spotlight project: naiwaisomo village days 1 - 2: travel ... · arcc programs | australia/fiji:...

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS• LearntoSCUBADiveintheGreatBarrierReef,Oneofthe

SevenNaturalWondersoftheWorld

• ExploreWooroonooranNationalParkandVolunteerata

WildlifeRefuge

• SleepBeneaththeStarsonaLive-AboardBoatintheStun-

ningWatersoftheCoralSea

• TeachEnglishtoFijianSchoolchildrenandHelpImprove

CommunityInfrastructure

• ParticipateinaTraditionalSevusevuCeremonywithFijian

Chiefs

• ExploretheFamousOperaHouseandDiscovertheSitesof

Sydney

• 40HoursCommunityService

Spotlight Project: Naiwaisomo Village

For over 15 years, ARCC students have ventured into the heart of Beqa Island, comprised of nine unique villages

and known as the ‘Island of Firewalkers’. Here locals live as they have for centuries and struggle to improve their

livelihoods due to a lack of support and resources. Through projects directed by the Village Chief, we have installed

community generators, refurbished classrooms, constructed sidewalks and a seawall, incorporated English educa-

tion in the local primary school and more. Continuing our work on milestone projects, we feel an overwhelming

sense of community and impact.

ARCCPrograms|Australia/Fiji:IslandVillageInitiative

Days 1 - 2: Travel Days

AllparticipantsarriveatLosAngelesInternationalAirport(LAX)wheretheyaremetbythegroupleaders.Af-

teraninitialorientationandicebreakeractivities,weboardourflightboundforSydney,Australia.Wecrossthe

InternationalDateLineandloseadaywhichwewillgainbackattheendofourtrip.Accommodations: Overnight

flight

Day 3: Cairns

Today we fly to Australia’s tropical town of Cairns (pronounced “CANS”), located on the northern coast of

QueenslandandthegatewaytotheGreatBarrierReef.Throughgames,teambuildingactivitiesandeatingourfirst

mealstogether,theadventuretrulybegins.Wealsointroducetheroleof“LeaderoftheDay”whichisanessential

componentofeveryARCCtrip. Accommodations: Guesthouse

Days 4 - 5: Wooroonooran National Park & Wildlife Refuge Service

WebeginthedayvolunteeringwithalocalorganizationcalledTreeForce

toplantmuchneededtreesinthelocalarea.Thisgivesusagreatintroduc-

tiontotheimportanceofsustainingnaturalecosystemsasweprepareto

exploretherainforest!WethenmakeourwaytoWooroonooranNational

Park,oneofthemostdiverseplacesintheWetTropicsWorldHeritagearea

andhosttosomeoftheoldestcontinuallysurvivingrainforestsintheworld.

Weexperience this beautiful area aswe swimunderwaterfalls and slide

downanaturalrockslide.Ourguidealsoteachesusabouttheenchanting

creaturesoftherainforest liketheUlyssesButterflyandGreenTreeFrog,

andifwe’relucky,wemayspotthem!

Attheendoftheday,wearriveatanon-profitwildlifecenterandrefuge

inPortDouglas. This rehabilitationcenter is home for countless injured,

sickandorphanedanimals.Underthesupervisionofawildlifeexpert,we

havetheopportunitytocomeface-to-facewithwildlifewhichmayinclude

kangaroos,wallabies,birdsofprey,goannas,quolls,snakes,lorikeets,cocka-

toos,owls,akoalaortwoandanassortmentofotherAussieanimals.We

helpwith servicework,basedonourown skills and interests, thathelps

keepthewildlifehospitalgoing(ex:makingsigns,repairingenclosures,

tendingthevegetablegardenfortheanimals’food,etc.)Thisisagreatway

tocontributetothecommunitywhilesimultaneouslyhelpingwildlife.

Afterourworkatthewildlifecenteriscompleted,wemakeourwayback

to Cairns and prepare for our SCUBA and snorkeling adventures ahead.

WeparticipateinaReefTeachpresentationledbylocalmarinebiologists

tolearnmoreaboutthefascinatingunderwaterworldoftheGreatBarrier

Reef.Accommodations: Wildlife Center

Days 6 - 9: Great Barrier Reef

ForthenextfourdayswelearntoSCUBAdive,*spendingtwodaysina

classroomandpoolandthenprogressingtoopenwaterdivingonthe

incredibleGreatBarrierReef.ThePADIOpenWaterdivingtakesplaceoff

aliveaboardboatwhichallowsustheabsolutebestaccesstothereef.We

log5divesamongcorals,turtles,andanarrayoffishthatcouldonlyexist

intheunderwaterparadiseofthisfascinatingreefsystem.Thosealready

certifiedtakeathree-dayPADIAdvancedOpenWaterDivercourseand

log9divesontheReef,includingaspectacularnightdive.Non-diversare

abletosnorkelfor3dayswheretheadvancedstudentsarepracticingtheir

dives.

