For 19-year-old Conor McLaughlin, signing up with International Student Volunteers (ISV) proved the easiest decision of this academic year.“I change my mind a lot, but right away I knew I had to do this,” said Conor of the volunteering and adventure travel scheme in Thailand.The programme will see Conor dividing a month of this summer between work with orphaned and abandoned children, and tending sanctuaries for endangered elephants and primates, along with 16 other students.Attending Dalhousie University in Halifax, Conor is taking international development studies with a minor in community design. When he happened upon an ISV group visiting the campus last October, he said, “as soon as they started talking, I was sold”.“The places they go South Africa, Thailand, New Zealand, Australia and the way they operate, with two weeks’ volunteering and two weeks’ adventure travel, all sounded perfect. If I’m going to go halfway around the world for something, I want to really see it.”Volunteering also means raising your own funds: $6,000 in Conor’s case. It adds up to hard work and non-stop fundraising before he travels on June 22.“I e-mailed every company I could think of for sponsorship, and Conyers Dill and Pearman were kind enough to present me with a cheque for $600,” he said. “That can get me out to California to meet the other volunteers before we continue on.”The former Mount St Agnes student said he wants to spread word of ISV in Bermuda and get more locals involved.“They take hundreds, if not thousands, of applicants from all over the world, but primarily accept university students,” Conor said. “This year there are little to no Bermudians. We’re blessed in Bermuda in so many ways, and the chance to go and rough it in a rural village, one-on-one with homeless children, is completely outside anything I know from my experience here. I’m proud to represent Bermuda and give something back.”On top of community development programmes in Phuket and Chiang Mai, there is the job of feeding and bathing elephants in remote sanctuaries in the north of Thailand. The hard work is balanced with white water rafting, jungle treks and rock climbing, as a way to experience the country itself.Conor said parents Alex and Anna have supported his choice, and his work with insurance brokers JLT Park has helped foot the bill.“Ultimately, I’d like to work in insurance here in Bermuda,” the Hamilton Parish teen said. “There are opportunities to use my major in international development toward philanthropic work here too. As far as ISV goes, I just want to get more Bermudians involved.”l To help sponsor Conor or find out more, contact conormcl13[AT]hotmail.com. Useful web link: www.isvonline.com.