Oakley Students Volunteer in Ghana

We are back from a successful volunteer service trip to HoHoe, Ghana. The trip was an amazing and a life-changing experience for each of us, and we wanted to share a few highlights with you!

Our 12 day journey allowed Oakley students an intense personal growth opportunity, by allowing them to put their personal needs aside and serve others. The group helped the people of HoHoe by teaching English at the schools, along with basic child care.

One student shared her experience with us so that we could better understand what this trip meant to her.

"In advance of the trip I was nervous, but as the day approached I became excited and looked forward to the experience and what I would learn about myself and others. I was surprised by the people themselves - they were so different from us, and what struck me most is how happy they are! Being with them made me happy. Everyone was so open and genuinely welcoming. I noticed that they all had a great energy about them.

"My favorite part of the trip was playing with and teaching the kids. They are so innocent, open and playful. I chose to work with the class of 4/5 year olds, which had about 40 children in one room. I had heard that only about 10% will get beyond a 6th grade education. I hope that I was able to influence these kids to continue with their education, and have more experiences outside their village.

"I have never been a touchy-feely person, but this experience helped me to become more open with my feelings, and to share them with others. A short wave or a smile can really make someone's day�and that made a difference to me. This trip really opened my eyes to service opportunities, and was better than any vacation I could have had! I really feel I will take part in more service trips in other areas, to learn more about different cultures and how much our actions can impact others.

"Another added benefit of my trip was the relationships I built with our own staff and other Oakley students. The staff became like surrogate parents, and we got to know each other really well. We all became totally comfortable with one another, and essentially became a family. We are still all really close, and I keep in touch with others who were also there providing humanitarian efforts as well. It was a great experience to meet new people who are also doing service trips, and to build lasting friendships with them.

"I would absolutely recommend a service trip to anyone, especially as part of a therapeutic boarding school. I feel I gained so much from this experience, and will definitely be looking for an opportunity to do this again. I feel so self-empowered now, and have more respect and openness for life and all its experiences. I became a happier, more giving person because of my experiences on this trip."

We were thrilled to be able to offer such a rewarding opportunity to our students, and to share this wonderful experience with them. We hope you enjoyed learning about our trip; if you have any questions about our experiences in Ghana or about the Oakley School, I would be happy to speak with you myself.

Warm regards,
Paul Taylor

Oakley School is a co-ed therapeutic boarding school located just outside of Park City, UT. They serve high school aged adolescents, striving to help students respect and pursue educational and moral growth while developing individual skills crucial to success in a complex, changing world. They build on four pillars: Academics, therapy, experiential education and student life.

InnerChange is a partner for mental health professionals, providing clinical and operational support to help them aid struggling families. InnerChange espouses a firm set of beliefs regarding residential therapy, which we call our CORE methodology.