So how you feeling?
Exhausted. Heavy. Overwhelmed. Angry. Distraught. Disgusted.
Those are just some of the reactions our young men shared immediately after leaving the two museums we visited on Thursday, June 29th.
But then there was one reaction that Louis Wingfield III shared, that made me smile.
I feel “enlightened–Just like Mandela said, the museum is meant for reflection and education not to produce anger or hatred, so I feel enlightened.”
I must admit, the first part of today was tough. We took time to visit the Hector Pieterson Museum (dedicated to remembering the Soweto uprisings that began on June 16, 1976 and the 577 students of South Africa who died protesting the government’s mode of educating children in Afrikaans) and the Nelson Mandela Museum (a reflection on the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela and the fight to end apartheid).
Our students were captivated learning about the student protest movement during the 70s and the country’s struggle to end Apartheid. I was impressed by the level of engagement by our students and the questions they asked throughout our tour of both museums. It is often overwhelming taking in all the various content that is displayed in historical settings such as the two we visited, so it is noteworthy that our students largely remained interested throughout and asked tough questions, many that are still being struggled with today. City Year South Africa was again incredible in facilitating discussion among the students as both sides shared their thoughts on how youth issues and movements are similar and/or different in South Africa and America. I was personally reminded of how many of the civil rights struggles of our history have been led by youth. It is therefore important for us not to lose sight of the importance of our youth’s voice in education, culture, and society.
The second half of the day was more about South African culture mixed with a little bit of American traditions. We decided to spend the afternoon eating dinner at a local restaurant called BGR. BGR is a burger joint owned by an American named Joshua Cherry. Joshua not only provided us with some “American-style” tasty burgers and fries, but he also spent some time speaking with our young men about his business model and why he seeks to employ young people. His commitment to helping reduce the unemployment rate in South Africa and prepare the young adults to receive basic work experience/skills that they can build upon in college and beyond, is yet another example of social entrepreneurship at work that LearnServe and EME have strived to highlight. Thank you, Josh, for opening up your store to us Americans! Niko and Carl are still remarking how they had the best burgers ever and how you should consider opening up chains in the United States 🙂
Key updates and links!
>I could not write about last Thursday without mentioning it was Zac’s birthday! I want to publicly salute and shout out Zac for being a great role model, brother, friend, AND leader among his peers. I admire Zac’s quiet courage and strength and I feel blessed to have him as an Eastern Men of Excellence member. Check out his birthday tribute that we had for him at BGR: https://goo.gl/photos/
One more thing…As a reminder, please continue to check out the running google photo link we have of ALL of our pictures from the LearnServe EME South Africa experience. We have a ton of pictures and with each day, the google photo link is growing. You do not want to miss out on the exclusive photos and videos of our special memories!
https://goo.gl/photos/
Okay, one more thing, for real…I am NOT the only one writing blogs. Our EME students are documenting their own reflections as well! Please check out the following LearnServe page each day to see our students reflect on their experiences. Their blogs, as well as mine, have been delayed because of our mini stay at the homestays (more to come on those!), but the first week’s student blogs are up and you will enjoy reading about each student’s experiences in their own words:
https://learn-serve.org/blog/
Happy Fourth, when it comes!
Law Programs Teacher
Eastern High School
An International Baccalaureate World School