Scotland bound

By Patty Mintz



Sherry Hearn grew up in Newfoundland in a family of 12, including seven brothers. Every other day after school she and a sibling baked enough bread to feed them all.

“I remember it would be 12 or 14 loaves. When we left home, we vowed we’d never make homemade bread again,” Hearn says with a laugh.

Yet here she is, in the kitchen at Kingstec, making brown bread and baked beans and for an upcoming fundraising dinner with a group of fellow students, and having a heck of a good time. Hearn

is among 15 students studying in a second year concentration in the Health and Human Services program who are raising money to go to Scotland for the last week of their third semester field placement. Instructors Brenda Wallace-Allen, Peggy Duncan and Scott Campbell will accompany them.

Under IWEP – International Work Experience Projects – the women will be working in programs operated by CrossReach, which is the largest Social Service agency in Scotland.

Hearn, whose field is educational support, may end up doing her practicum at a school for the deaf in Edinburgh.

“I’m very excited,” says Hearn, who lives in Wolfville. Her great-grandparents came from Ireland, which makes her curious about the landscape and people in that part of the world.

Rhiannon Kirkby of Hantsport is in her second year of Early Childhood studies. Kirkby expects to gain a lot by doing her work practicum at a childcare facility in Scotland. “Part of why we’re going is to experience a different culture and take things that are different there, learn from them and bring them back to share.”

Yvonne Andersen of Kingston, treasurer of the IWEP project, says she looks forward to working in a hospice in Scotland. “I’ve been told they’re different.”

For personal reasons, says Andersen, “Hospice is my passion.” She wants to work with the hospice or palliative care system when she moves Kingston, Ontario.

Just a few days before the beans and bread, Andersen and the others made 200 apple pies to sell in support of their trip.

“I was here all day rolling dough,” she says smiling. “We need about $30,000 in total for group expenses.” The cost is $2,200 per person plus the cost of a passport and spending money.

The fun of anticipating a journey to Scotland helps take out the sting of a recent disappointment; an IWEP-supported trip to St. Lucia, which was cancelled because of a cricket tournament on the Caribbean island.

The students will gain insights they will use in future work environments and perspectives on international people and places. Among other things, sites are selected based on safety factors and the potential for a unique cultural experience.

“For many of these students it is their first time out of the Maritimes and we have some first time flyers so we know that the learning curve in this 10-day experience will be significant,” says Brenda Wallace-Allen, one of their instructors. “We will be staying at St.Colm's International House so all placements will be in Edinburgh although we will take the last weekend to venture into the Scottish countryside.”

Preparing for the trip, which runs from May 18-28, has helped form a bond, says Kirkby.

“Everybody is so committed to making this happen and making every fundraiser we do the best we can. It’s fantastic to see the dedication to the cause.”

Hearn concurs. “I’ve enjoyed every minute of this. We have such a cooperative spirit, lots of energy and drive, and great instructors.”



COMING UP:

Beans and brown bread will be featured at a fundraising dinner, April 21 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at St. James Anglican Church, Kentville.

A similar dinner will be held in Wolfville, date and location to be announced.