International service
projects are a significant avenue of growth
within the NextGen Academy. During the year of service,
the participants experience one month in a foreign country,
organizing and creating service projects of their own initiative.
At the beginning of the year, the participants are split
into teams and are each assigned a country in which they
will serve. Teams are intentionally made up of three to
five people so that a greater sense of ownership and true
cultural integration can occur. This revolutionary standard
of having small teams is the core reason for the substantial
shift that happens within each individual while oversees.
The level of responsibility for the project and the level
of true interaction with local people are at a height that
is very rarely seen today.
There are three equally important parts to this aspect of
growth; the first is the planning and preparation that happens
before leaving the U.S. This time focuses on gaining practical
skills in teaching character education, learning the basics
of travel and also an exercise for personal creativity as
each team decides what type of service would target the
needs in their chosen country.
The second part is the time within country. Outwardly, each
teams main mission is to create projects that will make
a lasting difference, however, another primary aspect of
their time in country is to experience a new culture and
through that experience gain a deeper understanding of the
world and of themselves. Through changing the life of a
stranger on the opposite side of the world, their own life
can be changed.
The final part of this project is the recording and reflecting
process that happens upon return the U.S. A significant
part of the international projects is creating a report
that can allow future years to either duplicate the project,
or build upon the foundation that has already been built.
This time also entails personal reflection and/or journaling
to allow experiences to imprint and to let the lessons that
were learned create a tangible impact on the lives of the
individuals.
TheProject
On
February 25th, NGA is having six teams going to Kenya,
Uganda, Rwanda, Zambia, Tanzania, and Burundi. Each team
consists of three to four first year participants and
one second year intern. The international service will
begin with an opening workshop at the Sasamotto training
center in Nairobi, Kenya and from there, the teams will
depart to their chosen nations to begin one month of service,
holding projects of their own initiative. The trip will
end with a closing workshop back in Kenya which will have
a focus on reflection and sharing of the experiences from
the past month.
A
major aspect of the International Service Project (ISP),
is the preperation before hand. The entire project, from
communicating with contacts to setting up home-stays
to creating service projects is created by the teams.
The projects are based entirely on the skills, desires
and passions of the participants as well as what they
believe their individual country needs. Why Africa?
Africa is the leading continent with HIV/AIDS, violence,
poverty, starvation, poor education, gender inequality,
and child abuse. Africa is a place that is struggling
with many external hardships which makes it a logical
place to choose to serve, however more important than
the needs of each country is the attitude the people have
towards those needs. There is a strong and active desire
for change within these countries. There is a growing
desire to take initiative, to be a part of something that
makes a difference. For a time, it seems that during a
struggle or crisis, the trend has been to immediately
look for help from other nations, yet now that trend is
shifting, now, ground is being prepared for true ownership
to grow. A primary mission of the NextGen Academy (NGA)
in international service is to inspire those they serve
to take action in their own lives and communities. Each
team NGA participants is charged with the task of creating
a "seed project", a project that continues long
after the teams have left and this can only done if the
people, and if the country, are willing to make an effort.
NGA, both international and locally, is not about changing
a persons life, it's about giving that person the tools
to change their own life.
VISION
The
hope for NextGen Academy International is to open the
door for young adults of any background to participate
in service. As described above, international service
widens the consciousness of American youth and deepens
the connection of heart to each other and to the world,
while offering a very tangible good in places that need
assistance.
Building the service project and the teamwork required
to implement it, are excellent tools for personal growth,
provide an environment for young people to discover their
inner strength and provide a tangible benefit for society.
Working with partners in service, such as International
Relief Friendship Foundation, Universal Peace Federation
Character Education, Women’s Federation For World
Peace, Ambassadors for Peace, Service for Peace and others,
we have the potential network to offer service to almost
every nation in the world.
My hope would be to utilize this network toward creating
permanent locations around the globe that American youth
could serve for periods of a month, a year or longer.
We have made a start through opening the doors in some
countries, but need greater manpower and resources to
continue this work and to make these projects sustainable.
I am excited about the prospects for service learning
and will continue to make it a component of the NextGen
Academy curriculum.
Jeff Adshead
Director,
NextGen Leadership Academy
NGA International Service Project 2010 Movie
A 15-minute glimpse into our unforgettable journey to 9 countries in Africa and Asia
Produced by Takaaki Ishii; Scored by Faith Bowman
nga
international 2010: africa.
NextGen Academy International Service.
The idea is simple...
During
the year of service, the participants experience one
month in a foreign country, organizing and creating
service projects of their own initiative. At the beginning
of the year, the participants are split into teams and
are each assigned a country in which they will serve.
This year, participants are in groups of 3-4 so that
a greater sense of ownership and true cultural integration
can occur. This revolutionary standard of having small
teams is the core reason for the substantial shift that
happens within each individual while oversees. The level
of responsibility for the project and the level of true
interaction with local people are at a height that is
very rarely seen today.
There are three equally important
parts to this aspect of growth; the first is the planning
and preparation that happens before leaving the U.S.
This time focuses on gaining practical skills in teaching
character education, learning the basics of travel and
also an exercise for personal creativity as each team
decides what type of service would target the needs
in their chosen country. The second part is the time
within country.
