“Being a volunteer is not about being a super hero, claiming to know everything, solving all problems as a Westerner might see it, instead it’s about giving the best of oneself, even when you can’t see the results, hoping that the people will, in turn, give the best of themselves, defying the odds which seem to destine them for hell.  I learne...

  Why join the 10 Months program? Because you have the chance to find answers for many questions, let’s stop the ignorance and look at the world from a different angle. Put the problems on the table, let’s talk about inconvenient topics, let’s figure out together what we can do, make actions because we have enough armchair activists and philos...

They say that time goes by fast when you are having fun. I have to both agree and disagree. I have enjoyed my time at the Fighting Shoulder to Shoulder with the Poor program of course, and I can't even remember all the happy moments I have shared with my teammate and other students and teachers from our little school community. But it's not all abo...

Service Period Red Bank / Belize My name is Lina, I am a fine and visual artist and this story begins in Bogotá – Colombia. Going from home to work and from work to home, I accumulated hours and hours of daily thoughts and worries for several years. What I had not noticed was that they related not only to my life, but also to other beings, and I sa...

I am currently enrolled in the 18 month "Fighting with the Poor" program at the Richmond Vale Academy. Before coming to the Caribbean, I had worked 8 years for the same company and felt that I wanted a change in my life. The office job was making me unhappy and left me lacking a sense of meaning. I didn't feel like I was contributing anything to th...

My name is Ammon Felix and I am from the Richland, WA, U.S.A. I was part of the Fighting Shoulder to Shoulder with the Poor Program at Richmond Vale Academy from April 2016 - November 2017. During this Time I spent 6 months studying the massive forces in the world that keep many people in poverty. I spent 6 months learning the practicalities of wor...

My name is Maria. I am from Latvia. Richmond Vale Academy is not about theoretical exercises. It is a place where you can make a real impact. The six months teams are focusing on building home gardens for local families. It is really possible to make a change in peoples lives. Gardens are an important step towards self-sustainability, self-sufficie...

I have been lucky enough in my life to have travelled and lived in many different countries and worked with many different organisations. I have seen poverty in every place that I have been, whether it was in my own country, Scotland or where I am living now in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. When I look at it, being poor has a different meaning ...

We would like to share an article from a subject that the 18 months Fighting with The Poor Team study at Richmond Vale Academy. The concept of Open Future zooms in on the Future. Not the past, not the present, but the future. With lessons learnt from the past, we can influence the Future through the Present. The concept of Open Future consciou...

Poverty is about not having enough money to meet basic needs including food, clothing and shelter.  However, poverty is more, much more than not having enough money. The World Bank Organization describes poverty in this way: “Poverty is hunger. Poverty is lack of shelter. Poverty is being sick and not being able to see a doctor. Poverty is not...

During the 18 months Fighting with The Poor Program, participants both study and take action to fight global warming and global poverty in St. Vincent, Belize and Ecuador. Part of this program is to also to plant trees, organize clean up actions, teach in schools and start vegetable gardens along with a number of theoretical studies to understand t...

Dear Reader , In the coming weeks we will share appetizers from the fascinating studies in the 18 months Fighting Shoulder to Shoulder Program. The 18 months teams have been running at the Academy since 2012 and more than 50 people have joined. Today's study piece is from the section of Leadership , specifically the task "Leading and managing the p...

Dear Reader, We like to share with you another appetizer from the fascinating studies in the 18 months Fighting Shoulder to Shoulder Program. This week's topis is from the subject Leadership Intelligence. This subject contains topics like Leadership, The Brain, Building Charisma and Charismatic People. Enjoy and please just write to me if you have ...

As students in the “Fighting with the poor” program at Richmond Vale Academy, we are expected to do a number of different studies. This is so that we can leave the program with a certificate from One World University. These studies include many different topics that are not only important and useful for us as development instructors, but as individ...

Last 6 months in our Service Period By Lillian Hallmark After returning to the Academy  after our service period we have several things to get in order. We are back to the communal living, common action and food production. However it's not all.  We are also in the process on making our own product. Which we will share with others wh...

I have lived at Richmond Vale Academy, on the Island of Saint Vincent, for about three and a half months. Myself and two other people started the Fighting Poverty program at the beginning of April 2016. The program lasts 18 months and is full of outstanding experiences. These range from a week-long Agricultural Investigation, to planting trees, to ...

If we were born in this world with the concept of "Good" or "Bad" is different depending on your country, religions or culture. In some part of the world eating beef is an offence, while in other parts of the world it's part of their culture, with this simple example we can see the differences between us. But can this difference explain why we are ...