Who?

Trinity Catholic College, Lismore

Seven students --‐ 4 girls & 3 boys

Two staff --‐ one male and one female.

 Where?

St Joseph's Catholic Secondary School Tenaru, Solomon Islands

 When?

29th March --‐ 9th April (12 Days)

 What?

The students from Trinity Lismore spent one week participating in the life of the students at St Joseph's Tenaru. This included attending classes, assisting with manual work, sport, living in the dormitory, and participating in the preparation of the various Easter liturgies.

After Easter, the students were split into two groups --‐ boys and girls --‐ for a two night Village visit. The girls visited Visale village and the Rural Training Centre for young women, while the boys visited Buma Catholic Station and surrounding villages in the Langalanga lagoon, Malaita.

 Positives?

• The relationships that were formed between the students and staff of both schools.
• The timing of the visit --‐ Holy Week and Easter provides a great structure for visiting St Joseph's as there is a good mix of activities for the Australian students to be involved in.
• Exposure to school life at Tenaru, town life in Honiara, and village life gave students an insight into the various forms of living in the Solomon Islands.
• The hospitality of the Marist Brother's community at Laumanasa and Tenaru. Both communities opened their home to the Trinity students and staff
• The hospitality extended by Bishop Chris Cardone (Bishop of Malaita), Fr Chris from Buma Parish, and the DMI sisters in both Visale and Buma made for very smooth and enjoyable village experiences.
• An idea location for immersion for a Co--‐ed school Challenges:
• There were some challenges in supervision due to the Trinity staff residing at Laumanasa. This could not be avoided due to other guests at the Tenaru community.
• Estimating a reasonable monetary contribution to St Joseph's and the Marist Brother's communities to assist with covering the food and living costs of the Australian students and staff.
• Particular friendships between Solomon boys and Australian girls.
• Selection process --‐ student applications far exceeded positions available.
• Communication in the planning stage. While telephone and email is available, communication is difficult.

 Suggestions for others considering an immersion to the area you visited?

• Start planning early as communication is slow.
• Prepare a thorough digital presentation of Australia and your school. This will be very well received by the Solomon students. The school has access to a DVD player and data projector for the presentation.
• The village experience (or some other experience that takes the students beyond Tenaru) is essential as the Australian students need to see that the Solomon Islands is bigger than Tenaru.
• Be thorough with your risk assessment, but be aware that not all risks can be predicted or prepared for.