LIVERPOOL – Liverpool Regional High School’s international student ambassadors will soon be on a flight to Campeche, Mexico.
Lauren Amirault and Ben Crosby are set to spend two weeks at the Campeche International Leadership Camp from March 2-18. Nineteen other Nova Scotia high school students will be joining them on the trip.
“We stay with Mexican host families,” explained Lauren.
The 21 students were divided into groups to fundraise. Lauren and Ben began to raise money in January and will continue almost until the day they board the plane. So far, the two have raised about $700 and hope hit the $1,500 mark. The entire group is hoping to raise approximately $21,000.
“While we’re there, in our little groups, we’re actually deciding where we’re going to donate our money to,” said Lauren.
Additionally, Ben says students will be taking part in leadership skill building and they’ll be taking Spanish classes at the university, among other things.
As ambassadors with the Nova Scotia International Student Program (NSISP), Lauren and Ben’s role is to help international students integrate into the school community.
“We are the link between the international students and then everything else they do here. We’re there to help them and lead them,” said Ben.
Each year, the NSISP trains more than 100 Nova Scotia students to become ambassadors.
“The most rewarding thing is definitely the relationships you build,” said Ben about being an ambassador.
Fundraising
One of the fundraising initiatives Amirault and Crosby are doing is selling chocolate bark, made by White Point’s chef Alan Crosby.
“It’s a kilogram of bark for $15 a bag, and we’ve been doing really well with that,” said Ben.
The two students announced another fundraising initiative Feb. 6 – a five-course Mexican-themed dinner. Tickets are $50 and all proceeds are going to the trip because Lauren and Ben have sponsors that have paid for the food.
“That’s going to be hosted at White Point. It’s a chef’s roundtable dinner,” said Ben.
The dinner is scheduled to happen March 3, but Lauren and Ben will collect the money beforehand.
Anyone interested in buying a ticket to the dinner or buying chocolate bark can email Lauren at [email protected] or Ben at [email protected].
Ben says he is looking forward to being able to experience living in a different environment with a new culture.
For more information about the Nova Scotia International Student Program, visit https://nsisp.ca/.
