Robyn Youens, a Footprinter Grant recipient, has returned home after seven months volunteering with Project Trust in Senegal, and starts her medical degree this autumn. She wrote to the Trustees in September, and we share her letter here with her permission.
Debriefing on Coll
I’m writing to thank you again for your generous donation towards my volunteering placement in Senegal with Project Trust, and to enclose my project report.
I’ve just returned from an excellent weekend on the Isle of Coll with Project Trust for debriefing. It was an amazing opportunity to reflect on what we’ve learnt, to listen to the stories and insights from volunteers in other countries and, importantly, to consider how, as Project Trust alumni, we can continue to have a lasting positive impact at home, grow from what we’ve learnt and inspire a next generation of Project Trust volunteers to undertake the same incredible experience.
Gratitude
Reflecting on my experience in Senegal, the word I keep coming back to is gratitude. Gratitude for the help getting there, for the friends I made, for eating thieboudienne (Senegal’s national dish), and travelling to new places. For the curiosity and enthusiasm of the kids at school and the kindness of so many strangers that made Senegal truly feel like home for seven months. I continue to keep in contact with many of the friends, and I’m trying to keep up with my Wolof learning (one of the many languages in Senegal).
What I learnt
I’ve learnt so much not just about myself (my confidence, teaching skills and ability to communicate in another language) but also about other people. Adapting to a new culture gives you a new perspective on so many things.
Writing my report for Project Trust was a great opportunity for reflection on this. In my first few weeks at home I’ve spent most evenings working on it. I think a part of me didn’t want to finish it because it was such a lovely part of my day to be able to sit down and think about Senegal. I think that also explains the rather large word count (sorry!). I hope my report shows just a little bit of the incredible impact my time has had on me, and, I hope, on some of the people I met and the kids I taught.
What’s next
I’m now off to uni in a couple of weeks to study Medicine, but Senegal is an experience I’ll carry with me forever. I hope I’ll be able to return one day, and I’ve definitely been inspired to work abroad in the future.
Again I want to thank you so so much for your support, it means a lot to me.
Robyn Youens
