Twenty students from Coleg Cambria experienced the trip of a lifetime to Cambodia, where they taught English skills to children at a Supplementary Education Centre.

The group – from Media, and Health and Social Care courses – also delivered five hours of workshops on ICT and media skills to 75 secondary school students at a partner institution with Khmer New Generation Organization (KNGO).

They played games and activities and focused on spelling, colours and numbers, with an emphasis on fun and enjoyment.  

The visit was organised in partnership with Challenges Abroad, which delivers and leads ethical adventures for young people all over the world, and Future Sense Cambodia.

Cambria’s Curriculum Director of Technical Studies Julie Guzzo praised the students for their commitment and passion to helping others during the programme, as they also helped clean up plastic and litter from the sides of roads and learnt Cambodian words and phrases.

“During their time they were able to work on their final major projects, produce short films, vlogs, develop photography skills and immerse themselves into a diverse culture and environment,” she said.

“They also kept in touch with everyone back home with daily updates on social media and produced an inspiring promotional video Colours of Cambodia with footage from the trip.

“It was an unbelievable experience for all of us, and another example of the value of our growing partnership with Challenges Abroad, which really makes a big difference all over the world.”

Learners described the visit as “very emotional” and said they were “the most beautiful, kind children you could ever work with”, a “truly humbling experience” which was “completely out of our comfort zone”.

The college – which has sites in Wrexham, Deeside, Llysfasi and Northop – has also organised educational expeditions to Spain, Vietnam and Italy in past months.