Eleven young Bermudians have returned home from life-changing expeditions to far corners of the globe, courtesy of Raleigh Bermuda.

As the organisation prepares for next year’s members of its year-long personal development programme, eight of the latest described their experiences for The Royal Gazette.

The bonds forged in Raleigh and the continuing relationships with alumni are “reinventing the community — taking the next step to becoming a better Bermuda”, in the words of executive director Tina Nash.

Whether gaining a new appreciation for the amenities of home, experiencing a bigger world or finding out what they were made of, the travellers — known as adventurers — came back profoundly changed.

“It’s about experiencing outside your comfort zone, doing things we’re not used to,” recounted Nafisa Robinson of her time in the wilds of Borneo, helping a team to build a guard hut against poachers.

The expeditions are split into phases that combine trekking, the environment and community work. Nafisa’s work also honed leadership skills and communication as different members ran the team.

Meanwhile, Bryson Doers was trekking through the rainforest in the Crocker mountain range, building camp sites that others would shortly be using.

The long days of work came with unforgettable sights, such as watching the sun rise over the giant Mount Kinabula, highest peak in the range.

“For the community phase, Nafisa and I helped renovate a school — that job was really big,” Bryson said. Beach sand had to be hauled in using a human chain, but the river was there for cooling off.

Nafisa, who found the local population eager for help learning English, said she marvelled at their happiness with meagre material possessions.

Helping to build a piped water network for the village of Sonsogon Magandai, Bryson got to see the locals receive their first supply of running water.

“Not having a phone was amazing,” recalled Jendaya Mills-Paynter, who found herself “probably the happiest I’ve ever been in my years” in the community there.

For their ten-week expedition, Krista Looby, Kayla McConnie and Ashanti Stovell were sent to Tanzania.

Nights are chilly at the Ngorongoro Crater, Krista discovered, while the village of Maghang, where she worked building toilets, swirled with dust. Part of her work as well was helping the community: teaching the importance of hand-washing, for example, along with techniques to purify water. Other jobs included a painting task at a school for orphan children with HIV.

Trekking with Ashanti, the two girls learnt that the Usambara Mountains are steep and the locals friendly, children in particular — while Ashanti, discovering a flair for building fires, was bestowed the “pyromaniac award”.

Along with Krista, Ashanti found herself flattening roads and digging holes for fence posts.

With an election impending, Krista ended up learning about Tanzanian politics, as well as answering penetrating questions about Raleigh’s mission and purpose.

Engaging with schools, including playing football with students — and helping organise a sports day for hundreds — Krista made good friends with Ian, a nine-year-old student

“It was exhausting, but so much fun,” she said, recalling cooking a meal over a stove while trying to keep dry in the pouring rain.

Shai Richardson and Courtney Stephenson were among the Bermudians who left in June for Costa Rica and Nicaragua, returning home late last month.

Shai noticed the usual American franchises upon arriving, but these disappeared soon on the drive into the highlands of the Turrialba volcano reserve: “We were in the clouds, driving up a mountainside with a very, very steep cliff about six feet away,” she said.

Among her experiences: building eco latrines at Los Brasiles, and “tippy taps”, makeshift hygienic devices for hand-washing, at a school in Nicaragua. Shai described it as “very humbling”.

“We complain about not having Wi-Fi, and then you’re in someone’s house with a car battery and one lightbulb,” she said.

Like Shai, Courtney made the arduous predawn climb up the black sands of Cerro Negro, an active volcano, to watch the sunrise — but his “amazing” first experiences came at Piedras Blancas, a sprawling national park on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast, working with a team to clear 100km of trail in 19 days.

Courtney befriended the ranger, Don Carlos, who casually snatched away a snake coming off the roof behind him. Another friend was Jorge, a local crocodile missing two of its legs. Work in Nicaragua included digging toilets

“I loved the food, the people — the whole experience,” Courtney said.

Raleigh expeditions are hard work, as the group attested. The journey comes with moments when you realise you must place your feet with special care, because a precipitous drop is right beside you.

They are just a phase in a yearlong programme that includes intensive one-on-one coaching, and mentorship with alumni — since part of the Raleigh ethos is for graduates to remain in an extended Raleigh family.

For Bermudians between the ages of 17 and 24 who are searching for a challenge with a change of self, Raleigh Bermuda is holding two information sessions at its office at 2 Midsea Lane in Hamilton — also known as the Bargain Box building. Details on the programme will be given from 6pm to 7pm on Monday, December 14 and Wednesday, January 13. To reserve a place, contact Ms Nash at info@raleigh.bm or 333 5678