Heather Latter
Although Dexter Fichuk will be graduating from Fort High in a few weeks and heading off to begin his post-secondary education in the fall, he’s looking to leave something behind for future students.
The Fort Frances teen is hoping to start up an annual scholarship that would provide financial assistance for a Grade 9, 10, or 11 student to travel overseas on a youth volunteer trip.
“I had such a great experience when I went to Ecuador last summer,” Fichuk said about his three-week trip offered through “Me to We” (a partner of “Free the Children”).
The now 18-year-old was able to see poverty first-hand and meet some of the people who are assisted by the “Free the Children” campaigns he had been focusing on all year long as leader of the Fort Frances Mob(ilizers) group at the high school.
That group spreads the “Me to We” philosophy of creating positive social and environmental impacts in local and global communities.
While in Ecuador, Fichuk also helped to build a school for children without access to education, volunteered within the community, developed life-long skills in leadership and global development workshops, and learned about biodiversity, as well as environmental and development issues there.
“It was a truly amazing opportunity for me that changed my life and I think others should be given the same opportunity,” he reasoned.
“Money shouldn’t be a barrier for anyone.”
While the volunteer trips are a wonderful experience, Fichuk recalled the high price tag associated with the trip.
“I worked for a full year and still didn’t have enough money for the trip,” he noted.
Even with some fundraising and a donation from the local Kiwanis Club, Fichuk still owed money for the trip when he returned home.
This summer, Fichuk will be travelling to Kenya to learn about food security and sustainable development.
He was lucky enough to receive a scholarship to fund this trip. And that’s what gave him the idea to initiate a scholarship for a local student beginning next year.
“It might not fund the entire trip, but my hope is that it would offer enough assistance to allow a student to go each year,” he explained.
And due to his connections with the “Free the Children” organization, Fichuk expects he would be able to secure a spot annually on one of the “big” trips with cast members from the television show “Degrassi: The Next Generation” or with motivational speaker Spencer West, for example.
Fichuk is hoping the community will support his idea for the travel scholarship and offer financial contributions to the fund.
“I’m planning to approach businesses and organizations to see if they would be willing to donate to the scholarship,” he said, indicating the businesses would receive recognition for their support.
Meanwhile, Fichuk expects the recipient of the scholarship to also do some fundraising for the trip. And perhaps businesses and organizations also could help the student with their fundraising.
“I don’t want finances to be a barrier for anyone, but they still need to work for the opportunity,” he stressed.
Fichuk explained students will apply for the scholarship, with a recipient being chosen prior to the new school year so they have time to do some fundraising.
“The student that will earn the scholarship will be someone who has shown devotion to being involved in the community—someone who is truly passionate and committed to helping others,” he remarked.
The recipient likely will be selected based on their application and an interview, he added.
“But upon their return from the trip, they will be required to do a presentation about their trip to the local schools and the community,” Fichuk said, adding that’s why the recipient must be a returning student.
“My hope is that every year, a student will come back from the trip and the community will grow and benefit from their experiences,” he reasoned.
In addition, where the district school boards tend to bring in speakers each year to present to local students, Fichuk feels they could save money by having the student who travelled overseas do a presentation instead.
“Students can learn a lot from one another,” he remarked, noting he offered several presentations about his trip to Ecuador last year and he found the students very enthralled by his experiences.
“Many stayed behind to ask me questions,” he recalled. “They seemed very interested and excited by my presentation.
“I think students will be able to bring back a lot to the community.
For more information about the scholarship, contact Fichuk at dexterfichuk@gmail.com
