Fun, excitement, and adventure – these were emotions expressed by the Award participants from Avi-Cenna International School as they set out for their final qualifying Adventurous journey.
Upon arrival at their base camp which was situated in French village, Badagry, the Award participants were divided into groups and engaged in some team building activities to emphasize the importance of team work, and each member contributed to the success of their respective groups.
On Saturday at exactly 6am, the whistles were blown and all the participants gathered on the field for their morning drills which got them physically prepared for the expedition, after which breakfast was served and preparation towards the expedition ensured.
They journeyed from the French village to Seriki Williams Abass slave home, which once housed 1600 slaves in forty rooms, there they saw the shackles and gruesome metals used to chain the feet of slaves as they worked on the plantation, and also learnt new facts about the slave trade, The next check point was the “point of no return”, as they walked along the same route, different surges of emotions and thoughts lingered through the minds of the participants, after which they journeyed by boat to Gberefu Island. On the island, more historical tales about slave trade were shared.
The participants then prepared their lunch, after which they packed up and headed back to the base camp. On the way back, they saw the first story building in Nigeria, which was built in the year 1845 and visited Oba Akran palace, also they saw the first primary school which was founded in the year 1845.
On their arrival to the base camp, they rested and later assembled for their debrief and presentation of their Adventurous Journey report to the assessor.
In the words of one of the group members “The Adventurous journey was amazing, it brought us closer, also helped us to understand and tolerate each other and we acquired life skills and appreciated the essence of team work. In all, it was exhilarating and educational”