Helping out in Cambodia

Orangeville woman looking for sponsors: Gettin' ready to go. Katie Cartwright, a local philanthropist, will fly to Cambodia on May 1 with the Global Youth Volunteer Network. The 19-year-old Orangeville native is relying on financial sponsors and donations of school supplies to enrich the focus of the group's mission, which is to educate children alongside Buddhist monks. Todd McEwen

By Todd McEwen
www.orangeville.com
Apr 09, 2012

The Dalai Lama believes our prime purpose in this life is to help others.
While Katie Cartwright may not actively practice Buddhism, the proverb is ringing true with the young philanthropist.

On May 1, the 19-year-old Orangeville native will embark on her first trip abroad in hopes of enriching humanity alongside the Global Youth Volunteer Network (GYVN), when a group of 12 volunteers touches down in Cambodia.

The Canadian-based organization is a youth driven, international, grassroots group that has been striving towards infecting young people with positivity through their work around the globe.

Cartwright’s initial passion for global change was sparked during her time at Westside Secondary School.

Her passion has continued into her first year at the University of Guelph, where she hopes her political science major will lead to a career in international law.

“Philanthropy has really been a big part of my life, for I’d say, two or three years,” she said. “I’ve started mainly working with Free The Children, and my high school, and then I got into this organization.”

If all goes well, Cartwright plans to work with other nations to enforce child labour laws in countries that don’t adhere to international law.

“Other governments have laws in place against child labour, they just don’t follow through on them,” she said.

Cartwright’s journey from high school volunteer to international law practitioner will take a notable turn when she steps foot on Cambodian soil for the first time.
There, she joins a group of 11 other volunteers in working with Raise and Support the Poor, a charitable organization started by a group of Buddhist monks.

For two weeks, the volunteers will share their knowledge by teaching English at local schools, before assisting monks in communal tasks, such as constructing schools or homes, for an additional two weeks.

Being Cartwright’s first abroad trip, her GYVN leader, Shannon Griffin, said being exposed to a radically different environment can be overwhelming to some volunteers at first.
“It can be really emotionally intense when you’re seeing things you’ve never seen for the first time,” she said. “Like for myself, I worked with people who were HIV positive in Tanzania, and I had never been exposed to that before and seeing people who are so sick.

“It’s exhausting emotionally some times.”

Gaining support from the team, however, as Griffin explained, is the glue that bonds the volunteers together during the month-long stay.

When the time comes to bid farewell, to both Cambodia and the litter of travelling philanthropists, it can be just as difficult as the initial exposure to the impoverished nations they’re helping rebuild.

“You’re with your team, who offers you that support, constantly, then you’re meeting people who are inspiring you so much, it’s just hard to think about,” Griffin said. “You don’t really know when you’ll see them again or if you’ll keep in touch. It’s definitely really hard for everyone.”

The group of devoted selectees, bound for making an impression on the lives of one another, was chosen through an application process, normally only available through universities, according to Cartwright.

She said, however, those who wish to participate in one of the many abroad trips offered through GYVN can do so through the organization’s website, www.en.gyvn.ca.
Patrons under the age of 18 will need parent permission before embarking to a troubled nation.

With less than a month before Cartwright jets off, she is still in need of financial support from the community, and sponsors.

“I’ve had a lot of support already, but I can get a little bit more to be where I need to be,” she said.

School supplies are also being accepted to pass along to the education starved youth of Cambodia.

Email cartwrik@uoguelph.ca if you’re interested in making a donation.

With a number of unknown years lying ahead in Cartwright’s own educational expedition, she said her passion for volunteering will hopefully transition smoothly into a full-blown lifestyle.

“It’s really just a big passion of mine and I figure I might as well start now, because there’s never going to be a good time to travel or spend money on something like this,” she said. “But I figure I may as well do it while I can and do as much as I can while I’m here.”