Monday, November 21, 2011

impossible2Possible Gears Up For Youth Expedition To India

The impossible2Possible team is gearing up for their latest youth expedition, setting their sights on India this time out. As usual, the organization will take a group of young people to a remote and challenging destination, where they'll spend a week traveling by foot throughout the region.

On this particular expedition, ultra-athlete Ray Zahab will be joined by four youth ambassadors as they attempt to run across the Thar Desert, a dry an inhospitable place that is known to have sand dunes that reach as high as 150 meters (492 ft) in height. Located along the border of India and Pakistan, the Thar is amongst the largest deserts in the world, but isn't well known outside the region.

Ray, along with runners Emma Cook-Clarke, Jessica Kenny, Harshveer Sign Saluja, and Patrick Doughty, will attempt to cross the Thar in just one week. In order to do so, they'll need to cover 290km (180 miles) on foot, averaging roughly a marathon a day for seven straight days.

While all i2P expeditions are a great adventure in and of themselves, they also have key educational goals in mind as well. In this case, the team will be exploring the topic of World Health and the importance of quality, affordable health care to people around the globe. For many, health care simply isn't an option, either for lack of money or facilities. It is estimated that one million people die each year in India alone because they lack access to health care, and the i2P team will be spreading the word about that very topic as they interact with classrooms as part of their Experiential Learning Program.

The team will leave for India this week and will begin the expedition soon there after.