On November 16th, 2015, AASuccess collaborated with the non-profit Project Water Buffalo, to initiate the “Backpacks to Belize” project. The project involved traveling to Toledo, Belize and collecting backpacks filled with school supplies to support underserved children there.
The Backpacks to Belize project was led by Nick Tran, also the lead of Project Water Buffalo. It was initiated to assist the children in the Toledo District, the southernmost part of Belize that is often disadvantaged. The AASuccess members and volunteers of Project Water Buffalo flew to Belize, distributing backpacks filled with school supplies as well as assisting the local community. They also filmed a promotional video for the Toledo Ecotourism Association, raising awareness for the people in Toledo and to create positive change for the community.
“The Belize trip aligns exactly with my three-month-plan goal of [Networking] with professionals from outside of the AASuccess organization. This trip will allow me to meet and work with professionals from all types of backgrounds with a common cause bringing us together. Through my interactions with the diverse backgrounds of the Water Buffalo volunteers, I plan to expand and test my communication skills in a new environment. In addition to accomplishing my goal, I have the opportunity to grow my repertoire, as a result of working with the young elementary school students from Belize, of age groups I rarely have the chance to work with. Finally, I hope to learn from being the representative of AASuccess , a connector between ourselves and Water Buffalo, and even with our internal Marketing, Finance, and Life Skills Academy groups.” (Duy Pham, project participant and former AASuccess member)
“My 3-month plan is to improve my communication and articulation skills, so I can clearly state all my thoughts and ideas to others. The Belize trip will help to develop my ability to communicate with people from different backgrounds in order to help the people in Belize. I would also need to articulate things in a language as simple as possible to understand them, and also for them to understand us. This will be my first time going on a trip on my own, with a mission of helping the poor, in a location where people don’t share the same lifestyle, language, and culture as I do. This will be a big challenge and an experience that will push me out of my comfort zone. Also, learning different cultures helps me to inspire the students that I mentor in AASuccess by sharing with them what I see, hear, and feel.” (Cho Kiu Wan, project participant and current AASuccess member)
The Backpack to Belize project came out as a success, and it gave AASuccess members an opportunity to make a global impact with their talents and skills. Although, there is more purpose behind this project than just helping the people in the Toledo District. This collaborative project was also meant to teach AASuccess students new life skills to apply in their daily lives, in hopes they would have the ability to pass their wisdom on to the next generation of students in AASuccess. This project is one of the most unique projects in AASuccess as it expanded the variety of projects the Arc360 program has to offer, as well as it proved that any member of AASuccess is capable of making a change on a global scale.
