Isabel Lawrence
Reporter
Instead of using his break to relax, this past summer Steven travelled to Peru with VISIONS Service Adventures, an international community service program for teens. This organization offers locations globally in English, French and Spanish speaking countries, allowing students immerse in the local culture through participating in hands-on volunteer work. “The VISIONS Program was able to do what I really wanted to do, which was to go to South America,” Steven said.
An active participant in philanthropy and a Spanish student, Steven said this experience gave
him the chance to apply those skills abroad. “I have done many philanthropic things in New Canaan like SLOBS and I’ve worked a summer at Waveny Care Center,” Steven said. “I’ve always loved helping people and going to Peru gave me the opportunity to help people and learn Spanish.”
During the three week program, Steven was introduced to the Oyente Tambo community. Here, Steven and the others in his group built a preschool, repaired canals that had been damaged earlier in the season due to a landslide, and built stoves for the locals to cook their food.
According to Steven, the highlight of the trip was not so much the physical construction, but the gratitude the Oytente Tambo locals displayed. “[My favorite part was] at the end coming back and seeing the delight and happiness on the kids faces when they walked into the preschool,” Steven said. “Even though it was just a small preschool it’s what they always wanted.”
Steven was surprised by the unity and thankfulness these locals expressed. He explained that every morning when the volunteers arrived at the preschool site, there would be a pile of rocks and fine sand waiting for them. The locals had dug up these materials and prepared them for the teens to use when building the preschool.
“I had no idea the sense of community they had in this one small town. Their sense of community came from wanting to better themselves,” Steven said. “The locals needed something to uplift their spirits and our help gave them that hope.”
From his exposure to this small town in Peru, Steven said he gained a greater appreciation of all he has. “In America we take for granted stuff we have like electricity, handhelds, computers and phones,” Steven said. “In Peru we didn’t have much, just a phone or two. The people had no running water, they had to get it from canals. It puts a perspective on what we have here.”
