Gracie’s journey to zero

My name is Gracie, I am 16 years old, and I am a Ranger at 7th Reddish Girlguiding. I am looking to raise £2700 to help me pay to attend a Girlguiding International conservation trip in the summer of 2025 to Costa Rica. I will be doing this by asking for donations and also doing lots of fundraising. This is my 3rd time applying to attend an international trip and I cannot believe how fortunate I have been this time to be successfully selected. This will be a trip of a lifetime, to be able to visit such an amazing country and to be a part of conserving and protecting the natural world for our future generations.

Girlguiding international trips happen every year, this year there have been 3 themes – Conservation, Community and Culture, I chose Conservation as my preferred option as it is something that I am interested in and if I can make even a small contribution to protecting our natural environment, then this will be such a positive achievement. International trips are a good opportunity for Rangers and Guides to learn about themselves and their world, develop independence skills, learn about new cultures and meet new people, learn new skills, make friendships that can last a lifetime, challenge themselves, learn about teamwork, make a difference and take part in an adventure of a lifetime.

Girls who attend an international trip will learn new life skills as travel together for 2 weeks making a difference to the environment and learning skills that extend themselves. They will learn about tolerance and consideration for others and how to deal with issues that influence girls’ today. The projects we will undertake will offer us opportunities to push our boundaries, it will be a unique experience to help others and the environment, we will gain independence by travelling away from home and we will learn to rely more on ourselves.

To attend an international trip, we have had to go through a selection process, which has included writing a personal statement about why we want to attend a trip and what skills we have that would be beneficial, we also had to attend a selection weekend, where we camped and which was to make sure we have the skills, knowledge and independence to attend the trip and where we in return would benefit from a fun and exciting time and experience something that can be life changing.

When we get to Costa Rica we will be spending a week on an animal reserve helping to protect animals including sloths and birds, and then a week at the Manual Antonio National Park engaging in a range of conservation activities including beach clean ups.

I would really appreciate it if you could consider contributing, you have no idea how much it would mean to me to have your support.

Thank you

Gracie