Teens travel across Canada on Peace Bus to volunteer

About a dozen teenagers capped off more than a month of volunteering across Canada in Fall River, N.S., Saturday.

“It’s a lot of work, but it’s very rewarding work. It’s not like we’re sitting there and, you know, doing homework, or like, just playing on the computer. You can see the impact you have on people’s lives,” said Jacob Taljaard, 16, a participant of the Peace Bus program.

The program is run by CISV, which used to stand for Children’s International Summer Villages.

The group started the journey in British Columbia, then drove province after province and volunteered by clearing trash at an afforestation area, helping out at a soup kitchen, and the like.

Members camped and stayed in participants’ homes along the way.

“I can bring back to my chapter and to my own life the things I’ve learned to help people and also help myself through conflict resolution because, obviously, packed in the bus like that, there’s some conflict. You learn to work it out,” said Taljaard, who is from Fall River, Ont.

Sophia Hein, who is from Sackville, N.S., is heading west on the bus with a new team this weekend.

“I’m a little nervous but mostly excited,” said the 16-year-old. “It’s important to volunteer because you get a sense of, like, helping others, and that’s really fulfilling for yourself and for the people that you’re helping.”

According to CISV’s website, there are chapters in more than 200 cities worldwide.