Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
Press release here:
This April a group of seventh and eighth grade “peace ambassadors” from Evergreen Community Charter School will be taking a nine-day learning journey to Cambodia. They are being led by their language arts teacher, Kathy Millar and Associate Director, Jason Carter. These students are studying war and peace, global interdependence, sustainable changes and how to make a positive difference in the world. This trip represents the ultimate in experiential learning for these students.
The trip is organized by an innovative NGO called PEPY, and the student’s participation supports the work of young Cambodians who are improving lives in their country through educational and environmental projects. The Students will stay with a Cambodian family, visit schools, meet with leaders of a number of NGOs, and participate in service work.
The purpose is to carry a message of peace from the USA to Cambodia, to learn as much as possible about Cambodia’s history and culture, and especially to learn about what kind of aid and development truly changes the world for the better. The students will return to Asheville to share what they have learned, and to support peace through cultural exchange in new and creative ways in the community and other schools.
The first step in our quest is fundraising the cost of the trip, which is $3,000 per student. The team has been working for two months now both individually and as a group to fund this trip. Early fundraisers have included wrapping gifts in the mall, a holiday dance at the school and a winter break day camp where the students helped in the planning, set-up and lead workshops for younger children. The team goal is to raise $9,000 to finance half of the trip for each student. They will be responsible for the other half on their own.
