<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" xmlns:georss="http://www.georss.org/georss" xmlns:geo="http://www.w3.org/2003/01/geo/wgs84_pos#" > <channel> <title>Washington Leadership Academy Archives - LearnServe International</title> <atom:link href="https://learn-serve.org/category/learnserve-abroad/school/washington-leadership-academy/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <link>https://learn-serve.org/category/learnserve-abroad/school/washington-leadership-academy/</link> <description>The world is small. Think Big.</description> <lastBuildDate>Wed, 10 Jul 2019 21:29:20 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en-US</language> <sy:updatePeriod> hourly </sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency> 1 </sy:updateFrequency> <generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.2</generator> <site xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">145852576</site> <item> <title>LearnServe Zambia 2019, Day 5: Stretching My Comfort Zone</title> <link>https://learn-serve.org/2019/06/28/learnserve-zambia-2019-day-5-stretching-my-comfort-zone/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=learnserve-zambia-2019-day-5-stretching-my-comfort-zone</link> <comments>https://learn-serve.org/2019/06/28/learnserve-zambia-2019-day-5-stretching-my-comfort-zone/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[learnserve]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Fri, 28 Jun 2019 21:16:35 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[LearnServe Abroad]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Washington Leadership Academy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Zambia]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Zambia '19]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://learn-serve.org/?p=12217</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>Today we went to Daughter’s Vision for our fourth day in Zambia. Daughter’s Vision is an organization that works with vulnerable or orphaned girls ages […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://learn-serve.org/2019/06/28/learnserve-zambia-2019-day-5-stretching-my-comfort-zone/">LearnServe Zambia 2019, Day 5: Stretching My Comfort Zone</a> appeared first on <a href="https://learn-serve.org">LearnServe International</a>.</p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[ <div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignleft is-resized"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="12218" data-permalink="https://learn-serve.org/2019/06/28/learnserve-zambia-2019-day-5-stretching-my-comfort-zone/amaiya/" data-orig-file="https://learn-serve.org/assets/2019/07/Amaiya.jpeg" data-orig-size="1116,1487" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Amaiya" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://learn-serve.org/assets/2019/07/Amaiya-225x300.jpeg" data-large-file="https://learn-serve.org/assets/2019/07/Amaiya-769x1024.jpeg" src="http://learn-serve.org/assets/2019/07/Amaiya.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-12218" width="216" height="287" srcset="https://learn-serve.org/assets/2019/07/Amaiya.jpeg 1116w, https://learn-serve.org/assets/2019/07/Amaiya-225x300.jpeg 225w, https://learn-serve.org/assets/2019/07/Amaiya-768x1023.jpeg 768w, https://learn-serve.org/assets/2019/07/Amaiya-769x1024.jpeg 769w, https://learn-serve.org/assets/2019/07/Amaiya-830x1106.jpeg 830w, https://learn-serve.org/assets/2019/07/Amaiya-230x306.jpeg 230w, https://learn-serve.org/assets/2019/07/Amaiya-350x466.jpeg 350w, https://learn-serve.org/assets/2019/07/Amaiya-480x640.jpeg 480w" sizes="(max-width: 216px) 100vw, 216px" /></figure></div> <p>Today we went to Daughter’s Vision for our fourth day in Zambia. Daughter’s Vision is an organization that works with vulnerable or orphaned girls ages 6-19, encouraging them to stay in school by avoiding early marriage and childbirth. The founder of Daughter’s Vision, Gladys, greeted us and was so nice and welcoming. It made me really excited to start my day there. She is a former teacher from the Chikumbuso school we previously visited and started Daughter’s Vision on her own nine years ago. </p> <p>As we were pulling up we saw a lot of the kids running towards the van because they knew it was LearnServe and some of them saw Gaby and Clarence. It was also because we clearly stuck out with our white van and American faces. They were so happy to see us. I was so amazed at how many kids were just so nice and open to us. Some of them were not shy at all while others were, but by the end they opened up to us and it was so much fun.