“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.”

– Marcel Proust

In March, a group of YouthBuild students and staff traveled to Utuado, Puerto Rico to participate in volunteer projects and explore the surrounding area.  Many YouthBuild students have never traveled outside of the Philadelphia region – much less outside of the contiguous United States – so this trip presented a host of new experiences to our young people.  In a single week, students were able to serve the local community (through projects such as clearing trails and working with a local Head Start), try new foods, see new terrain, and even meet some unfamiliar animals.

This trip would not be possible without the generous contributions of individual supporters, and the Young Friends of YouthBuild Philly who organized a bowling fundraiser in support of the trip.  We are also grateful to the staff who went on the trip, for their fundraising efforts and for spending their Spring Break (and the weeks leading up to it) working hard to create a valuable and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our students.

We doubt that the students will ever forget this experience, but Postsecondary Coordinator Ms. Stephanie took some fantastic pictures just in case.  Take a look to see how much fun we had (and how many lizards we saw)!

Thanks again to all our supporters!  This trip wouldn’t have been possible without you.