Helping other people at all times comes in many forms.
For Aeron Gurskis and Julian Vignoles from Troop 27 in Belmont, Calif., it meant spending 10 days last summer in a remote village in another part of the world, working alongside members of that community to change lives.
That’s the buildOn Trek experience, and it’s a great way for Scouts to make a difference.
Julian and Aeron, along with Aeron’s brother Orion and a handful of other volunteers, journeyed to Senegal, Africa, where they helped build a two-room school from the ground up.
“I definitely think the ideals of Scouting align and correlate with buildOn’s principles,” says Julian. “Not only did I think it was a great idea to go out there and help this community, but I also thought just the experience of doing such an adventurous thing, going out of my comfort zone … it was very good for my character development. Your perception just widens.”
The trip to the small village of Ndioudiouf (pronounced Ju-ju) was a true test of their preparedness, mental fortitude and commitment to the core ideals of Scouting.
Aeron (left) and Julian hold the bricks they made to say thanks to the people of Ndioudiouf.
What is buildOn?
buildOn is a nonprofit that unites people through service and education to ignite opportunity by building schools in low-income countries and engaging U.S. students in community service. Their Trek program is an opportunity for participants to immerse themselves in a developing country, live with a host family and work alongside local villagers to build a school.
It is, in many ways, the ultimate high adventure of service.
Before they even left for Senegal, the Scouts faced their first task that was familiar due to their experiences in Scouting: fundraising. Participants are asked to raise funds that go directly to purchasing construction supplies and paying local skilled workers who can finish the project after the volunteers depart.
After a long journey, the two Scouts and their team arrived in Ndioudiouf, a village two hours from Dakar. They were quickly immersed in the local culture, staying in a host family’s home and learning how to deal with the heat and food that was very different from what they were used to back home.
Aeron and Orion stayed with a family that had three generations of its members living under one roof. No air conditioning. No refrigeration. No cold water.
But plenty of learning to appreciate the things you have.
“The father used a horse-drawn carriage to go to work every morning,” Aeron says.
Cheerful service
The heart of Trek is the work itself. Over 10 days, the team worked alongside members of the community to complete the foundation for two new classrooms and two bathrooms.
It was intense. The Scouts took on tasks like digging the foundation, which was was so deep in some spots that Aeron had to be lifted out of the hole when he was done.
They mixed the mortar for the bricks, combining sand, concrete and gravel, and then packed the materials into molds before letting them dry in the relentless sun. They even bent the rebar used to reinforce the structure.
The physical demands were compounded by the environment. Every day saw temperatures hover around 100 degrees, with no shade where they were working. A dust storm even rolled in one afternoon. Julian estimated needing to drink a staggering 8-9 liters of water daily just to stay hydrated.
But it was all worth it.
When they arrived, it was bare sand. When they left, the foundation of the structure was set. The local workers would finish the rest of the building in the weeks that followed.
“Knowing that what we were doing was going toward a much bigger cause definitely helped drive me forward,” Aeron says.
Bonds that will never be broken
Every day, the volunteers would attend a cultural workshop, where they’d learn about the community they were serving. It also served to strengthen the bond between everyone who was there.
It reminded the Scouts of similar gatherings during campouts, backpacking treks and other Scout adventures. And much like participating in a Scout service project, the more they talked, the more they realized they were all there for the same reason: to do a good deed.
“It was an amazing experience,” says Julian. “I would recommend it to anyone in Scouting because people who go to high-adventure camps and Philmont and things like that, they would find this very interesting. It’s kind of like a different kind of adventure.”
By the time the two Scouts and their team departed, the foundation was complete and blessed by the community in a small ceremony. Their service was tangible, permanent and life-changing for the children of Ndioudiouf.
“If you look through the Scout Law and the values that buildOn promotes, it tracks,” says Aeron. “Eagle Scout service projects, community service projects — all of those things help us understand that what we’re doing isn’t just for ourselves. It’s for something much greater.”
Click here to learn more about the service opportunities offered by buildOn.
Click/tap and drag the slider to see how the old school looked compared to what the Scouts helped build.
Photos courtesy of buildOn
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