St Joseph’s College

Developing World Immersions at St Joseph’s College

India immersion
By Ruby Downing

Although an emotionally demanding trip, I can confidently say that immersion has been the best experience of my life so far, creating memories that I will never forget. Looking back, I am so grateful for the things I have learned during the trip. Immersion truly was an eye-opening experience, and after spending time with many children and adults who by no fault of their own find themselves in difficult and challenging circumstances, I have become even more grateful for everything that I have. I have learned that it is all too easy to take these things for granted sometimes, but this experience has opened my eyes to the extremely lucky life that I live. Immersion has given me a whole new perspective and one that will never leave me. It has also fostered in me a growing ambition to provide support and help to these individuals in the future – when I hope to return to India again!

On a daily basis, I find myself thinking about the smiles of the children and the people we met throughout our trip, and these memories never fail to fill me with joy. It is hard to put into words just how much these experiences have impacted me, they have shaped not only how I see the world but also how I see myself in it. It was incredible to see, particularly in The Sai Swayam Society, how one individual can make such a difference for so many. I was truly inspired by Meera Bhatia and her dedication to helping others, it was incredible to see the opportunities she provided for the children, something I now hope to do in the future. Moreover, my experiences within the Salaam Balaak Trust and Mother Teressa’s home for disabled woman was one that was very emotional but also extremely heartwarming. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to spend time with these children and adults, learning their stories and seeing their smiles, and I was thrilled that we were able to go in and share our joy with them. Witnessing their happiness and strength in the face of challenges was truly inspiring and something that filled me with hope.

Among the many highlights of immersion was making friends, with Shabnam and Nikky especially, whilst spending time at Pratyek has to be one of the best things to come out of immersion for me. The friendships I have built with them are ones that I will continue to cherish into the future.

Of course, I couldn’t finish this reflection without mentioning the incredible group of people I went on immersion with. I have made many lifelong friends from the group that went on immersion, both pupils and staff, and I will forever remember the memories we made during the trip. From the moments of laughter to the moments of vulnerability, the support and love we shared as a group is unforgettable. I can genuinely say that I have grown closer to some of these individuals than I have to friends I’ve known for years, and I think this is a testament to the very special bond we have all formed. The friendships I have made through this trip and the memories we created together as a group are something that I will forever cherish.

Overall, immersion has been a life-changing experience that has truly opened my eyes to a world very different to our own, teaching me invaluable lessons about compassion and the power of helping others. These experiences, memories, and friendships are things that will stay with me for a lifetime. I am eternally grateful to have been given this incredible opportunity to be a small part of something so meaningful and I really do hope to return to India in the future!

Sierra Leone Immersion
Jenny Bejarano Pancerow

Sierra Leone. For months, whispers about the trip filled our conversations. Fourteen students, six teachers. What are the people like? How will we cope with the changes? Will we be different people by the end?

Greeted by a slightly turbulent landing, a wave of humidity, and the sound of music, all worries dissipated, and adrenalin kicked in. Sierra Leone is simply beautiful. We were fortunate enough to experience its colourful street markets, national parks, beaches, and cultural dances which the people are exceptionally proud of.

We’d learnt about past struggles, like the Civil War and the Ebola Crisis, but being there made us realise how much of an impact these events really had on people’s daily lives, even today. Villages such as Lungi village, which we had the pleasure of visiting, lost many family members. This massively impacted them, a community so reliant on no one, other than themselves, for survival. Lungi has worked hard to rebuild themselves; they have not lost faith and continue to move forward with those gone close to their hearts.

Many work tirelessly for necessities like food that we simply find in our cupboards with ease. We take this for granted. Although we ourselves are blessed with plenty, the people of Sierra Leone are by far one of the most cheerful people we’ve ever met, greeting us with singing and dancing and pure happiness. This atmosphere welcomed us everywhere we went.

One of the most prominent memories we share is getting off the bus to Model school. A swarm of children ran with open arms and joyful shouts, excited to have visitors. They clung on to us for as long as they could and listened diligently as we taught lessons and hosted craft activities. After many visits, goodbyes were exchanged with a celebration of our countries’ shared love of football which we drew 1-1 in the competitive battle. Looking around, I saw that they brought a great joy to us – that we would carry and remember for a lifetime.

Throughout our two-week trip we continued to visit schools, organise community activities and visit children’s centres where we grew in kindness, patience, and humility. Every evening we’d gather with the Christian Brothers, along with people we’d met – new and old – and enjoy the food we’d each help to make, reflecting on our highly emotional day.

The moments where we felt a heavy sadness for those struggling were immediately overcome by the light of their collective and constant elation. Although they have little, Sierra Leone is an extremely grateful country – every person you meet has strong faith, an intuitive mind, a love-for-all attitude, and admirable perseverance. Sierra Leone you are always in our heads and our hearts.

The HE+ Programme is an initiative, run by the University of Cambridge, which aims to help Year 12 students strengthen their applications to competitive universities. As part of the programme, you can attend online, university-style lectures, on a range of subjects and weekly webinars discussing all aspects of university application, from personal statements to interviews. The HE+ Programme provided me with super-curricular opportunities that allowed me to enhance my personal statement and gave me the confidence and capabilities to apply to top universities.

Perhaps the most enticing aspect of the programme is the opportunity to enter the national HE+ Project Competition, which requires students to create an academic research poster that is judged by experts in the field. This year, the theme was ‘The Future’, and my research poster discussing the use of AI in healthcare was shortlisted as a finalist along with 24 other students from across the country. We were invited to the University of Cambridge to showcase our work in an academic conference and have lunch in the beautiful dining hall of St John’s College. Producing my poster was an incredibly enriching experience that encouraged me to explore my interests beyond the A-Level curriculum and develop academic research skills that are vital at university.

Overall, being involved in the HE+ Programme was an amazing opportunity that I would highly recommend to anyone interested in applying to university. I feel academically enriched and personally proud of the work that I have produced.

Hareem Mustansir
Year 13 Pupil at St Joseph’s College

The ERI Justice group from St Joseph’s College attended the online conference on Gender Equality and Women’s Rights. The group found the experience incredibly valuable in being able to share their thoughts and listen to the views of other Edmund Rice students from across the world on how we can make our society fairer.

Following the conference, the group has researched a range of charities and organisations across Stoke-on-Trent and the wider area and has begun to devise ways of incorporating them into fundraising projects across the year as well as how, as a school, we can raise the profile of the work that these organisations do.

Additionally, the College’s Sustainability Group have been working to produce their first ever newsletter that has been sent to parents containing fun facts, recipes and tips all linked to sustainable living.

Mr C Banner, Assistant Headteacher, said “It has so much more impact when we listen to the words of our young people rather than just listening to the voices of other adults. To see our students engaging so actively within causes around social justice and sustainability is a real inspiration.”

Photo of the ERI Justice Group with the Lay Chaplain Mr T Selby