After attending a selection day with many other Ranger Guides from Warwickshire, I was selected as one of four girls from Warwickshire to represent Girlguiding Midlands on an international project to Taiwan, in a group made up of 3 leaders and 18 girls.

The project is run through the travel company Concordia in conjunction with the Meishan Christian Church which, since 2009 has been looking after children from underprivileged families after school, free of charge. Approximately 10 days of the trip will be spent volunteering up to 4-6 hours a day; doing tasks such as building an ecological pond, organizing and running educational and cultural activities for local children, and farming using hydroponic techniques. The trip will end with around 2 days of cultural visits in Taipei; the capital of Taiwan

To enable people from all backgrounds to have an equal chance of attending, all participants are expected to raise the £2500 cost per person. The money must be fundraised, rather than being funded by parents. In addition to the trip cost we are expected to raise money for kit, vaccinations and other costs.

This is an amazing opportunity to experience new cultures and countries as well as developing as a person and establishing new skills. I have already learnt how to effectively manage my time, juggling fundraising activities and school work. It has increased my confidence, independence and team working skills through meeting many new people and it has also improved my money handling skills and ability to work spreadsheets to monitor my fundraising. I hope that the trip itself will help me to better understand cultures vastly different from ours and to gain a greater understanding of how people live in other countries. The skills and experience I gain will help me for life.

I am hugely thankful for the support I have received from friends, family, my Ranger Guide group and the Brownie pack where I am a Young Leader. Many people have also supported me with my other fundraising activities, including cake sales, car boot sales and holiday cookery courses for younger girls. Additionally I have received grants from Girlguiding Warwickshire and the King's High Parents Association.