International travel can broaden a person’s horizons, create understanding and change worldviews. A group of students at St. Anthony’s School are getting that opportunity over Easter Break to explore Europe.
Student international travel took a blow during the height of the pandemic, but it is slowly coming back. Last year, a group of DVSS students were able to travel to Peru. This year, eight St. Anthony’s students, along with about 50-60 from Christ the Redeemer School Division, through its Centre for Learning, are heading to Europe.
The tour is of the Swiss Alps and Mediterranean Coast. They will fly into Barcelona and continue on to Provence, taking in Nimes and Avignon. From there, they will head on to the French Riviera and Monaco. Then on to Italy, where they will travel to Cinque Terre and Lake Cuomo, and then to Lucerne in Switzerland.
Humanities teacher Kurt Phillips will be joining the excursion as a chaperone. The last trip through the division was in 2019.
“The reason I run international trips is because it allows the student to get an expedition not just outside Alberta but the valley as well. It is a safe environment where there is a lot of supervision. There is also a chance to experience different cultures they have never experienced before,” said Phillips. “From a historical point of view, some of the sites are ones they have only seen in history books up to this point. And for them to see them first hand, it brings the history alive.”
He adds it changes their worldview.
“I always find world travel, or any kind of travel, allows students to have a wider frame of vision and a wider point of view. They are able to experience the world through different lenses. I think it creates more tolerance, more understanding,” he said. “We have a way of doing things and maybe a worldview, but it isn’t always the same as others and those others are not necessarily wrong.”
As an educator, he also finds it rewarding to watch students experience the world.
“One of my big thrills is when I get to see the looks on students’ faces when they are experiencing something completely out of their realm, something that is completely new to them, seeing those places they have only seen in a history book. It makes it much more alive.”
Students also expand their comfort zone.
“This is sometimes the first time some of these kids have been away from home for a long time, not just way from home, but off the continent. They have to learn how to get along with each other, and room with two or three other people. They meet new people,” said Phillips.
The trip is 11 days, and students depart on April 4.
