My name is Josh and I am one of this year’s ‘Step into the Gap’ volunteers, taking a year out to meet CAFOD partners in Liberia and educate young people in England and Wales about the issues they face.
It’s not long now until Clare, Vicky and I embark for Liberia and I’m still left wondering when I’m going to wake up from this impossible dream.
Looking back just twelve months ago, I see myself as a school boy preparing to become a man, flying the nest and going off to study English at Canterbury.
What it was that made me shake off that path, I am still discovering, but I think it will all become apparent in the coming weeks. I do know however, that instead of propping up the bar in a student union on the night of Monday the 13th of February 2012, I will be aboard an Air Maroc flight en route to Monrovia. To coin my favourite colloquial phrase: I’m bouncing off the walls.
Having been brought up in a Catholic family, I’ve sampled a flavour of CAFOD all my life. Now I’m getting the chance to see just a little bit of how it really works in other countries.
Discover what CAFOD is doing in Liberia>>
I have been afforded an amazing opportunity to really get to know young people living in totally different circumstances to mine and to forge friendships – friendships that I hope to maintain until my hair turns grey and I start listening to Radio 4. Very few people have such an incredible chance to see and meet people from such a vastly different culture and I can only thank the powers that be for letting me be one of the lucky few.
And if you’re not ready for Radio 4, have you ever thought of tuning into CAFOD TV on Youtube?>>
My Liberian journey is hugely important. Of equal importance, is sharing the experience with school children of all ages in my diocese, Hexham and Newcastle. It is expeditions like the one I am embarking upon, that can help the next generation to take up the banner of global justice by educating and sharing knowledge. It is from the benefits of this process that I have gained an understanding of the environment into which I am about to leap headlong and become immersed in.
Liberia, on the west coast of Africa, more specifically The Grain Coast, has suffered hugely from civil war and the horrific aftermath that such a conflict leaves in its wake. Around 250,000 people were killed and thousands more fled the fighting. Many of those who died were child soldiers.
From bases in the capital, Monrovia and the city of Gbarnga, I will be visiting CAFOD supported projects. Having already heard and read so much about organisations like Don Bosco Homes (DBH) and the Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (CJPS), I cannot wait to get stuck in.
They work to support the vulnerable children and young people that have been affected by conflict. Their work includes: helping those young people get their voices heard in government, HIV and AIDS prevention education, and helping young people develop skills to find employment. I am in no doubt that the inspiring example of both our partners and those they work with, will in turn inspire me to motivate the young people I work with back in the North East.
I can say wholeheartedly that my Step into the Gap year has been a mixed bag, but I have constantly projected to those I am working with, a positive encouragement to consider taking a similar path to the one I am currently journeying on. It is – for me at least – an honour to become one of Nelson Mandela’s great generation. I hope I will look back on this year feeling it has been a resounding success; success built on the inspiration of others and my determination to take this and mould it into a legacy of my own.
Step into the Gap offers a rounded experience, giving you the chance to volunteer overseas and in the UK, allowing you to explore and express your faith. It bridges the “gap” between adventure and new experiences while offering something to a wider community. Apply here>>
I bring to my mind my favourite quote: “The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes.” Benjamin Disraeli
February's Great Generation editor, Josh Emmerson
About the author: Josh Emmerson is a ‘Step into the Gap’ volunteer with CAFOD based in Hexham and Newcastle and visiting Liberia this month.
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