Amazing and enlightening are two words used to describe local non-profit organization Youthlinc’s mission and purpose. Seniors Maddox Comey and Tahj Cole recently expedited a remarkable humanitarian experience this past summer of 2025.
With Comey going to Fiji, and Cole going to Rwanda, they both had an incredible, and meaningful experience being on distinct continents. The two boys traveled with Youthlinc, a close friend of Judge Memorial, on their students’ community service journey.
The goal in the country is to serve, educate, learn, and foster a good experience with the local communities and their culture. Whether it’s teaching an English lesson to young kids, attending in-home visits with families, or making planter boxes for a preschool garden, the common factor is worthwhile and leaves permanent connections to oneself and others.
Aside from their workdays, the Fiji and Rwanda teams both had a day-long excursion.
“Our excursion was pretty nice. We got to go to a resort for a day and a half, like a Fijian resort.” says Comey.
“My excursion experience, we went to a national park called Akagera National Park,” says Cole.
The trip’s duration was 2 weeks in the country, but had months and months of successful preparation and composement. When asked what the biggest takeaways from the trip were, they responded with a heartfelt response.
“After the trip, my view on life changed just because I realized how small of a community we are compared to the world. My overall takeaway, honestly, I know this is kind of dumb, but without my phone for two weeks, I realized how much social media and my phone affects my anxiety and that part of my life.” says Comey.
“My overall takeaway from this trip was that, you know, you should just be able to forgive and forget in life. Holding grudges doesn’t really help anyone out in life, and you know, just being able to forgive and forget is a very important quality to have.” says Cole.
Cole also explains how the tragic 1994 genocide in Rwanda sparked an inspiring element of reconciliation today, which applies to the phrase “forgive and forget”.
In addition to the beautiful destinations of Fiji and Rwanda, there are countless other service locations such as Peru, Ecuador, Kenya, Cambodia, Thailand and Mongolia.
They hope to spread the amazing and unique opportunities Youthlinc has to offer to all ages. If you are interested in learning more about the organization and service sites, visit this link!
