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COOK ISLANDS TEAM 174 Global Volunteers September 15 October 5 2019 WWW GLOBALVOLUNTEERS ORG

C o o k I s l a n d s T e a m 1 7 4

T e a m G o a l s To plant and nurture seeds To learn about the local culture To 2 meet new people T e a m To serve the children of Rarotonga To have fun C h a r a c t e r i s t i c s Cooperation Trust Supportive Flexibility Respect Communicating Sense of Humor Civility Empathy Collaboration Energy Tolerance Consideratioj

C o o k I s l a n d s The Cook Islands a place where barefoot children arrive at school with toothy smiles dominating their faces a place where shoes are unimportant but happiness is The current government is seeking to minimize the brain drain from the islands over two decades and to encourage people to return by improving educational cultural medical and environmental services in the Cook Islands We are committed to helping them High truancy rates and emphasis on chores over homework play a part in many children lagging behind in their education Cook Islands children are generally educated in two very different languages Cook Islands Maori and English There is also a tradition of oral culture so reading is not a common hobby with few homes having books for children to read These factors contribute to difficulties with reading and comprehension and this is where you can help by providing that one on one attention the students need

Cook Islands leaders profess that to ensure children s continued happiness and development they must supply significant outside assistance to strengthen their educational foundation Over years of close partnership with our island friends Global Volunteers has been helping provide essential services in varied areas engaging volunteers unique skills in the broad areas of literacy public health and specialized care Global Volunteers assist Cook Islands in the following needed areas Make learning fun through reading games skits music there s no limit Provide one on one attention to children with special education needs Inspire young adults to develop life skills by offering personal lessons or case studies Serve as a classroom resource Encourage and support islanders of all ages living with disabilities Invest in island conservation projects As volunteers instead of just tourists team 174 got to know and learn from the Cook Islanders and you they left behind the gifts of hope service and friendship impressions that will last far longer than footprints in the sand

M o n d a y Journal Entry Quotes 1 6 S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 9 I am seeing the camaraderie and teamwork already It has been fun hearing the alumnae stories and it is nice to be surrounded by everyone willing to share their experience and tips on how to navigate the island I am considering this a bit of my own personal episode of survivor T u e s d a y 1 7 S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 9 This morning we all had a delicious breakfast on the Kii Kii s new patio We could see the sun rise and the moon set while listening to the glorious sound of waves crashing We talked about our fears expectations and excitement we were feeling about our first day at our assignments T h u r s d a y 1 9 S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 9 At Apii Nikao Sonia reading lessons for second graders and listened to them read She noticed that they had difficulties with a couple of English words this and there I sat in on a Maori lesson and supervised as the students copied the new vocabulary In the afternoon reading was taught introducing new words and assigning new books

T u e s d a y 2 4 S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 9 Market day at school was very festive Food art work for sale that classes had made and lots of people from the community came to support the school W e d n e s d a y 2 5 S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 9 Mary has been able to make real progress with a few students with their reading and is enjoying the process Everyone has had a good days work and is feeling very satisfied with what they have been able to accomplish T h u r s d a y 2 6 S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 9 Ashley had a fun hour and a half helping the students with algebra She and I agreed that algebra had definitely been fun in junior or high school Marianne shared a success story about reading with a group that is challenged by reading F r i d a y 2 7 S e p t e m b e r Journal 2 0 1 9 I remember those long days and short nights when I was a professional teacher But this This is different This is what I am meant to do And this is where I am meant to do it Entry Quotes

T u e s d a y Journal Entry Quotes 1 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 9 The Little Engine That Could is one of those children s books that should be read and reread over and over throughout life Sue has been working diligently to organize the contents of many many bins of materials that were donated to the university It has been a huge project but just like the engine she is achieving her goal W e d n e s d a y 2 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 9 As our time here draws to a close it feels good to know that we have not only planted seeds for future growth but have expanded the roots deeper for a more solid base T h u r s d a y 3 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 9 Joining nine other volunteers on this beautiful island has been a remarkable experience The camaraderie and unity of purpose amongst the volunteers warms my heart and brings a tear to my eye when I think of all the goodwill that has been fostered with our community partners The impact on the children is especially tear jerking to me

M o n d a y Journal Entry M o r a l o f t h e S t o r y Peoples words can have a big effect on others lives Think about what you say before it comes out of your mouth It might just be the difference between life and death 2 3 S e p t e m b e r T h e 2 0 1 9 F r o g S t o r y As a group of frogs were travelling through the woods two of them fell into a deep pit When the other frogs crowded around and saw how deep it was they told the two frogs that there was no hope for them However the two frogs decided to ignore what the others were saying and they proceeded to try and jump out of the pit Despite their effort the group of frogs at the top of the pit were still saying that they should just give up Eventually one of the frogs took head to what the others were saying and gave up Falling down to his death The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could Again the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop trying and just die It then jumped as hard as it could and finally made it out When he got out the other frogs said Did you not hear us The frog explained to them that he was deaf He thought that they were encouraging him the entire time

375 East Little Canada Road St Paul MN 55117 1628 USA 800 487 1074 toll free 651 482 0915 fax globalvolunteers org email globalvolunteers org GlobalVolunteers globalvolunteers globalvolunteers COOK ISLANDS TEAM 174 GLOBAL VOLUNTEERS