Outwardly, each team’s
main mission is to create projects that will make a
lasting difference, however, another primary aspect
of their time in country is to experience a new culture
and through that experience gain a deeper understanding
of the world and of themselves. Through changing the
life of a stranger on the opposite side of the world,
their own life can be changed.
The final part of this project
is the recording and reflecting process that happens
upon returning to the U.S. A significant part of the
international projects is creating a report that can
allow future years to either duplicate the project,
or build upon the foundation that has already been built.
This time also entails personal reflection and/or journaling
to allow experiences to imprint and to let the lessons
that were learned create a tangible impact on the lives
of the individuals.
How
it started this year
On September 28th, 2009, twenty-one strangers were gathered together and brought to a beautiful waterfront property off of Lake Washington. Music blasting, they were paraded, single-file through a crowd of people come to cheer them on. As these new NextGen participants came into the living room and introduced themselves to each other and the community, they were presented with a table full of individually wrapped gift boxes, all different sizes, and picked one before sitting back down. These boxes, they were told, were not to be opened until instructed to do so. Finally, when it seemed the introductions and presentations were coming to a close, the boxes were opened and revealed nothing but a few cardboard puzzle pieces per person. Participants then scrambled to find who amongst themselves had fitting puzzle pieces. Several minutes later, they were in groups of either three or four looking down at their completed puzzle-- a photograph. They were then shown this movie...
(Created by 2nd Year Interns Sam Roberts and Johanna Pecarsky)
What
You Should Know
This year of 2010, we are returning to four
of the six countries from the previous year, including
Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and Zambia, and are embarking
to two new countries, South Africa and Cote d’Ivoire.
Each team consists of three to four first year participants.
Over the course of the first few months, participants
have attended an International Service Project Workshop,
and also participated in a Train the Trainer/ Character
Education Workshop. The month of January teams are given
two weeks to stay at a home-stay to work together in their
ISP teams to raise funds, practice and create character
education lesson plans, and work together to create their
projects for Africa. Later in the month and in early February
teams will go out on a three week fundraising campaign
in an effort to make the last of their funds for Africa,
and on February 18, teams will depart to their countries.
For one month, teams will work together with a guide and
various contacts to implement and carry out their projects.
They will be staying with home-stay families who will
ensure their safety and protection during their stay.
March 23rd teams will return and as a program, we will
have a Closing Workshop to share our experiences and testimonies
with one another, so we can see where we’ve all
been the past month. We will then have a celebration event
for the victory of all the teams with the community, which
will then close the International Service Project section
of the year.
Fostering leadership: Why ISP?
There is no better way to understand a new culture than
to
experience it. A sense of expansion, widened perspective,
and a deeper understanding of the world can be gained
through international service, if one truly wants to understand
it. By experiencing living in a developing country, it
can open the eyes, and stretch the heart to a depth that
is rarely touched by those who never have the blessing
of serving a third world nation. There is only a limited
outlook on the world for those who have never had the
opportunity of traveling outside the comforts of their
own home, their own country. A broader outlook on the
world allows for a deeper understanding, and teaches through
experience the meaning behind true compassion.
Through the International Service Project participants
are able to not only give empowerment to those that they
meet, but gain a sense of their own self-empowerment.
Projects are created entirely by the participants, which
gives each individual a sense of ownership and responsibility.
The international experience provides the tools to give
participants the key to tapping into their own potential,
and the key to unlock it at anytime in their lives. Through
the ISP experience, the goal is for participants to feel
that they can go about pursuing anything it is they put
their mind to, that their dreams can become a reality,
and that there is no reason why they cannot create and
manifest whatever it is they want in life.
Presenting
the Africa Teams of 2010!
BURUNDI
TEAM
Kester Wilkening, Soniyae Stephens,
Aiyana Adshead, Youngshim Gontijo
Check out our blog online! Burundi
team blog
COTE
D'IVOIRE TEAM
Renee Shaw, Tatemoto Hayashi,
Kristy Carlson, Faith Bowman
Check out our facebook cause
Nextgen Academy in Cote d'Ivoire! (Ivory Coast)
RWANDA
TEAM
Dorothy Voelker, Brian Reid,
Emily Rueter
Check out our video on YouTube! Rwanda
team video
UGANDA
TEAM
Haewon MacFarlane, Takaaki Ishii,
Judilee King
Check out our Live Journal! Uganda
team blog
ZAMBIA
TEAM
Ivan Dickson, Kaylie Woods,
Amy Pisano
Check out our facebook cause!
NGA: Amy, Ivan, and Kaylie... Mzungus Serving Zambia
SOUTH
AFRICA TEAM
Yosuke Kibe, Inhwa Hendricks,
Heidi Hokenson, Sarah Oben
Check out our facebook cause!
Four Teens. One Mission. SOUTH AFRICA.
How
are we going to fund our projects?
The
participants of NGA are able to take complete ownership
over their trip overseas through three month-long fundraising
campaigns before their trip to Africa. The month of January
is dedicated to raising funds from family/ friends, and
other contacts primarily throughout the U.S. Currently
we are working on receiving federal grants to fund our
projects so that we can further expand and grow our program.