Help Me Get to South Africa!!

Amanda Melissa Grabski Start Date: Mar 12, 2019 - End Date: May 13, 2019
  • Cape Town, South Africa

My Travel Story

by: Amanda Melissa Grabski Start Date: Mar 12, 2019 - End Date: May 13, 2019
HELLO TO ALL OF MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS!! :)

As many of you know, I am pretty passionate about the line of working I am trying to pursue!! Therapeutic Recreation and Child Life are academic programs that very few people know about since they are fairly new programs, but they have a great importance, espeically in hosptial settings! Child Life Specialists provide evidence-based, developmentally, and psychologically appropriate interventions like therapeutic play and educational support to reduce fear, pain, and anxiety for children and their families. In the past several months, I have been very interested in my options for taking the concepts of Child Life internationally. The Child Life Experiential Learning Program is a 3-week study abroad program in Cape Town, South Africa that allows 16 students to experience a once in a lifetime, hands-on opportunity. I have always wanted travel, as I am sure every student does, but when I declared my major in Therapeutic Recreation and decided to get on track to complete a master’s in the Child Life program, I started to become far more involved with my community and gained a desire for learning experiences. Being able to see how health care and developmentally appropriate interventions work in a foreign country would help to broaden my perspective on the way I care for my patients before I even enter the work field! This experience will benefit me both on an academic and personal level and will help me to find the best ways to implement what I have learned at school in the real world. During our time in South Africa, we will be allowed to assist with a variety of tasks and activities at the Red Cross Children’s Hospital, Maitland Cottage Home, and Sarah Fox Convalescent Hospital. I have been a volunteer at the UI Children’s Hospital for about a year, but to be able to volunteer at several hospitals in another country will give me first-hand knowledge on how to work with very diverse populations.
  • Cape Town, South Africa

Updates

1

  • Goal Met!

    Goal Met!
    I want to thank all of my donors for their extreme generosity! Only a few days in and I am already lucky enough to have met my goal! Please keep in mind that my original goal was only to cover the cost of my plane ticket, so even though the goal has been reached, I am definitely still in need of help to fund my travel! Any amount helps and I am so appreciative of all of the support! Thank you very much! <3

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