Students at Kentucky Country Day School are leaving a lasting impression in the African country of Ghana.
Over the past year, two student groups traveled to Tamale, a sister city of Louisville, and a third group is there now. While there, the students meet with government officials, live with local families and work on projects at schools. They already have brought Internet access to one school and are working to bring safe drinking water to two schools.
Dexter Mahaffey, coordinator of diversity activities at KCD, said he didn't want students to go there as tourists but to build relationships.
'If you have a friendship, you begin to understand a place much better,' he said. 'You want to take care of your friends.'
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
KCD students' trips to Ghana forge friendships
This article in the Courier-Journal came out last week. Great coverage of a great story.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
Instead of going to Ghana to forge friendships - it will be much better to forge it right here, in West Louisville. I don’t know if kids in KCD are aware of poverty and hardships that exist in Louisville. Trip to Louisville soup kitchen and homeless shelter will be much more effective to leave a lasting impression in hearts and minds of students instead of going around the globe. Not to mention the cost of the trip.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment. I would like to point out that our students' partnership with their sister schools in Ghana doesn't mean that they're not involved in other ways right here in Louisville. Students at every grade level routinely organize projects in support Dare to Care Food Bank, and many of our students spend a class day each year volunteering at places all over Louisville, including the West End. In addition, the high schoolers who manage the Artemis Fund meet each year with numerous people who manage service agencies across the city. I think they would agree with you that these relationships have left a lasting impression.
ReplyDelete