</p> <p>When we got there we were a bit confused because we thought there weren’t going to be any kids today. We were told we would just be doing a painting project for Gladys. The kids were supposed to come next week. We didn’t have our lessons or materials, but it was all cool because we made it work. Although we weren’t scheduled to teach, this experience taught me to always have a backup plan and to be patient when working with others. Sometimes you have to be flexible. So we all introduced ourselves to Gladys and she was clearly excited to meet everyone and welcomed us with open arms. She remembered our trip’s intern, Anisa, from two years ago! Anisa was especially helpful as she quickly came up with a plan for us to use the materials and books from previous years so we could teach some academic lessons on the spot. I was worried about doing this without too much notice, but realized these girls deserved to be taught. Gaby separated us into different groups: painting, reading, and a game/dancing group. </p> <p>While we were painting some parts of the buildings it became bonding time for me and some of my trip peers. Sarah, Janee, and I talked about racism, colorism, our schools, and what colleges we want to attend. The conversations opened my eyes to others’ perspectives on race and schooling in America. I was really grateful for that conversation and felt I learned a lot about my peers and my country. After we finished painting, one of the kids outside of Daughter’s Vision wanted Janee and my attention so she said, “Aye Black Americans!” We just looked at each other and started laughing because no one ever said that to us before. The little girl then ran away. I thought about what she said and it made me feel disconnected from her and my fellow Zambians. It was the first time I had ever been singled out for being a Black American and I wondered what that meant to Zambians and Africans as a whole. </p> <p>Every 45 minutes we switched groups, so I went to the group that was playing games and dancing outside. They were teaching us some African dances and we were teaching them American dancing. After we were done dancing they wanted to play some games. We played telephone, which was really funny because we played their version. In the Zambian version you don’t repeat what you hear the other person say. The game was challenging because they really didn’t understand what we were saying — they think we talk too fast, but we got through the game and everyone had a good time.</p> <p>When 45 minutes was up we switched for the last time, and I had to teach math to several students. I gave them addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division problems. They were really good at addition, subtraction, and multiplication but one of the girls, Angel, needed more help in multiplication so I did one-on-one time with her while the other girl did some division problems on her own. Angel tried a few problems by herself and got them correct, so I was excited to move her to division but, unfortunately, we ran out of time. </p> <figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" width="1600" height="1200" data-attachment-id="12219" data-permalink="https://learn-serve.org/2019/06/28/learnserve-zambia-2019-day-5-stretching-my-comfort-zone/48153369456_28866a9ced_o/" data-orig-file="https://learn-serve.org/assets/2019/07/48153369456_28866a9ced_o.jpg" data-orig-size="1600,1200" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="48153369456_28866a9ced_o" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://learn-serve.org/assets/2019/07/48153369456_28866a9ced_o-400x300.jpg" data-large-file="https://learn-serve.org/assets/2019/07/48153369456_28866a9ced_o-1024x768.jpg" src="http://learn-serve.org/assets/2019/07/48153369456_28866a9ced_o.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-12219" srcset="https://learn-serve.org/assets/2019/07/48153369456_28866a9ced_o.jpg 1600w, https://learn-serve.org/assets/2019/07/48153369456_28866a9ced_o-400x300.jpg 400w, https://learn-serve.org/assets/2019/07/48153369456_28866a9ced_o-768x576.jpg 768w, https://learn-serve.org/assets/2019/07/48153369456_28866a9ced_o-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://learn-serve.org/assets/2019/07/48153369456_28866a9ced_o-830x623.jpg 830w, https://learn-serve.org/assets/2019/07/48153369456_28866a9ced_o-230x173.jpg 230w, https://learn-serve.org/assets/2019/07/48153369456_28866a9ced_o-350x263.jpg 350w, https://learn-serve.org/assets/2019/07/48153369456_28866a9ced_o-480x360.jpg 480w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></figure> <p>Overall, today was a wonderful day. I was so glad meeting and getting to know the kids at Daughter’s Vision. This was my first time ever being this active with kids like dancing and teaching. Teaching wasn’t that hard because math is my favorite subject and the kids I was teaching were very engaged. Dancing wasn’t hard either because I like to dance (but in private) so I pushed myself so that the kids could really be engaged with the activities. These two experiences really pushed me outside of my comfort zone and although I hadn’t planned for them, I have grown from the experience.</p> <p>Amaiya W., Washington Leadership Academy </p> <p>The post <a href="https://learn-serve.org/2019/06/28/learnserve-zambia-2019-day-5-stretching-my-comfort-zone/">LearnServe Zambia 2019, Day 5: Stretching My Comfort Zone</a> appeared first on <a href="https://learn-serve.org">LearnServe International</a>.