert with them to experience the different music. And of course, I would be lying if I said I haven’t made the most of the amazing beaches here.

What have I learned personally?

Personally, I have learned so much about myself and how much I should push myself to do things because the outcome is most likely going to be amazing. I have also learned how much I want to work with animals in my future career as the people I work with have so much passion for their work and I want that. One final thing is that sometimes things are out of my control and I can only do my best and be proud of myself in everything I do.

What have I learned professionally?

I have learned that it is important that you show care and compassion when talking to people about their animals and that the customer is so important to a business or charity because without them it cannot function. I have also learned people can be very passionate about what I am doing as they say to me that I am doing a really great job and they are passionate if I am.

How will this experience help me in future life and career?

I feel like this experience will help me in many different ways in the future, career wise I think it will show that I am committed, compassionate, that I can talk the talk as well as walk the walk and that I will throw myself in to something 100%. In life I feel like it has shown me that I can do everything for myself and that nobody can stop me from doing something that I am passionate about. It has shown me that sometimes you have to take a risk, not knowing what will happen but can end up being one of the best things that I could do.

 

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Vocational Educational Training (VET) project part of ‘Discovering More’, co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union.

DM Banner Askham Aruba LQ

The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

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