24 September 2018
ASP's Science Ambassadors were thrilled to welcome back Carl Olavesen OA, one of the first ever ASP Science Ambassadors, who came to talk about his gap year, working as a science teacher in a school in Zambia.
Time and again Carl emphasised how the experience he gained volunteering for ASP activities had helped him, especially as he only received four days of formal training before being given classes of his own to teach, with very few resources, in a remote part of the world.
Whilst at Abingdon, Carl was one of the stalwart members of the Saturday Science Club team, as well as helping with evening events for Scout and Guide groups and even a 'Back to School Science' evening for adults. Carl single-handedly took on the planning and running of a science club at St Edmund's RC Primary School in 2016/17 and it was this experience in particular that gave him an advantage over his peers on the project in Zambia.
The existing Science Ambassadors were particularly interested in hearing about what it was like to teach a class of 50 students and also how to survive on the £30 a month in-country allowance. Their favourite story involved Carl's purchase of a Toyota Corolla and his adventures in driving on Zambian roads.
This was a fantastic example of how the skills acquired by volunteering for Partnership activities can have lasting benefits in life outside Abingdon School and we look forward to hearing from more of our ex-Science Ambassadors in future.