SincemostofthespectacularsealifeoftheGreatBarrierReefiscloseto

thesurface,diversandsnorkelersalikeenjoyclose-upviewsoftropicalfish,

turtles and a kaleidoscope of corals. Accommodations: Guesthouse and

Liveaboard boat

*Please Note: To become SCUBA certified, you have to study, take quizzes and pass a final written and practical exam. You also need to pass a thorough physical exam performed by a dive physician. You cannot have used an inhaler or suffered from asthma in the past three years. Additionally, students with ADHD who are or have been taking Ritalin, or any of its derivatives, will not be permitted to dive. Quite a few ARCC students have failed the medical exam in the past for a number of conditions: history of migraines, childhood chest pains, Ritalin prescriptions, etc. Standards vary from doctor to doctor, but Australia has some of the toughest diving standards in the world. If you pass the course here, you can safely and confidently dive anywhere in the world.


Day 10: Cairns

Todaywe have a relaxingmorning and explore the town of Cairns. We

spendtimeatthepopularesplanadeandswiminafreshwaterlagoon.Our

eveningcontinueswithanAussieBBQaswe lookbackatouradventure

thusfar.Excitementfillstheairaswegetreadyforournextdestination,

Sydney!Accommodations: Guesthouse

Days 11 - 12: Sydney

WesaygoodbyetothecoastalcommunityofCairnsandheadtothebus-

tlingcityofSydneyforacoupledaysofseeingthesights.Sydneyishome

totheworld-famousOperaHouseandHarborBridge,bothatthetopofour

listofthingstosee.Locatedintheheartofthecity,ourhostelletsustaste

thebestSydneyhastooffer.WeareashortwalkfromDarlingHarbor,and

abeautifulferryrideawayfromManlyBeach.Accommodations: Hostel


Days 13 - 14: Nadi, Fiji

WemakeourwaytothetropicalIslandofFijiwherewecontinuethenext

partofouradventure!InNadi,wespendadaybecomingorientedwithFi-

jiancultureaswelearnabouttheircustomsandtraditions.Wethenmake

ourwaytoBeqaIslandbyboat,alsoknownasthe‘IslandoftheFirewalkers’,

andtaketimetoenjoyournewsurroundingsandprepareforourservice

projectsahead.Accommodations: Hotel

Days 15 - 17: Spotlight Project: Naiwaisomo Village

Forthenextthreedays,wearebusyteaching,lessonplanningandleading

activitieswiththestudentsofRaviraviSchool.Wedonateschoolsupplies

andteachsubjectsinEnglish,mathandscience.Wehelptheyoungerstu-

dentswith theirEnglish skills through funactivities andgamesandhelp

teachtheolderchildrenaboutgeographyandlifeintheUnitedStates.Ac-

commodations: Traditional Burres

Day 18: Nanuku Island

Todaywetravelbyboattoourownspecialisland—Nanuku.Nanukuissim-

plysandandpalmtrees,andwecanwalkarounditintenminutes.Aperfect

placetorestafterourhardwork,Nanukuistrulyatropicalparadise.Young

Fijiansfromaneighboringvillageoftensailouttohelpusgathercoconuts

fromthepalm trees.Wesetupcamp for thenightandenjoy this island

paradiseswimming,snorkelingandcampingonthebeachunderthestars

atnight!Accommodations: Beach Camping

Days 19 - 20: Spotlight Project: Naiwaisomo Village

WeheadbacktoNaiwaisomotoparticipateinserviceprojectsthatare

mostneededinthevillage.ARCChasbeenoperatingprogramsinFijifor

overfifteenyears,andwehavebuiltlong-lastingrelationshipswiththeFi-

jiansinNawaisomo.Theserviceprojectsaredesignedspecificallytohelp

improvetheircommunityandvaryfrompaintingandrepairingtheschool

tobuildingafootpaththroughoutthevillageorworkingonarecycling

project.Accommodations: Traditional Burres

Want to Learn More? Contact the Regional Director:

Eben Coenen | Regional Director: Australia / [email protected]

Day 21: Pacific Harbor and Nadi

TodaywedepartBeqaIslandbyboat,headingbacktothemainland.We

arriveinPacificHarborwhereweenjoylunchandexplorethecolorfulmar-

ketsandcoastaltown.WethenmakeourwaytoNadiwherewecelebrate

ouradventuresandnewfriendswithafinalfeastandclosingceremony.

Accommodations: Hotel


Day 22: Departure

Eventuallyallgoodthingsmustcometoanend.Wesaygoodbyeto

AustraliaandFijiandbeginourjourneybackacrossthePacific.Oncewe

arriveinLosAngeles,wegeteveryonetotheirconnectingflightshome.

Thememoriesoftheexperienceandthegroupwillcarryusthroughto

nextsummer!

spotlight project: naiwaisomo village days 1 - 2: travel ... · arcc programs | australia/fiji:...

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