Amy’s Deaf School Volunteering Fundraising!

Hello all!
As some of you may well know this summer, once I finish my Deaf Studies exams, I will be embarking on a Round the World trip to gain some life skills before returning to the UK to start my teachers training to become a Teacher of the Deaf.

I am fundraising as I hope to take part in a volunteering project to give back to the community thats given so much to me these past 3 years so I intend to volunteer in a Deaf School in the Philippines for a month this September/October. Having scoured the internet I chose 'Volunteer for the Visayans' in Tacloban City in the Philippines as I believe it's where I can make the most difference as the school teaches and uses English (meaning there'll be one less language barrier!), they also provide a crash course in the local language - Waray Waray - and, of fundamental importance, the Philipino Sign Language is based on American Sign Language (ASL)
 Ahead of my travels I hope to return to KODA Camp Mid West and brush up on my ASL skills before heading to Toronto where I'll be funding myself with any money I make from camp to enrol in a week-long intensive ASL course so that my ASL will be as proficient as possible so that I can help in the school as much as possible!

As well as getting to grips with the International Deaf Community throughout the rest of my travels I also hope to help in the cultivation of an International 'CODA' Community. I've recently been elected to the board of directors for CODA UK & Ireland - an organisation for 'Children of Deaf Adults'. Having previously attended KODA (Kids of Deaf Adults) Camp in Wisconsin, USA and seen the success and impact of their KODA community I hope to bring KODA Camp to the UK! For this reason I hope to attend FOUR different KODA Camps in all four different countries that have camps to gain experience of how different camps operate (and hopefully share my experiences with them!). The aim is to return to KODA Camp Mid West in August, return to the UK to help with the first ever KODA Camp UK and then head to Australia and then to New Zealand (if anyone knows of any more (other than the camps in other US states that overlap with midwest) please let me know!). I'm pretty sure I'll be the only person to ever do this so it will be quite an achievement! 

In order to fund my travels (and not having anywhere near enough time/fitness to train for a marathon etc) I plan to do a 'Sponsored Silence' ... I know what you're thinking 'Sponsored Silence for a Deaf Studies student?! Too easy.' So I, Amy Claridge, plan to do a WEEK-LONG SPONSORED SILENCE.

That's right. No talking ... from AMY ... for a WEEK.

It will be a very challenging feat for me (I don't have a 'Little Miss Chatterbox' mug for nothing) and this is going to mean much restraint and social awkwardness on my part. Examples of this social awkwardness include:
* Not talking to flatmates/friends
* Not being able to say 'Hi' to anyone who passes in the street/who makes casual social conversation

* NOT BEING ABLE TO ANSWER PHONE CALLS
* Coming into my daily psych experiments and having to tell them I can't talk any more (even though I've been speaking just fine for the past 3 weeks ...)
* Going to my weekly Welsh Conversation evening classes and 'learning welsh' but not being able to speak it ...
* Having to use an interpreter to call for pizza for the aforementioned event ...
* Having to use pen and paper to ask for ANYTHING or just to communicate in general ...                            

And to a socially awkward British person probably worst of all:

* Not being able to say thankyou/excuse me to shop keepers/people who open the door

And presumably much, much more. We did this for an afternoon in our first year of Deaf Studies and let me assure you it was ridiculously difficult ...

However, it will hopefully give me further empathy into how my mum and other Deaf people feel on a day-to-day basis in a very oral majority culture.

And hopefully you'll think it's a worthy challenge on my part and will fancy donating! So if you would like me to carry on shutting up PLEASE sponsor me (lest I get depressed by lack of funds and give up and start talking again ...) 

In terms of ground rules:

1. I AM allowed to sign (I'm not going to throw away my degree ...)

2. If I accidentally make my weird-signy noises this doesn't cancel me out. I'm allowed to make sounds. 

3. In the event of emergency (i.e. very important meeting, something of great importance, having to shout "FIRE" etc.) I can speak - though if its for a prolonged time this WILL be taken into account and time will be added to the 'end time'.
4. Beginning time and end time are 9am Sunday 10th & 17th February, respectively

Anyway I’ve babbled on for very very long (SEE. This is going to be so hard.)

TO SUMMARISE. Check out the Volunteer for the Visayans website (http://www.visayans.org/volunteer-with-a-deaf-education-project) for more information on the organisation that you'll be raising money for should you donate, the money goes not only to funding me to go out there but also towards other projects such as Build-a-home/build-a-school projects, Scholarships, community disaster & healthcare relief and the Tacloban City ‘dumpsite’ project, getting kids out of the dumpsites and into schools. So your money will be going to a variety of worthy causes (and I will shut up for a WHOLE WEEK)!

Altogether the cost of fees, VISA, immunizations/flights/local transport/meals/insurance will come to around £1000 (please note this is not taking into account anything that I'd be paying for regardless (i.e. it's not including my round the world flight, round the world insurance etc) and is not taking into account the £300 ASL course)

In the immortal words of tescos: EVERY LITTLE HELPS - If I reach the target that will be wonderful but I completely realise that times are hard so even the smallest donation will make a huge difference - please notice the fine print which states that any donations of £1 or over are eligible for a free cwtch! (thats an epic welsh hug for any non-welshies ...) Any higher donations qualify for more hugs (maybe even a postcard! oooooh!)
Thanks SO much for just looking at my page (if you've gotten to this point well done!)
If you think its a worthy cause please share to anyone you think might be willing to donate!
I really want this volunteering to become a reality and with your help hopefully it will! 
Best Wishes,
Amy

P.S Any questions send them on to [email protected]