When four Holland College students travel to China to work with underprivileged children on a six week cultural learning and teaching experience this February, they plan to take as many gifts with them as they can.

The trip is sponsored by the Enhanced Rural Teacher Training program (ERTT), a joint initiative of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the Association of Canadian Community Colleges. Holland College is the lead educational institution in the ERTT program. The students will be spending half of their time working with Chinese children, fellow students and teachers in an urban setting, and the other half in a rural setting.

Karah Scott and Jodi Dollar, second year students from Holland College's Early Childhood Care and Education program, along with Adam Hornyik and Kara Gallant, first year students from the Human Services program, will be leaving for the Chinese province of Sichuan on February 28th. Before their departure, they are raising funds to purchase important adaptive tools and equipment for the disabled children Gallant and Hornyk will be working with, and sports equipment and learning supplies for the Chinese children and student teachers that Scott and Dollar will meet while they are away.

"We have been collecting books from students and staff here at the Charlottetown Centre to be sold at a book fair February 13th and 14th from noon to 1 p.m. in the cafeteria. Staff and students are welcome to drop by and support us," Hornyik explained. "We are also selling tickets to staff and students for a one hour massage session with massage therapist Keslie MacEachern."

The students will be accompanied by Jolene Chan, manager of Asia/Pacific projects for Holland College's International Office and Dawn Wickstrom, Holland College curriculum consultant. Chan has taken several students on similar trips in the past few years, and said students frequently find the trip to be transformational.

"This will be a very meaningful visit for our students," she said. "I'm sure that it will be an eye opening and life changing experience for them. This is a wonderful opportunity for them to acquire educational experience that contributes to their own professional growth."

In this picture: (L-R) Adam Hornyik, Kara Gallant, Jodi Dollar and Karah Scott prepare gifts for the underprivileged children they will be working with during an upcoming trip to China.