Naps, laughs, snacks & French rap...on the way to Kaolack!

Day 4: Kaolack YMCA

Written by Courtney Stein, Harris Y Associate Youth Service Director

Alphonse has been with us since the moment he greeted us with his infectious smile and warm welcome at the airport. He is our  personal tour guide, translator, French teacher, and friend. While he grew up and volunteered at the YMCA of predominantly young adults Parcelles Assainies that we visited for soccer and celebration yesterday, Alphonse became a staff member and the director of the Kaolack YMCA in October of 2016 - nearly the same day I became a Y employee!

Our 4 hour journey to Kaolack today was filled with the staples of any Senegalese road trip: naps, laughs, snacks, and French rap! 

 When we arrived to the beautiful Horizons Bleus in Koalack were we stayed overnight, we were greeted by a new friend!

We spent our time touring Alphonse's YMCA seeing his office, the student's computer lab, classroom, and making crafts with the children!

The president of the Kaolack YMCA shared (over the subwoofer softly bumping Lil Wayne, Drake, and Rihanna) that it is a challenge to convince parents to let their children participate in Amenesence (an Afterschool enrichment program for children of the community run by volunteers) because of the Young Mens Christian Association can defer Muslim families. They work hard to recruit Muslim volunteers in the hopes of reaching more children for English lessons, crafting, computer skills and fellowship.

We then journeyed to another cell, or sight, which was literally a woman's home. Aida opens her doors to the neighborhood children and often uses her own money to provide supplies for young volunteer teachers to tutor all grade levels in reading and math in the confines of her back yard.  Aida also offers a program for young girls who do not complete school to learn the sewing trade. 

Alphonse and Aida inspire us with their passion and pride in the YMCA. 

Our night ended with a performance from Alphonse's volunteers, then lots of singing and dancing. From African gospel hymns to Wiz Khalifia's Black and Yellow - Kaolack knows how to throw an anniversary party! Happy 35th Birthday Senegal YMCA!

YMCA, the true definition of unity

Reflections from Senegal -shared by 16 year old Xzabia Harris, Y Achievers Program, West Mecklenburg High School

Unity/un:iti/noun/
"the state of being united or joined as a whole"

A group of young women unite to pick out a fabric to have it personally customized to their liking just for them. Size nor height mattered ;  different women from different backgrounds and different ethnicities united as one.

Soccer is a universal sport, but here in Senegal they contribute the sport in their daily routine. You may ask "How does that symbolize unity?"  It symbolizes unity because individuals from different ethnicities and different religions are being united as one. They come together on a common liking and pursue their passion of playing soccer. It was an absolute honor witnessing one of our own playing with the team , and to see how welcoming they were with open arms.

Summary/ The YMCA is a Christian based facility, what I admire the most is how we can open our arms to the community of different ethnicities and different religions. The YMCA is the true definition of unity. Here in Senegal some individuals may not consider their home their sanctuary but when the doors of the YMCA open it is filled with joy and happiness . But most importantly the YMCA is their sanctuary , their home , their utopia and still manage to unite as one and stay as family.

Written by,

Xzabia Harris

Y Achievers Program

16 years old, West Mecklenburg High School

 

Our Great Big Small World

Day 2: Post written by Symone McGee

People like to use the expression, "the world is small" to describe those funny moments when you see a familiar person in a strange location or when your best friend somehow knows your favorite cousin. We never really think about the ways in which our world (which is, in reality, a VERY big place) is small. Small because of the similarities we share with people all around the world. Today, in a country thousands of miles away from my home, the size our world came into focus in 3 ways.

1.      Programs: We met the leaders of a program that helps young adults to connect to the workforce. This program serves students in 6 countries around the world. This reminded us all of our program in Charlotte, YAchievers where we help to build bridges for students towards a brighter future.  And get this...the program directors name was also SYMONE. :) We also visited the classrooms of students in their primary school...shout out to Y Readers!

2.      Volunteerism: At our Y, volunteers are at the heart of how we change lives in our community. In Dakar, volunteers serve as teachers at schools in areas far from the city. Children who do not have access to a quality education receive literacy training through a program called Amensence. It is truly a Y without walls.

3.      Our communities: After spending the morning choosing designs for custom made dresses in the city, we ventured to the suburbs. The difference was drastic and instantly noticeable. The biggest difference was the children. In the city the students were in classrooms with desks and notebooks. Here, the students were outside, most without shoes. The table in their classroom was a large tire with a slab of wood across it. It made me realize that the "tale of two cities" that we experience was not only an issue in Charlotte but here as well.

I know that through this experience I am changing as a person. I feel even more inspired to make a change through our Y. "Ak Benn"- one more step. 

Symone A. McGee

YMCA of Greater Charlotte

High School Initiatives Manager, Community Impact

Bonjour from Dakar, Senegal: Day 1

Greetings from Dakar, Senegal!

 

The team gathered for the experience of a lifetime on Saturday. We took the short flight to JFK airport in New York and then had a layover for several hours. We took walks around the airport to got our steps in, ate good food and the girls made a pact to take as many pictures as possible - posed and candid. We’ll only have this opportunity once and we want to remember it forever!

 

The flight from JFK to Dakar was delayed, but we had movies and games to occupy some of the time. The flight was just under 7 hours and we are all still getting used to the time change. For me, landing was an emotional experience and riding through the city seems unreal. Our first stop after the airport is our home away from home, Villa Rosa.

