In a recent staff meeting, we realised just how many staff and volunteers at Whenua Iti Outdoors had arrived on our door step as students or interns, then decided to return, since they liked what they saw. This includes admin and tutor staff, contractors and trustees.
The WIO slogan “Journey’s of Discovery” applies to so many aspects of our lives and for many of us here WIO has been a place to learn and grow and ultimately work.
We’d like to introduce some of the people who have started as students or interns and show you how WIO has helped them on their way in life. We’ll start with our current intern, Brad, who is visiting from the USA as part of the Carpe Diem programme which supports and enables young people to explore and experience the world in a unique and in depth way, a true “Journey of Discovery”.
Introducing Bradley Cohen
I am here with a program called Carpe Diem. The program sends kids like me on semester long trips 
around the world. I am participating on the “Latitudes” Program, which consists of one group and one independent semester. I spent my first semester in East Africa-Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda- travelling for three months with a group of ten students. We did lots of service work on farms, worked at an orphanage, and even went on a safari. We also learned all about the different cultures from the countries we visited and spent lots of time with locals and children.
The second semester of my program is designed to be independent, but also work off of my first semester. For instance, I learned how to travel using local and public transportation. I also learned how to budget, work with others, and live independently, which will all help me in my experience with Whenua Iti. I will be here for three months as an intern. My internship was set up by Carpe Diem and designed for me to get the most out of my travelling experience.
I hope to learn a lot at WIO. I am very excited to get into the field with my camera and work with the team to get some great photos and work as part of the staff. I look forward to being able to do my own creative work with video and film, while also doing good work for an organization that supports me and 
many other students like me.
I am from Rockville, Maryland, in the United States. I live just about 20 minutes from Washington DC, home of the white house, congress, and senate. It’s a great place to live where I can meet people from all walks of life. What I love most about DC is that I can see the inner workings of the heart of our nation and watch how things get done (or don’t get done) within our national government. After spending a semester, three months, with WIO, I plan to go to Sydney Australia for about one week to travel and then I will go back to the States. I will attend American University in Washington, DC, starting in September.