Cony Students Volunteer in Guatemala
By Saber Hanington 3/16/2023
Cony Students Gain New Perspective while Volunteering in Guatemala
By Saber Hanington 3/14/2023
Cony Spanish students taught English in Guatemala at Safe Passage learning centers while volunteering from Feb. 18 to 27 during February Vacation.
In Guatemala, three students worked in Escutilla schools, which are affiliated with the Safe Passage program. Three Cony students worked as classroom assistants to help Escutilla students with English and accompany them on a weekend excursion.
“My favorite part was being exposed to a lifestyle so different from my own, and doing so with strangers who quickly became my friends. It's so different to be surrounded by that level of poverty, as opposed to simply seeing pictures or reading about it,” said Kristin Merrill, a senior at Cony who went on the trip.
Prior to traveling to Guatemala, Merrill said she was most excited to see how other people lived and to help — not just vacation — in a different country.
“It’s so important to me to see the world from different perspectives and this is really my first real opportunity to do so,” Merrill said before the trip.
Mrs. Gretchen Livingston, the high school Spanish teacher and trip coordinator, has led and volunteered with students six times before.
“Our Cony students always return with a greater appreciation for what we have here in the Augusta, Maine, area. They come away from the trip with a broader world view,” Livingston said.