</p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://learn-serve.org/2019/06/28/learnserve-zambia-2019-day-5-stretching-my-comfort-zone/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">12217</post-id> </item> <item> <title>LearnServe South Africa 2018, Day 12: Persist and Get it Done</title> <link>https://learn-serve.org/2018/07/07/learnserve-south-africa-2018-day-12-persist-and-get-it-done/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=learnserve-south-africa-2018-day-12-persist-and-get-it-done</link> <comments>https://learn-serve.org/2018/07/07/learnserve-south-africa-2018-day-12-persist-and-get-it-done/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[learnserve]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Sat, 07 Jul 2018 19:26:56 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[LearnServe Abroad]]></category> <category><![CDATA[South Africa]]></category> <category><![CDATA[South Africa '18]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Washington Leadership Academy]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://learn-serve.org/?p=11106</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>Saturday, July 7 – My LearnServe peers and I came to hike up beautiful Table Mountain located in Cape Town, South Africa. I had a […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://learn-serve.org/2018/07/07/learnserve-south-africa-2018-day-12-persist-and-get-it-done/">LearnServe South Africa 2018, Day 12: Persist and Get it Done</a> appeared first on <a href="https://learn-serve.org">LearnServe International</a>.</p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: left;"><img decoding="async" data-attachment-id="11107" data-permalink="https://learn-serve.org/2018/07/07/learnserve-south-africa-2018-day-12-persist-and-get-it-done/42354651964_d48d29ae20_z/" data-orig-file="https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/42354651964_d48d29ae20_z.jpg" data-orig-size="480,640" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Kharis Headshot" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/42354651964_d48d29ae20_z-225x300.jpg" data-large-file="https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/42354651964_d48d29ae20_z.jpg" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-11107" src="http://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/42354651964_d48d29ae20_z-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" srcset="https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/42354651964_d48d29ae20_z-225x300.jpg 225w, https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/42354651964_d48d29ae20_z-230x307.jpg 230w, https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/42354651964_d48d29ae20_z-350x467.jpg 350w, https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/42354651964_d48d29ae20_z.jpg 480w" sizes="(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px" />Saturday, July 7 – My LearnServe peers and I came to hike up beautiful Table Mountain located in Cape Town, South Africa. I had a purpose and an objective: to climb Table Mountain, to gain a sense of accomplishment, and to learn to work hard and put in the effort for what I want to accomplish and for the goals that I have set up in my life.</p> <p>Before I began climbing the mountain, I knew that it would take me at least 2 hours to climb, maybe less than that if I persisted. I knew that this was not an easy task, but it had to get done, and it was going to get done. Throughout climbing, there were times where I wanted to give up and not complete it, but I knew I had to, especially since there was no other way possible for me to get down. Knowing it would take more time to go back down then up, I did not want to take that chance and waste all the energy I had already put into climbing Table Mountain. After persisting through climbing up the mountain, I finally reached the top and felt a sense of fulfillment. Along with my peers, I knew we had all felt a sense of accomplishment because it was not an easy task but it got done.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="11108" data-permalink="https://learn-serve.org/2018/07/07/learnserve-south-africa-2018-day-12-persist-and-get-it-done/28436370797_8da7906942_z/" data-orig-file="https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/28436370797_8da7906942_z.jpg" data-orig-size="640,427" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="28436370797_8da7906942_z" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/28436370797_8da7906942_z-450x300.jpg" data-large-file="https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/28436370797_8da7906942_z.jpg" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-11108" src="http://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/28436370797_8da7906942_z-450x300.jpg" alt="" width="450" height="300" srcset="https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/28436370797_8da7906942_z-450x300.jpg 450w, https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/28436370797_8da7906942_z-230x153.jpg 