Richmond Vale Academy

Hello, my name is Mónica, I am from Portugal and join Richmond Vale Academy (RVA) as part of a 2-year program that started in Denmark. In RVA you will meet people from all over the world, who, most of the time come from a very different context than you. During my time in RVA, I had the chance to share my life with people from Colombia, France, Germany, Austria, Costa Rica, Belgium, New Caledonia, Japan, North Korea, Norway, Hungary, Honduras, Italy, Denmark, Brazil, and Saint Vincent. The common life and the friendships one develops are the best and the most challenging part at the same time. Sharing home, meals, cooking, and cleaning duties with close to 50 people can be challenging but it is also through this you learn about different cultures, learn more about your own country, learn to be more emphatic, and make friendships that will follow you when you leave.
The Climate Activist program has both theoretical and practical components. You will have courses about Climate Change, Coral Reefs, Caribbean History, Organic farming, and also some specific topics - in the case of my team was about mangroves. There is also a practical period both in RVA and in the communities. My team was responsible to improve the tree nursery and create 2 pathways that connect the school to the beach, through a fruit forest. During this period we had the real chance to team building, develop our leadership skills, and witness the power and the things you can accomplish when you work together.
Later on, we moved from RVA to nearby communities to develop the Mangrove project - for me, this was the most exciting period. When we live in the school we don't get the real feeling of Vincy culture, costumes, and its people. But when you move out everything changes! Everyone I met in SVG is super friendly and happy to share their stories with the students. Life happens more locally and there is a big sense of community.
It also comes with some difficulties, but nothing that one can not overcome with the support of its teammates. You'll learn so much about yourself and enhance your beliefs toward a more sustainable and conscious life.
RVA is located quite far away from everything on the island, so, if you want to move around to visit and explore the beautiful nature and landscapes be ready to spend some money since public transportation is very low on weekends and without actually schedules. Always remember to enjoy your time here!

Thankful that I was part of the 6 month program of the Richmond Vale Academy.
Firt of all, my experience would not be the same without the people I met here. It was amazing to learn and grow from and with each other.
I learned how important it is to take responsibility. I understood what it means to live in a community. And I recognized what is possible if you work together as a team. For me it is making the impossible possible.
Our main task as climate activist was to implement our Mangrove project in the communitys. For that we moved together in a house during two months. Like this we had the chance to experience St. Vincent with its people and culture to the fullest.
Honestly, mobilizing people can be very tiring especially if you are not the type for that.
Also if you sign in, you should bring flexibility and patience. If you don't have these skills, at least you should be willing to develop them.
Most of the time, things work in a different way than you expect at first.

This experience of 6 months in Saint-Vincent-and-the-Grenadines was unique and I will never forgot it ! I met people from all over the world with different background and it was an incredible human experience. This program help me to grow up, to be envolved and to learned a lot. Thanks to Richmond Vale Academy and all the person I met, today I really know what I want and what is my purpose. Also I’m aware about the world where I live and the importance to take care of the Earth. Projects allow us to work directly with the community by taking actions and do the maximum to have a positive impact in the island.
The program show us the collective strength, help us to build our opinion and our vision of the present and the future. I also learn how to improve my relationship with people : tolerance, listening, trust, empathy… The things that I really appreciate is that you are never alone : your team become part of your family. I did a lot of things that I never think I was able to do thanks to the experience. To conclude, don't hesitate, this program is amazing !

My dream was joining an international volunteering program, but I never expect will be one of my best and happiest experiences in life, live that experience in Saint Vincent influenced a lot. Learning about different topics provided by the school like permaculture and have the amazing opportunity to live in the community taught me many educational and spiritual things, the local people, and their incredible willingness to help and teach us about everything made the time there so special.
This experience expands my vision about the situations that we face in our world like poverty and climate change, things that we cannot wait to take action and also filled my heart and soul with knowledge and sweet people, I learned from their example and this is something that we cannot postpone either in our lives, the possibility to live and experience more emotions and feelings that makes us a little bit better human beings.

I'd say that having the opportuniy to do "Fighting with the Poor" program at RVA, changed my life. Since the first moment I had the tools to enjoy my experience at the maximum. I learned about permaculture, sustainable development, food security, Climate Change, etc. Working with the community was the best thing I could live. Before starting the program I finished my law degree and I didn't know about my real passion, for that reason this program was a light on my way, because nowadays, I finally can say that working with people is something that I want to do for the rest of my life. This program overcome all my expectations!