On October 1, 2014 at 7 pm, the Castleton Free Library will host Rebecca Day discussing her 9 months in rural Nepal working with the students of Kopila Valley School and Children's Home. She created the first counseling program in the entire region of approximately 350,000 people. Rebecca developed a month-long Mental Health Month curriculum for the school as well as an intensive day-long training for educators on the negative effects of corporal punishment. She will share her challenges, experiences, and reflections from her work at the school.

Rebecca Day started traveling the world at 16 years old and hasn’t stopped since. She has volunteered in orphanages in Thailand, Cambodia, and Costa Rica and led service trips to Venezuela, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa. She received her master’s in social work from the University of South Florida and went on to receive her license in clinical social work. She has worked with children, adolescents, and adults but has a special love for working with kids. She has counseled refugees and survivors of political torture, youth in the juvenile justice system, the chronically mentally ill, and has worked at a suicide crisis center. After spending most of her post-college life in Florida, she decided it was time for a much needed change. Rebecca reconnected with one of her students from a previous international GAP year program, who started a school and children's home in Nepal, and spent 9 months starting a counseling program from the ground up.

This free talk will include photos and videos that illustrate Rebecca’s experience in Nepal. Refreshments will be served. Questions, call 468-5574 or email castletonfreelibrary@gmail.com.