A contingent of 15 college students and three chaperons are subsequent month heading on a mission to Ghana, West Africa as a part of the Brownsville Overseas program at Frederick Douglass Academy VII (FDA VII) Excessive Faculty on Bristol Road, Brownsville, Brooklyn.
“Our mission is to carry our students on to Ghana in West Africa, a spot their ancestors referred to as residence, to allow them to observe what it was and is thru their very own eyes,” English trainer Bijoun Jordan, coordinator of this system, advised Caribbean Life solely on Friday.
“In the end, we predict our college students will be taught that every one of us within the African Diaspora are extra the identical than totally different, and that regardless that they’ve seldom ventured past Brooklyn, they actually belong wherever they select to go,” he added. “Their sense of self and their pleasure in our heritage will develop.”
Jordan stated the Brownsville Overseas Mission to Ghana, which is integral to FDA VII’s worldwide journey membership, runs from Aug. 21-30.
He stated this system is supervised by principal Tamika Matheson and assistant principal Gail Murray, and supported by steering counselor Revlyn Philip and numerous companions.
Jordan stated the principle associate group is Birthright AFRICA, which is supporting the mission with program logistics, in addition to with a portion of funding.
He stated the tour operator, “who has already been of nice help”, is African Roots Journey, owned by Maurice Cheetham.
The coordinator stated the 15 touring college students are of African descent, 11 of whom are of Caribbean heritage, primarily Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Jamaica, but in addition St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Puerto Rico, Barbados, Panama, Grenada and Haiti.
Jordan stated the scholars have been members of Brownsville Overseas, taking part within the faculty’s Ghana program since February.
He stated the itinerary highlights embrace: A conventional naming ceremony at Gbawe Palace; a student-for-a-day expertise on the African STEM Academy, in addition to making a mural and a expertise service mission; exploring the W.E.B. DuBois Heart, Kwame Nkrumah Park, the Ghana Nationwide Museum, the Assin Manso Slave River and the Cape Coast slave dungeons; taking part within the Chale Wote Arts Competition and a standard drum and dance class; strolling the cover of the Kakum Park Rainforest; and an Afrobeat studio tour and composing an authentic music.
“Our journey initiative is fulfilling in a particular approach,” Jordan. “We get the chance to introduce our students to a completely totally different a part of the planet.
“For many of our college students, that is both their first time on a airplane, their first time leaving the nation aside from visiting household, or each,” he added. “Talking for myself briefly, our work is sort of a distilled model of why I turned a trainer. College students have a singular alternative; will develop their perspective; and can develop deep, private data by way of unforgettable experiences.
“That is much more vital contemplating lots of our college students have had much less privilege and are getting the possibility to rediscover their very own heritage,” Jordan continued. “As well as, this specific group that now we have this 12 months has a whole lot of initiative. They take part totally and loudly, they’ve nice management potential, and so they have a thirst for publicity and development.”
Jordan stated organizers are “excited for what our students will encounter,” stating that, amongst different points of the journey, “there’s a effective stability between visiting historic websites and studying that we proceed to thrive as descendants of African slaves.
“We don’t need them to take a look at this expertise from a deficit mannequin,” he stated. “Too usually, college students need to separate themselves from their African heritage, moderately than gaining pleasure.
“What we hope college students have begun to realize from this course of is seeing themselves as a part of a wealthy, robust lineage,” he added. “Their journey might be as a lot of a return residence and a discovery of themselves as an exploration of a brand new place on the earth.”
Jordan stated the mission program has come collectively “fairly properly”; that funding is “principally full; and, essential, the students have already participated in numerous enriching excursions and experiences.”
Pupil Johanah (final identify withheld), 16, a rising senior, who lives in Brownsville, stated she is “extremely thrilled to find the beauties of Africa by way of one in all its well-known nations and metropolis, Accra, Ghana.
“The properly put-together program and itinerary of enjoyable and academic experiences go away me anticipating the good consequence of this journey and journey,” she stated. “I’m able to not solely uncover new components of the world however to find new points of myself and the individuals on the journey with me.”
One other rising senior, Damarley (final identify additionally withheld), 17, who resides in East New York, stated he’s “each excited and just a little anxious on the identical time.
“I’m nervous as a result of this might be my first time leaving the continent and seeing a major location, the place my ancestors previously resided,” he stated. “Seeing the various cultures and traditions, in addition to the locations the place slaves had been saved, will give that nervous feeling.
“Due to this fact, I’ve a sense that my keep there might be actually eye-opening and surprising,” Damarley added.
Jordan stated he desires FDA VII’s students to expertise the precept of Sankofa (“to retrieve”), “a West African expression for what we’re about to do: We’ll return to our ancestral homeland and our historical past to see a brand new approach ahead.
“I would like them (students) to see themselves in Africa and Africa in them,” he added, stating that two organizations are offering further funding, and that the most important portion of the prices are coated by way of crowdfunding (gofundme.com/Brownsville-to-Ghana).
For extra info, you possibly can attain Jordan at mrjordan@fda7.org or (646) 247-6466.
Those that need to be taught extra in regards to the FDA VII program also can Google Brownsville Overseas and/or observe on Instagram @fda7travels.
