Celebrating the Tenth Anniversary of the South Africa Initiative

 

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the South Africa Initiative. What began as an initial assignment to develop a new global program in South Africa has grown to become one of GSE’s signature programs. As noted by Dr. Darren ClarkeSenior Director of Strategic Alliances and Outreach at the GSE and co-founder of SAI, the program is “an invitation for participants to learn about themselves and culturally-different others. It challenges thinking while working with school children and learners in their communities and enables our students to bring home and apply their new knowledge to make a difference in their communities.”  Through the program, students are immersed in South African culture as they work directly with school learners and community members within their area of interest and expertise. As part of the program, students will also participate in cultural activities such as visiting the Apartheid Museum, Voortrekker Monument and Robben Island. The program is tailored to help connect each student’s interests and specialties with their counterpart while abroad.

The 2012 South African Initiative will run from July 19- July 30 2012. Information sessions for the 2012 South Africa Initiative will be on November 30, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. and January 12, 2012 at 6:00 p.m. both in the GSE lecture hall. Students will have the opportunity to meet with SAI alumni who will provide insight about the program and share their experiences. Applications can be found here and must be completed and submitted by February 7, 2012 at 4:00 p.m.

To celebrate the anniversary of the South African Initiative, the SAI 10th Anniversary Awards Reception and Silent Auction will be held on December 9, 2011, 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m., in the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum.

Awards for the winners of the SAI Creative Response Contest and the SAI Vision Award will be presented at the event.

The SAI Creative Response Contest was open to students in grades K-12 to submit creative projects along the theme of Lend a Hand to Social Justice. Projects were judged by SAI alumni and faculty. Winners and their teachers will be recognized at the award ceremony.

The SAI Vision Award is designed to honor a former SAI student who has demonstrated tremendous work in their community by applying the knowledge, skills and experiences that he or she has gained following their participation in the program.

For more information about the program, please contact Dr. Darren Clarke at (732) 932-7496 ext. 8106 or mailto:dlclarke@dceo.rutgers.edudlclarke@dceo.rutgers.edu.