230w, https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/28436370797_8da7906942_z-350x234.jpg 350w, https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/28436370797_8da7906942_z-272x182.jpg 272w, https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/28436370797_8da7906942_z.jpg 640w" sizes="(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px" />Although I was at the top of Table Mountain, I could not stay there forever and had to get down at some point. The way I got up is the same way I got down. This was a more difficult task because it would take 3.5 hours instead of the previous 2 hours that it had taken to get up there. In life, sometimes there are going to be things you don’t want to do, or there are going to be bumps in the road, but you have to persist and get it done. Going down the mountain was very difficult and more challenging than going up. After 3.5 hours of climbing down, I had a sense of victory within myself. I also saw that my peers and my community felt the same way. We all had worked together at times throughout the hike, supported each other, and were there for each other.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="11109" data-permalink="https://learn-serve.org/2018/07/07/learnserve-south-africa-2018-day-12-persist-and-get-it-done/28436367777_1629cc0d60_z/" data-orig-file="https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/28436367777_1629cc0d60_z.jpg" data-orig-size="640,427" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="28436367777_1629cc0d60_z" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/28436367777_1629cc0d60_z-450x300.jpg" data-large-file="https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/28436367777_1629cc0d60_z.jpg" class="size-medium wp-image-11109 alignleft" src="http://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/28436367777_1629cc0d60_z-450x300.jpg" alt="" width="450" height="300" srcset="https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/28436367777_1629cc0d60_z-450x300.jpg 450w, https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/28436367777_1629cc0d60_z-230x153.jpg 230w, https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/28436367777_1629cc0d60_z-350x234.jpg 350w, https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/28436367777_1629cc0d60_z-480x320.jpg 480w, https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/28436367777_1629cc0d60_z-272x182.jpg 272w, https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/28436367777_1629cc0d60_z.jpg 640w" sizes="(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px" />Looking back at this moment, I realized that the pain I felt climbing only made me stronger not only physically but also mentally. It challenged me to know that I can do anything I put my mind to. I had many doubts that I couldn’t get this done, but I continued to push myself outside of my comfort zone – to fully reach my potential and to see my abilities. Climbing up Table Mountain was an amazing experience that not everyone gets the chance to have. I am very grateful and proud that I not only had the opportunity, but I used it and I completed it.</p> <p>Kharis S., Washington Leadership Academy</p> <p>The post <a href="https://learn-serve.org/2018/07/07/learnserve-south-africa-2018-day-12-persist-and-get-it-done/">LearnServe South Africa 2018, Day 12: Persist and Get it Done</a> appeared first on <a href="https://learn-serve.org">LearnServe International</a>.</p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://learn-serve.org/2018/07/07/learnserve-south-africa-2018-day-12-persist-and-get-it-done/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">11106</post-id> </item> <item> <title>LearnServe Zambia 2018, Day 9: A New Culture</title> <link>https://learn-serve.org/2018/07/04/learnserve-zambia-2018-day-9-a-new-culture/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=learnserve-zambia-2018-day-9-a-new-culture</link> <comments>https://learn-serve.org/2018/07/04/learnserve-zambia-2018-day-9-a-new-culture/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[learnserve]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Wed, 04 Jul 2018 19:54:54 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[LearnServe Abroad]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Washington Leadership Academy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Zambia]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Zambia '18]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://learn-serve.org/?p=11162</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>Wednesday, July 4 – It’s always exciting learning about a new culture. Today, we spent time at Africa Directions, a youth-led, non-governmental organization, that teaches […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://learn-serve.org/2018/07/04/learnserve-zambia-2018-day-9-a-new-culture/">LearnServe Zambia 2018, Day 9: A New Culture</a> appeared first on <a href="https://learn-serve.org">LearnServe International</a>.