AFTER receiving £500,000 of funding, a Basingstoke college has given its students the opportunity to take part in two-week adventures all over the world.

Queen Mary’s College (QMC) is running up to 10 expeditions this year as part of the Challenges Abroad Global Citizenship Project.

Funding has been secured from the Challenges Abroad Turing Scheme, to provide a series of two-week adventures for QMC’s sixth-form students.

Expeditions have been planned to India, Nepal, Peru, Thailand, Cambodia, and Tanzania, which will involve volunteer work with the ‘FutureSense’ foundation, supporting community-based development projects.

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The first of the 2023 trips are scheduled to take place in February, with 16 students and three members of staff each visiting Tanzania, Thailand, or Cambodia.

QMC principal Mark Henderson said: “I am delighted that 160 of our students have the opportunity to take part in the Challenges Abroad expeditions this year. They will be part of unforgettable experiences that help them develop their skillset, grow as individuals and have a positive impact on disadvantaged communities across the globe.”

The future trips follow the success of an expedition to Cambodia last year, where 15 students from QMC, and three members of staff, spent two weeks immersing themselves in the local culture.

Basingstoke Gazette: QMC student Isabella Bache helping at a school in Cambodia on a 2022 Challenge Abroad expedition.QMC student Isabella Bache helping at a school in Cambodia on a 2022 Challenge Abroad expedition. (Image: Challenges Abroad)

One of the major highlights of the trip was the students' fundraising efforts to build two additional classrooms for the 'Supplementary Education Programme'.

They were able to raise a total of $10,000 (£7,600), which enabled more than one hundred students in the Battambang region to access the academic support provided by the Challenges Abroad programme. 

The students focused on the 'Supplementary Education Programme' which aims to bridge the gap between the level of education supplied free by the state and what is needed for children to succeed in their education.

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This programme is committed to providing student volunteers with a wider world view and an understanding of other cultures, all the while helping them to tackle challenges they are currently facing.

Staff and students are now raising more funds for FutureSense Foundation to support rural, disadvantaged communities in the locations QMC is visiting this year.

To find out more or donate visit qmc.ac.uk/news