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Aidan turns life around to take on Borneo challenge
WHEN 17-year-old Hawick teenager Aidan Nairn joins his fellow young volunteers next year for a Raleigh International project in Borneo, he will already have completed a massive personal journey before he even sets foot in the south-east Asian country.
As a volunteer in Borneo, Aidan will be living and working among some of the world’s poorest communities to help improve their health and education services.
Part of his expedition will involve living in unexplored jungle whilst contributing to the building of community projects or helping to conserve the environment and the livelihoods and habitats of the people.
He will also take part in an adventure project that will be both physically and mentally tough. Volunteers will learn jungle skills to help them survive in one of the most arduous environments on earth and when they finish the idea is that they will feel confident and able to overcome anything life throws at them.
But life has already thrown quite a lot at Aidan. Following a period when he got himself into difficulties with drugs, he ended up homeless and leaving college.
And it was at that point that Aidan decided to turn his life around. He has since been working with face2face, a Borders project that supports young people to understand the risks and impact of substance misuse, and to make changes that enable positive life choices.
In tackling some difficult issues and taking responsibility for his behaviour, Aidan was able to make positive decisions about his future and get back into his mountain biking and skating.
Working with face2face and looking forward, he decided he wanted to volunteer abroad and make a difference to people’s lives.
He succeeded in getting on the Raleigh International programme, a scheme offering work expeditions and adventure education programmes for young people to visit and improve some of the most isolated and environmentally-sensitive parts of the world.
Aidan is in no doubt that he has done well to be selected for the trip and realises the opportunity represents a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“I am so fortunate to have this opportunity. I think it’ll make me more appreciative of the things I have, like family and friends, as I will meet people in Borneo who have very little but each other,” he told TheSouthern.
To help towards the 1,500 costs of his trip, Aidan is embarking on an ambitious four-day sponsored coast-to-coast cycle, from Dumfriesshire to Berwickshire, in January.
He says he chose the sponsored cycle for a number of reasons. It sort of links with what I do here – cycling and living in the Borders – with Borneo, as I’ll be cycling 205 miles which is roughly both the width of Scotland and the width of Borneo at its widest point.
“I’ll also get fit for the expedition side of the Raleigh programme and have some great memories of the beauty of my own country and area.
“Cycling at this time of year will be a challenge, but nothing compared to the challenges some people face in Borneo.”
And the story for Aidan, as for so many young people who take part in a Raleigh International trip, will not finish at the end of the three-month expedition.
He is currently applying to study art and photography, and hopes that the experiences of Borneo, as well as raising the funds, planning the trip, meeting new people and being thrown into uncomfortable situations, will help him achieve the life skills he wants and develop lasting friendships.
“I hope to come back afterwards and give a talk in the schools or at youth groups to inspire young people in Hawick and the Borders to think big – and let them know that with the right kind of help you can do amazing things.
“I want to use the expedition to increase my photography skills for college. I’ll make lifelong friends and have fun at the same time as helping people. I hope this will encourage other people to do the same.”
Michelle Ballantyne, head of service at face2face, says Aidan is an exemplar of what the initiative is trying to achieve.
“Aidan has engaged well with the project and taking all the opportunities he can to move his life forward in a positive direction,” she told TheSouthern.
“It is fantastic seeing young people wanting to do something with their lives.”
If any readers would like to help Aidan, they can donate on his website, http://www. justgiving.com/Aidan-Nairn
You can also contact face2face on 01896 668811 or Raleigh International, 0207 183 1270, for more information.
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Weather for Galashiels
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
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Temperature: 10 C to 19 C
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