17-year-old's fundraiser to volunteer in Costa Rica

Josh Mills will be jetting off to Costa Rica in July as part of a four-week volunteering expedition hosted by Camps International.

Josh learnt of the opportunity with Camps International in October 2023 when he was in Year 11 at West Hill.

During his time in Costa Rica, Josh will be living in the heart of the rainforest to work alongside the local people in reforestation, construction and wildlife conservation.

His work will support the United Nations Sustainable Goals initiative, helping to reduce inequality, give rise to quality education, and endorse climate action.

Josh will be building educational facilities as well as cleaning up the beach to help protect sea turtles and their ecosystem.

Whilst out in Central America, Josh will also be taught how to scuba dive and will receive a scuba diving qualification.

In Costa Rica 20,000 acres of land are destroyed annually due to deforestation, so the work that Josh will be doing will help enormously.

To go on the volunteering trip Josh had to raise £5,000 by himself to cover the costs.

During his year of fundraising Josh faced many setbacks, including having to sit his GCSE exams and his college mocks.

Alongside his schoolwork, Josh also had to go to the hospital several times, where he was diagnosed with asthma.

But with lots of hard work and determination, he managed to hit his £5,000 target earlier this year.

Josh told us: “We started doing little things like leaflet drops for the local community. I created my own leaflets to post through doors to ask for any little jobs that people wanted help with for some donations.

“I also did a lot of bake sales, and lots of raffles at school as well.”

Josh was also very interested in music and played the trumpet at school. To help his fundraising, he went around care homes over the Christmas period and played songs for the residents.

One of Josh’s main fundraising sources came from starting his own business, where he sold his own 3D-printed products.

He went around local communities to sell his products as well as set up some stalls, and Josh even made an Instagram page which can be found at @visionvibe.studios

Josh started this business after finding a love for engineering during work experience.

“In Year 10, I had the opportunity to go and do some work experience. I decided to go to an engineering firm to see if I liked that kind of route.

“When I went, I was really interested in the design side, and instead of taking it up as a career, I decided to do it more as a hobby. I invested in 3D printing, which I turned into my own business that doubled as an aid for my fundraiser.”

Josh also received sponsorships from Dukinfield and Stalybridge Rotary Club, and Ashworth Springs in Rochdale, who also donated money towards his trip.

Josh signed up for the trip as not many people his age get the opportunity to work abroad, and he thought it would be a valuable experience. 

In his GoFundMe Josh states: “By volunteering for this expedition and engaging my support, it will test my resilience to the max. It will put me out of my comfort zone to support life changing projects for the benefit of the Costa Rican Community. I am not afraid of hard work, but I know it will be demanding in an unfamiliar environment, amongst experiencing a whole new culture…… yet be thoroughly rewarding at the same time!”

Josh even customised his Camps International T-Shirt that he wears to work at one of the local pubs, to showcase his sponsors, advertise his fundraising and even added a QR code on the back for people to scan that takes them to his GoFundMe page.

As well as the £5,000 that Josh needed to fundraise to cover the cost of his trip, he also needs to cover the cost of both his Visa and his vaccinations. 

Josh flies to Costa Rica on the 23^rd of July, and regularly updates his GoFundMe with upcoming events and ways you can support him.

You can donate and follow along for Josh’s journey at www.gofundme.com/f/costa-rica-volunteer-project