Three of us from the Boys and Girls Club of Hawaii recently returned from a transformative Leaders in Training service trip to South Africa. During our two-week journey over the summer, we joined teens from other areas of the country to support the Boys and Girls Club of Mofolo in Soweto.

Our trip, which took us to Kruger National Park, Capetown, and Johannesburg-Soweto, was not just an adventure but a life-changing experience that offered lessons in personal growth.

Service — acts that improve the life of another person or community — can be an amazing growth opportunity for everyone involved. We, along with our new friends, assisted youth with their homework, cleaned the Clubhouse, and painted a mural inside with imagery representing the town of Soweto. We also donated essential school supplies, shoes and clothes to students there.

These activities were positive ways to contribute, a great deal of fun, and fostered strong friendships. Despite language barriers and different backgrounds, we were welcomed with curious faces, followed by joyful smiles, and we never once felt out of place.

While on the trip, we also experienced African culture, traditions and customs, learning more than we could through textbooks at school. We went on a safari at Kruger National Park, traveled to Cape Town, where we visited the Khwa Ttu San Heritage Center and District Six Museum to learn more about the history and culture of South Africa, and explored the Apartheid Museum and Nelson Mandela’s home.

We learned that no matter where in the world we come from, children, unfortunately, face the same challenges, such as peer pressure, exposure to illicit drugs and violence, poverty, bullying and the struggle that comes from not having a trusted adult to lean on.

That’s why support from organizations like the Boys and Girls Club of Hawaii is desperately needed in communities worldwide. Knowing we have a place where we can count on meals, mentors who truly care, and chances to participate in meaningful experiences like this service trip gives us confidence and the skills necessary to navigate to the futures we envision for ourselves and our community.

Ninety-seven percent of our teen peers in BGCH Clubhouses feel confident they will graduate high school, and 100% of teens in the Leaders in Training program graduated high school.

Not many youth can say they’ve flown to the other side of the world. We have a new appreciation for the opportunities we have here in Hawaii and a more enlightened view of the world.

We have all grown as people, expanded our emotional intelligence and broadened our perspectives. This trip also inspired Ladayna to become a pediatrics traveling nurse after she graduates from high school.

Youth believe the world is getting better, yet we are realistic about the challenges we face. In a 2019 survey by UNICEF, nearly all 8- to 17-year-olds (90%) reported being concerned about one or more critical issues.

Our concern, optimism and realism mean that youth are well-positioned to lead now and in the future. We need the opportunity to build the skills required of future leaders and the leadership and service experiences to practice in real-world settings.

We need people to support organizations like the Pacific Youth Foundation and the Boys and Girls Club of Hawaii that give youth like us future-changing experiences to become thoughtful, compassionate and engaged leaders.

We left South Africa with invaluable lessons, but one of the most important reminders was that no matter what language you speak or where you grow up, love, laughter and joy are universally the most important experiences for us all. We’ll take these experiences with us the rest of our lives and hope more local youth will have the opportunity to experience leadership and service in action as we did.

Editor’s note: The Boys and Girls Club is a nonprofit that provides affordable membership and guidance-oriented development programs to help young people reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. That includes international trips like this one, sponsored by Pacific Youth Foundation, which allows youth to broaden their horizons and foster global connections.