</p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="11163" data-permalink="https://learn-serve.org/2018/07/04/learnserve-zambia-2018-day-9-a-new-culture/29217977718_3dfe3a6d87_z/" data-orig-file="https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/29217977718_3dfe3a6d87_z.jpg" data-orig-size="504,640" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Drew Headshot" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/29217977718_3dfe3a6d87_z-236x300.jpg" data-large-file="https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/29217977718_3dfe3a6d87_z.jpg" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-11163" src="http://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/29217977718_3dfe3a6d87_z-236x300.jpg" alt="" width="236" height="300" srcset="https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/29217977718_3dfe3a6d87_z-236x300.jpg 236w, https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/29217977718_3dfe3a6d87_z-230x292.jpg 230w, https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/29217977718_3dfe3a6d87_z-350x444.jpg 350w, https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/29217977718_3dfe3a6d87_z-480x610.jpg 480w, https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/29217977718_3dfe3a6d87_z.jpg 504w" sizes="(max-width: 236px) 100vw, 236px" />Wednesday, July 4 – It’s always exciting learning about a new culture. Today, we spent time at Africa Directions, a youth-led, non-governmental organization, that teaches youth, both male and female, about sex education and how to protect themselves from various STDs and infections, as well as how to develop healthy relationships. It was established in 2000 and is currently located in a socially and economically deprived compound that is not supported by the government.</p> <p>Africa Directions’ services are free and available for any young person within the community. It is open for youth to come and talk to adults and friends about protection and sex. It also serves as a place to spend time with friends and is an alternative for socializing in places that distribute alcohol like local bars of which there are many. They also provide youth with other activities like drumming and drama. From the teens at Africa Directions, we learned that many young people in Zambia are not taught how to protect themselves when having sex, and many do not have a trusted adult to talk to about sex.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="11164" data-permalink="https://learn-serve.org/2018/07/04/learnserve-zambia-2018-day-9-a-new-culture/43304102901_50f6beb5c5_z/" data-orig-file="https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/43304102901_50f6beb5c5_z.jpg" data-orig-size="640,480" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Africa Directions" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/43304102901_50f6beb5c5_z-400x300.jpg" data-large-file="https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/43304102901_50f6beb5c5_z.jpg" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-11164" src="http://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/43304102901_50f6beb5c5_z-400x300.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="300" srcset="https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/43304102901_50f6beb5c5_z-400x300.jpg 400w, https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/43304102901_50f6beb5c5_z-230x173.jpg 230w, https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/43304102901_50f6beb5c5_z-350x263.jpg 350w, https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/43304102901_50f6beb5c5_z-480x360.jpg 480w, https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/43304102901_50f6beb5c5_z.jpg 640w" sizes="(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" />When we arrived, we spent some time on introductions including a game of clapping, singing and dancing. We then spent time interacting and talking with Africa Directions’ peer educators, the ones who actually lead the workshops for the youth and in the community. They asked us questions like, “Are condoms accessible in schools and communities?” or “What age in America can females get an abortion?” The answers that we gave them left them with even more questions, and their faces in awe because they could not believe how early teenagers in DC had reproductive rights when it comes to their own health. They also explained to us that when young girls get pregnant in Zambia, they can no longer go to school while they are pregnant. However, sadly, most girls do not continue to go to school even after they give birth because they either are worried about being judged or they have to get a job to support their child. We also discussed how some young boys have to drop out of school to support the baby and the girl because it has now become his responsibility to help and not the parents of either the girl or the boy. However, it is not hard to believe that a lot of them will not admit they are the father. Hearing this opened my eyes to how lucky some youth are in America, and how sometimes we take what we have or have been given for granted, and we don’t realize it.