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HAVERGAL COLLEGE
G
rade 12 student Audrey Xu exudes a quiet confidence. A
talented photographer with an eye for composition and a knack
for capturing the feeling of a place, she is typically more comfortable
behind the camera than in front of it. The decision to join the
Havergal excursion to Tanzania last March Break pushed Xu out
from her comfort zone and into a new understanding of herself and
her connection with the world.
“I was definitely a little bit apprehensive at first,” recalls Xu. “I
debated about whether or not to go on the excursion for about two
weeks. It wasn’t until after many conversations with Ms. Belore
that I made a decision. She said to me: ‘It’s either being in Tanzania
for three weeks with people you will grow to know, or being in an
environment that you are already comfortable in,’ which struck a
chord with me.”
This push and pull between the familiar and the unknown is one
that many students know well, whether it is breaking away from old
friends to make space for new ones, leaving the comforts of home
to experience a new rhythm of life or even just letting go of old
mindsets in favour of new perspectives.
For Xu, taking the leap into the unknown brought international
issues into focus for her at the local level. During her 17 days
in Mbeya, Tanzania, she participated in Camp Olive Branch
International (COBI), the brainchild of Deborah McCracken-
Nangereke—founder of the Olive Branch for Children foundation,
a registered charity and not-for-profit organization that provides
support to thousands of Tanzanians living in some of the country’s
most remote regions. A Toronto native, McCracken-Nangereke lives
and works in Tanzania with her family, overseeing a full spectrum
of community-led programs, including HIV/AIDS prevention and
care, food security, support for vulnerable children and women,
microfinancing and Montessori primary education training. COBI
is an extension of this programming, designed to bring Tanzanian
and Canadian youth together in a way that is unconventional of
most international trips marketed to young people.
Each Canadian student on the excursion was partnered with a
Tanzanian student of similar age. Xu was partnered with
Erika, an outgoing teenager who shared Xu’s love of art and
photography. They had dance parties before dinner, shared a
Bringing a New Perspective into Focus:
The Institute Excursions
Audrey Xu’s Story
By Melanie Belore, Program Manager, The Institute at Havergal
Audrey Xu supports the Olive Branch for Children by selling her prints
online.
“
“
The Institute excursions shift
language and perspective from
How can I help?
to
How can I
learn from you?
The Institute at Havergal