When I first decided to travel to Matisi, Kenya in 2024, I had no idea that the programme would have such a profound effect on me and reverberate into aspects of my everyday personal and professional life.

Throughout our two week stay, I found myself watching our students navigate challenges that had nothing to do with textbooks and everything to do with character. They were grappling with culture shock, the weight of new perspectives and the vulnerability of being far from home.

What I realise now, two years on was that the immersion programme presented me with opportunities and moments to reflect on my identity as a teacher. It was in those moments that I felt my role shift from teacher to mentor. I realised that my value wasn’t in having the answers, but in holding the space. I stopped being the person who directed the flow and started being the person who sat in the discomfort with them. I learned to listen more than I spoke. By stepping back, I allowed them to step forward.

Professionally, the immersion programmed slowly trickled into my view and identity as a teacher. These perspective shifts have followed me back into my own classroom. I have learned that the most effective way to lead is to empower those you are leading to find their own footing.

I recently came across a bracelet that one of the local boys in Matisi made during our time with them taking part in the Street Boy Programme. The bracelet is symbolic of my time in Matisi but also my personal and professional journey as a teacher. Personally, the experience recalibrated my sense of perspective and created a foundation of empathy that I carry with me every day. 

If you are a teacher considering volunteering or travelling with students, do not hesitate. It is easy to worry about the logistics, the time away, or the exhaustion that comes with immersion travel. But set those concerns aside. This is a life changing experience in ways you cannot yet fathom. 

It will challenge your assumptions, deepen your connection to your students, and fundamentally alter the way you view your vocation. You will return home not just as a better teacher, but as a more grounded, empathetic, and intentional human being.