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="11167" data-permalink="https://learn-serve.org/2018/07/04/learnserve-zambia-2018-day-9-a-new-culture/28434888867_4bf37d688a_z/" data-orig-file="https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/28434888867_4bf37d688a_z.jpg" data-orig-size="640,480" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="28434888867_4bf37d688a_z" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/28434888867_4bf37d688a_z-400x300.jpg" data-large-file="https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/28434888867_4bf37d688a_z.jpg" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-11167" src="http://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/28434888867_4bf37d688a_z-400x300.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="300" srcset="https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/28434888867_4bf37d688a_z-400x300.jpg 400w, https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/28434888867_4bf37d688a_z-230x173.jpg 230w, https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/28434888867_4bf37d688a_z-350x263.jpg 350w, https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/28434888867_4bf37d688a_z-480x360.jpg 480w, https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/28434888867_4bf37d688a_z.jpg 640w" sizes="(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" />We also discussed the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships. In many ways Americans’ views on relationships are similar to Zambians’ and in many ways they aren’t. In both Zambia and America, teen relationships are somewhat focused on sex and what role the boy and the girl play within the relationship. The difference is that in Zambian relationships, it seemed like the men are more dominate and I thought they had some trouble defining the difference between healthy and unhealthy. In America, this can also be a problem but I think not as much because eventually there will be someone who will try to convince you that the relationship is not good for you. Thinking about this in my head, I thought about how much help and how many resources we have in America to help people who are in unhealthy relationships. However, I also feel like there is still a need for more resources to help both women and men who are in abusive relationships.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="11166" data-permalink="https://learn-serve.org/2018/07/04/learnserve-zambia-2018-day-9-a-new-culture/29217976808_632f42e0d5_z/" data-orig-file="https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/29217976808_632f42e0d5_z.jpg" data-orig-size="640,480" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="The Wobble" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/29217976808_632f42e0d5_z-400x300.jpg" data-large-file="https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/29217976808_632f42e0d5_z.jpg" class="size-medium wp-image-11166 alignright" src="http://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/29217976808_632f42e0d5_z-400x300.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="300" srcset="https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/29217976808_632f42e0d5_z-400x300.jpg 400w, https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/29217976808_632f42e0d5_z-230x173.jpg 230w, https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/29217976808_632f42e0d5_z-350x263.jpg 350w, https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/29217976808_632f42e0d5_z-480x360.jpg 480w, https://learn-serve.org/assets/2018/07/29217976808_632f42e0d5_z.jpg 640w" sizes="(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" />At the end of the class, we went out into the community to watch a drumming and drama presentation in a lot in front of a clinic that provides services for the community. There were actually a couple of drunk men who kept coming into the circle to dance with everyone. Interestingly enough, they were not chased away at first and, often, made their way out on their own. Afterwards, when we debriefed the whole event, the peer educators explained that the drunk men are still part of the community and cannot be excluded and that they often protect and guard the performance rather than being problematic. We ended the day with some more dancing with the peer educators as we showed them the Wobble and they showed us some more traditional Zambian dancing which was fun. Dancing has certainly been a way that we’ve learned to connect with many of the youth here in Zambia.</p> <p>Drew B., Washington Leadership Academy</p> <p>The post <a href="https://learn-serve.org/2018/07/04/learnserve-zambia-2018-day-9-a-new-culture/">LearnServe Zambia 2018, Day 9: A New Culture</a> appeared first on <a href="https://learn-serve.org">LearnServe International</a>.</p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://learn-serve.org/2018/07/04/learnserve-zambia-2018-day-9-a-new-culture/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">11162</post-id> </item> </channel> </rss>