Local high school student Isaac Erbacher will join the big leagues with the United Nations Youth Australia’s Pacific Project.
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Isaac is a year 12 student from Kooringal High School, and he was one of 12 delegates picked, from hundreds of Australian students to attend the 2018 Pacific Project in East Timor in July this year.
Isaac has volunteered for local community groups such as PCYC, and this project seemed like a natural next step to take. With a love for travelling, Isaac was motivated by a passion to help others and represent those his age.
“I've always been really big on giving young people a voice and a stage because they often get looked over,” he said.
“Australia really is a lucky country and a lot of people don't realise that countries close to home are suffering from poverty, malnutrition and a lack of education.
“If I have a chance to help, you bet I'll want to go over and help.”
Isaac also sees this as an opportunity not just to help others but also to grow as a person.
“We’ll be running some educational workshops, consulting with the East Timor diplomatic officials, learning about diplomacy and Australian international relations,” he said.
“We’ll be teaching English to some local English children and we’ll be doing manual labour.
“A lot of it will be around learning from the locals and the locals learning from us.”
Isaac has been overwhelmed by the support he has received not only from friends and the family but the community as well, that has helped to raise funds.
“One of my close friends, Emma Wellard, said to me, ‘would you like me to busk on the main street for you’ and that blew my mind, it was so selfless and so thoughtful, and she’s already raised a lot of money so far,” he said.
“The community is really involved in it now, and it makes me feel really honoured to have this chance.”
For those who want to do the same, Isaac encourages Wagga’s youth to engage in community service because everything makes a difference and it will open the doors to incredible opportunities.
“You’ll get it if you’ve got the right determination and the right passion,” he said.
Isaac has big plans following his graduation, and this is one more step towards achieving his goals.
“My future plans post high school, involve travelling to the USA and working at a children’s summer camp, after that I plan to travel to other countries to experience a vast range of cultures, and to gain a deeper cultural understanding,” he said.
“I also plan to travel to Third World countries to volunteer and help with international aid, with the overall mission to make the world a better place.”
The theme of this year’s project is: Developing and Reconstructing Society. Delegates will partner with Encouragement House to assist on projects throughout the East Timor.
You can support Isaac’s trip at his GoFundMe page: https://www.gofundme.com/isaacs-pacific-project-2018.