Border students on board for Rotary Club of Albury-Hume's Paying it Forward Fiji concept

Thousands of Year 12 students descend on Schoolies destinations around the country over three weeks from mid-November.

Ten Border students, however, are taking the path less travelled this year.

The students flew out of Melbourne bound for Fiji on Sunday on a trip with a difference.

Instead of the end-of-school-year-holiday celebration, the group of three males and seven females have volunteered to work in a small community village in Fiji as part of a Paying It Forward Fiji project.

During their stay at Nalauwaki they will renovate and paint community buildings and help out on several other projects around the village.

They will help in the village school, run sports programs for village children and learn organic farming concepts.

Rotary Club of Albury-Hume publicity officer Roger Lescun said the club had developed the concept as a youth program for Year 11 and 12 students.

He said the Border students were selected by the club for the nine-day working trip.

“It’s a real alternative to the Schoolies Week for them,” he said.

“There is bound to be some time to enjoy the hospitality of the Fiji village in appreciation of their helping hand.

“But it is still a lot different to the usual way of celebrating the end of the school year.”

The Rotary Club of Albury-Hume booked the Fijian accommodation and arranged the activities to most benefit the Nalauwaki community.

During the past six months the 10 students have been fundraising by helping the Albury-Hume Rotary Club to run the Harvey Norman barbecues in Albury.

The profits were used to buy paint and materials in Fiji to take to Nalauwaki to carry out the community work.

All the money raised by the Border students and the Rotary club were spent on the projects to be done in Fiji.

The students have paid for their own travel expenses in Fiji.

They will return to the Border on December 6.