Ghana Service Trip 2017

Over the course of 2016, Christopher and I discussed a plan to travel outside of the United States to pay forward the knowledge and insight we have acquired as educators in the U.S. and to continue to learn more about ourselves as rising leaders of color. After months of discussing the plan with each other, old professors, and others in our networks, we have decided to go to Ghana in April 2017.

This trip will give us both the opportunity to further explore our African heritage. Our classes and classmates at Emmanuel College helped impart valuable knowledge about our ancestry, but we know as people, as men of color,  information is only the beginning; we need to experience and connect physcially. 

There is nothing more powerful than honing one's leadership capacity through exploring one's identity in full. This refining and deepening of character is often ignited from and spurred by a journey to a physical destination of great importance. Think of some of the greatest leaders in the U.S.: Malcom X and W.E.B. Dubois in Ghana, Barack Obama in Kenya. We are sure, that in the same vain, we will not come back the same. 

But this change will not come from going to the beach and visiting tourist sites alone. We are deliberate and intentional about our desire to connect deeper with the Ghanaian people and the one way we know how to do so is through education. Our plan is to connect with schools and educators in Ghana while there. We are fundraising to raise awareness about our journey and our cause. A majority of the funds we are raising will go towards supplies for students we have identified in specific schools in Ghana. The idea is simple: we will go to multiple schools, talk to students about our experiences in education, connect with educators organically, donate where there is need, and learn and develop as educators by listening to experiences and systems on the ground. We want to be fully present, only occasional pictures; to do it not for publicity but to really come back ready for the next level. 

We are raising $4,000 which will help to subsidize our airfare and fully cover the supplies we will take with us to Ghana. Based on our projections, our supplies can reach 200 students, if not more (please see our project proposal for more details). But it's our story, our connections with educators on the ground, that we hope will travel farther. We appreciate the support from you as we push ourselves to become better educators and global learners and leaders.

Thank you so much.