Once in a lifetime trip to Borneo for Outwood Grange Academy

Along with two teachers, 15 pupils from the Potovens Lane based academy finally took the 29-day long trip, which had been postponed from 2020 due to Covid.

The trip which was organised in partnership with sustainable student travel experts, Camps International, which has camps in 16 countries located across East Africa, South East Asia and Latin America. All camps are built on community land, using local materials and employing local staff.

Students stayed at four different camps across Borneo throughout their trip, with a five day stay on the island of Mantanani and took part in a range of community projects, including facilitating English lessons for local children, helping with a village flood alleviation project, tree planting, a plastic recycling scheme and making furniture for a primary school.

They also visited a war memorial museum, traditional dance lessons, Batik painting sessions, a day at the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre followed by a gruelling five-day jungle trek which concluded at a tea plantation.

One Year 11 student, Sophie, said: “Going to Borneo was honestly the best experience of my life. Everything that happened on the expedition helped me to learn either a new skill, or something about myself.

“The places we stayed weren’t always glamorous but the project work, the beautiful animals we got to see and the activities we did in the month made it all worthwhile. I’d definitely recommend the expedition to other students.”