Annual Reading Week Volunteer Group
Each February a group of University of Calgary Rotaract members have participated on a week long intensive volunteer trip. The group ranges from 12 people to 18 people who carry out the goals of the project and are part of each aspect of the project. The students stay with host families and take part in many cultural activities such as visiting an active volcano, surfing, salsa dancing lessons, visiting and sunset boat/beach tours.
While in Nicaragua, the group does anything from dig holes, pour concrete, install stoves, paint filters, host fruit fiestas at the preschools, and wash and sift sand. It is a volunteer trip as well as a life-enriching cultural experience and many students who have participated in this trip are now members of the executive.
The groups are supervised by Team Leaders and experienced Field Officers. Once a group is selected there are various meetings and technology lessons to prepare the students. The students take a mandatory safety briefing and Spanish lessons normally provided by the Rotary Club of Calgary. The students bear the costs of their trip individually but have the opportunity to fundraise and receive grant funding.