A FORMER Okehampton College student has been given the opportunity to make a real contribution to a community in Ghana after having been granted a World Youth Millennium Award (WYMA.)

Eighteen-year-old award winner Connie Smith will become part of a team of 18 young people from Ghana and the UK during her six-month exchange which begins this autumn.

The team will live in pairs in host families both in the UK and in Ghana giving them the chance to discover the real day-to-day lives of both cultures that would not be possible on a back-packing holiday.

'I'm really looking forward to finding out about Africa from the inside and it's fantastic that I have been given this chance to become part of a Ghanaian community for three months,' said Connie.

Connie and her fellow travellers will be given the choice of becoming involved in education, conservation, care or other more regionally specific placements.

Helping out in the classroom is something Connie is particularly keen on: 'I helped two learning support classes when I was in Year 12 at Okehampton College and really enjoyed it,' she said. 'Teaching English as a foreign language is something I would like to get involved with in the future and so getting to know how African schools work will be a definite bonus.'

WYMA is a Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) and Prince's Trust exchange programme funded by the Millennium Commission.

The award will arrange work placements, host families and travel requirements, but Connie still needs to raise £500 towards her trip. She is looking for sponsorship and would be grateful to anyone who could make a donation. Her contact number is 01647 440361.