Our home this week, the Villa Rosa Hotel

We shared breakfast, had a little down time and then shared lunch. After lunch, we took a tour of the city and the African Renaissance monument and made our way up to the top for an amazing view of the entire city. We also visited a museum near the ocean which had some great cultural and historic pieces.

African Renaissance monument

Oceanside in Africa

 

View City of Dakar, capital of Senegal

Hospitality here is so amazing and we are so appreciative of our Senegal Y Family.

 

To all of our family and friends back home, we appreciate your love, support and prayers!

 

Sincerely, 

 

Scierra Bratton

YMCA of Greater Charlotte

Marketing Coordinator

 

2017 Global Service Learning Team

The YMCA is a community based organization with presence in more than 119 countries. The YMCA of Greater Charlotte has a long-standing partnership with the Senegal Y which began in 2005. For over 10 years Charlotte and Senegal have partnered through sharing of resources and numerous cultural exchanges between the U.S. and West Africa.

The 2017 Global Service learning team will strengthen their personal and professional leadership development through an international experience with the Senegal YMCA in West Africa in November 2017. By developing global competencies and perspectives we expand the Y’s collective ability to positively impact and serve our increasingly diverse communities.

2017 Global Service Learning Team -Pictured above L to R:

Michael DeVaul, Chief Community Impact Officer
Scierra Bratton, Y Association Marketing Coordinator- Impact & Development
Xzabia Harris, Y Achievers Student- West Mecklenburg High School
Symone McGee, Community Impact Manager of High School Initiatives

Heather Suttmiller, Johnston Y Branch Service Manager & Administration
Courtney Stein, Harris Y Associate Youth Service Director

Dena Paulding, McCrorey Y Executive Director
Toussaint Romain, Y Volunteer DIG Committee

Todd Tibbits, President & CEO

*not pictured- the team is excited to also include Dena Paulding’s son Jordan Paulding as well as Todd Tibbit’s wife Denise and daughter Eliana.

This experience is more than just a trip, the team meets monthly before travel for planning, preparation and even presenting research topics to learn about the country of Senegal. Each team member has committed months of time and efforts in fundraising to support the program experience and the annual donation given to the Senegal Y. As of November 6th, 2017 the team has raised over $11,400!! Thank you to all the friends, family and community members that have helped share the Y's for all mission, beyond borders: 

http://campaigner.ymcacharlotte.org/site/TR?pg=entry&fr_id=1080

Stay tuned to this blog for daily updates written personally by members of the 2017 team! Official departure date November 18th, 2017

Gorée Island

The Door of No Return on Gorée Island

It was astonishing to behold the juxtaposition of how such an alluring Island can bear an equally  loathsome history. The group was led today by Mohamed in touring the lore of Gorée Island. There we visited the Portuguese slave trading quarters where Mohamed described how small rooms were packed with at least 100 men in shackles. These men were being prepared for slave labor while the women were used for breeding naturalized slaves. It was hard to even imagine the barbarous  conditions these humans survived through. We then collectively gravitated our attention to The Door of No Return. This was the last doorway the slaves would go through in Africa before reaching the new world. Mohamed portrayed how some of the slaves would try to jump out of the boat, but would drown due to the weight of the shackles around them. The remains of their bodies were consumed by the sharks that lurked in the waters. 

These men and women fought for freedom the moment they were held captive, a fight that would persist for many generations. Gorée Island holds an important but dark history, each building or landmark tells the stories of the arduous life these people lived.It is imperative that we as humans reflect on the darker parts of history to ensure that we will not encounter them again in our future. Gorée Island was a beneficial experience that should be known by all, as it is an integral part of the world's history.

View from the hilltop on Goree island

View from the Ferry approaching Goree island

Today's blog written by: Andre Jordan

Partnership Handprints

Another day at the YMCA, well...with a slightly different perspective. This afternoon we took a short van ride over to the Parcelles Assainies YMCA which is a branch of the Y here in Senegal. The focus of this branch is primarily the arts. They teach classes for painting, dance and choir. It had an amazing sense of community and desire to foster responsibility in the younger generation. Many of the volunteers that keep this branch going grew up participating in programs here as a child. The branch has been in existence since 1998 and they do projects to raise funds for supplies for the programs. They are run entirely by volunteer staff. This is one of the main things that I have noticed here in the Senegal YMCA is the volunteer support that they receive. When we arrived one of the first things that we saw was the mural that they were working on which is pictured below. The sight of this brought many of us to tears. They had been working on this to get it prepared for our arrival. It really shows the main focus of this trip, I believe, which is community,  relationships and our shared values as the YMCA. The handprints on the wall are those of the YMCA Charlotte staff as well as the Parcelles Assainies staff showing that we are all one and that our mission as the YMCA is the same no matter which side of the world we are on.

After we left Parcelles we visited the location where the adult literacy classes are held. There are 5 classes ranging from basic beginner level French classes to advanced classes. The purpose of these classes is to teach the participants to read and write French so that they can get better jobs. I think they were a little surprised to hear that we have similar literacy issues in the United States and that we were there to learn more about there program. One particular woman showed her vulnerability by saying that it was not easy to learn the language but that she was committed to it for the purpose of a better life. The teachers and director that oversee this program are all volunteers as well and give so much of their talents and time for the growth and development of the community here in Senegal. I am beyond blessed to have  this opportunity and I know that a piece of my heart will always remain here in Africa.

May God bless each of you and may you have a very Happy Thanksgiving from all of us here in Senegal!

Written by Sharon Hinson