Ashton and Lisa
Two Montserratian youths leave for Ireland on 4th July 2014 to join a team of European volunteers to who have just 2 weeks to transform a piece of waste land into a garden for people with disabilities. Lisa Ogle and Ashton Johnson will join a team of other young people from Spain, Italy and Romania to take up the challenge. The project is funded by Erasmus+, Europe’s new programme for Education Training and Youth. Inspirational Volunteer Journeys (IVJ) now based at Hilltop St. Peters, has been accredited by the British Council, the UK managing agency, to deliver the programme.
The programme gives young people a unique opportunity to travel to Europe, develop their leadership and team work skills and learn to work with people from cultures at the same time.
The EU funding covers the cost of volunteer accommodation and living allowance but recent changes to the rules left a shortfall travel costs to Dublin because of the distance. The project was only made possible by a grant from the Government of Montserrat Department for Youth Affairs. Local residents also made donations.
Vennetta Johnston, Director of Inspirational Volunteer Journeys said ‘Even though this programme has been going for over 20 years, it is the first time young people from Montserrat have taken part. We are on a mission to make sure every Montserratian aged 18 -30 gets the opportunity to apply for the programme over the next 5 years’.
Ashton Johnson, Gardener at the Montserrat National Trust is excited to be one of the first young people to take part in the programme. ‘The garden will have a sensory area for people with sight impairment so I’m looking forward to using my skills to create a design using the textures and smells of the plants’ said Ashton.
Lisa Ogle, Sales Assistant at the Economy Bakery in Brades said ‘I love horticulture and photography so this project is right up my street. Learning to work in a team with people from different cultures and who speak different languages is going to be an exciting challenge’.
Small businesses will play a critical role in the redevelopment of Montserrat. They will continue to require employees who are adaptable, can work harmoniously and collaboratively with others, who have differing views of the world, can solve problems individually and in teams, can learn new things and can communicate and sell ideas.
IVJ is creating projects with partners across Europe to develop the employability skills of young people in Montserrat. Reciprocally, in the past 12 months IVJ has brought eight volunteers from Europe to raise the profile of Montserrat as a unique environment education destination.
Inspirational Volunteer Journeys is a training company that develops people through challenging volunteer assignments overseas. IVJ currently offers Caribbean service-learning placements in St. Vincent and Montserrat.
For more information about IVJ and opportunities to travel for education and training email vjohnston@ivj.org.uk
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- Inspirational Volunteer Journeys is a training company that develops people through challenging volunteer assignments overseas. IVJ currently offers Caribbean service-learning placements in St. Vincent and Montserrat.
- Erasmus+ Youth programmes aim to improve the key competences, skills and employability of young people in the UK, promote young people’s social inclusion and well-being, and foster improvements in youth work and youth policy at local, national and international level.
