Chanel has been given an incredible opportunity to travel to Ghana with Reach Alternative Education, in conjunction with School in a Bag. During the trip, she will help distribute school bags filled with essential educational equipment to children who have limited access to resources.

This trip will allow Chanel to build on the confidence, independence and practical skills she has developed through her time with Reach and her experience volunteering backstage at Home Farm Festival.

We are raising money to help cover Chanel’s travel costs and make it possible for her to take part in this life-changing opportunity. Any donation, no matter how small, will help bring Chanel one step closer to Ghana.

Please read Chanel’s full story to find out more about her journey, the opportunity ahead and how you can support her.

Hello, my name is Debbie, and I am a Youth Worker for Reach Alternative Education. We work alongside School in a Bag and Home Farm Festival, and I am incredibly proud to share Chanel’s story with you.

Chanel has been part of Reach for several years, and over the past year we have watched her grow enormously in confidence, develop new social and practical skills, and begin to recognise what she is capable of achieving.

This year, I was privileged to support Chanel while she attended and worked backstage at Home Farm Festival. This gave her a unique opportunity to step outside her comfort zone, explore her skills and experience being part of a large event.

Chanel approached the experience with an amazing attitude and successfully supported the festival. As a result, she has now been offered an incredible opportunity to take her experience even further: to travel to Ghana, West Africa, with Reach and School in a Bag.

During the trip, Chanel will have the opportunity to personally hand out school bags containing much-needed educational equipment to children who have limited access to facilities and resources.

For Chanel, this is about so much more than travelling to another country. It is an opportunity to experience a completely different culture, develop her independence, build her confidence and practical skills, and understand the positive impact that young people can have when they are given opportunities to succeed.

The school bags are funded through the success of Home Farm Festival, where Chanel volunteered, and are made locally in Ghana using recycled materials. This means that the project also supports local communities by providing employment and encouraging recycling.

Why this means so much to Chanel

Chanel has worked incredibly hard to get to this point. Through her time at Reach, she has developed friendships, social skills and experiences that have opened doors to opportunities she may not previously have believed were possible.

This trip will build on that progress and allow her to challenge herself in a completely new environment.

She is particularly excited about travelling, especially flying, and about the opportunity to take part in charity work within a culture she has never experienced before. She understands that this experience will not only have an impact on the children she meets, but on her own life and future too.

We believe that positive experiences and opportunities can have a lasting impact on young people. Sometimes, being given the chance to step outside your comfort zone is all it takes to discover what you are capable of.

How you can help

We are raising money towards Chanel’s travel costs so that she can take up this amazing opportunity in October.

Alongside this fundraiser, Chanel is also organising her own local fundraising events, and we hope that you will be able to support her by attending these where possible. Information about upcoming events will be added to the Updates section.

Every donation, no matter how small, will help bring Chanel one step closer to Ghana.

If you are unable to donate, sharing this fundraiser with friends, family or colleagues would also mean a huge amount to Chanel and everyone supporting her.

Thank you for taking the time to read Chanel’s story and for helping us give her the opportunity to experience something that could genuinely change her life.