PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM
TIME CAPSULE LETTER
Written by Liz & the Ghana Team
2 weeks felt really short with you guys and as we maintained till the very last day- we as a team were extremely delighted to have you as the last session because you made it a fantastic ending to a great summer for us!
You formed a really beautiful community with great connections within yourselves and with others around you. You took on responsibilities head on, succeeded in collaborations and group tasks easily and challenged yourselves to do what was needed without much complaints. We loved seeing your group battles in the GLymipcs, you working on the dance challenge and of course your catwalks down the driveway in your Ghana designs! All the moments you shared with the Asitey kids at the park or on the home base field will forever be etched in their memories as beautiful friendships formed and we are proud of you for giving your all in these interactions. In the same way, the kids at both schools and Sir Vincent at Sunnydale will cherish your interactions, including the lovely letters you wrote encouraging them and making them feel appreciated.
The Queen Mother spoke about the value of taking small steps towards a bigger goal (stepping into your dream) and we would love to remind you of the hard work you all put in throughout the program. The physical labor at construction, the efforts towards teaching, collaborating as a whole team even when you had just woken from the most amazing of afternoon naps…it all counts towards building the best version of yourselves through this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity you went through. We applaud you for sticking with your personal goals and values, and hope that you have been working on influencing those around you positively. From your group OMG (One Meaningful Goal) you decided that within a year’s time you would grow to be more open minded and try new things by not judging a book by its cover and trying new experiences as well as putting yourselves in uncomfortable situations. You planned to measure this by continuously doing things you probably wouldn’t have done before. Remember this goal but most importantly, take action and embody this in your daily lives as much as you can through intentional steps, small or big, of everyday leadership.
The entire staff team will always remember you fondly and we in turn hope that Papa Henry’s ‘Ba-ba-ba-ba shibaba-oooh’ will cause you a big smile and internal glee every time you remember that tune. We wish you nothing short of the best and look forward to celebrating big and small wins alike so please keep in touch!
All our best- Liz, Mia, Henry, Ali, Ritchie, Ila, Lartey, Nana Ama.
Thanks for the checking out the blog for this Global Leadership Adventures program!
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-The Global Leadership Adventures HQ Team
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BLOG POST FOR JULY 26
Mohee from Asitey, Eastern Region Ghana!
Today we welcomed 31 out of our 32 students to our home base in Asitey. It was fantastic to once again have the house filled with GLA students, bringing their energy and excitement for the trip that lies ahead.
Everyone got stuck straight in with enjoying some classic Ghanaian cuisine of rice, tomato stew and chicken, as well as a great assortment of fruit!
Once fuelled, many of the students got to meeting the local kids and playing football or having flower crowns and braids made.
Tomorrow we await the arrival of our final team member as well as getting stuck into the programme in more detail.
We can’t wait to have you join us over the coming weeks and read about the adventures and activities we get up to.
Mia, Ghana International Director
BLOG POST FOR JULY 27
Cheerful greetings from Asitey!
We kicked off this final session for summer 2024 on a high note with some stretches, a competitive game of safari before heading indoors to champion through a morning of scene-setting of the program.
A lunch break was welcomed with open arms and stomachs as our students delighted in Ghana’s famous jollof and home base’s signature grilled chicken. The delicious mango has also quickly become a fan favourite.
After lunch, we headed back to complete the final aspects of orientation including the five GLA leadership pillars. Orientation concluded with group-led community and room agreements to allow the students ownership of their time and experience here in Ghana.
Following a much-needed afternoon break, we headed to Asitey Park. An intense game of football (Ghana’s most popular sport) took place. On the other side of the park, some students were immersed in a local volleyball match or duck duck goose, while others treated themselves to a braiding session, courtesy of the young girls from the community.
Post-dinner, our local mentor, Lartey, answered some questions from the students about Ghana before we got into our first leadership activity, the “Social Sync”. Students were able to actively reflect on social media and the use of phones.
The night closed off with students getting into their mentor groups, which they will meet with regularly to reflect on their time here and take part in more leadership activities.
All in all, the first full day of programming was a success and we are all excited to experience everything this journey has to offer.
Mo Tsum (Thank you in Krobo)!
– Ali and Lartey, Ghana international and local mentors.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 28
Hello from Asitey!
We began our day with a delicious breakfast of doughnut holes, fruit, omelets, and more! It was super yummy. After breakfast, we were able to explore 2 service site options which were elementary schools. We toured each space to get a better idea of what kind of work we would be doing—construction and teaching young kids. After this, we went back to the home base and discussed how to split ourselves up into 2 groups—each group would go to a different school/site. Our decisions were based on how we would impact and contribute to those spaces, that way everything was fair. We then headed into our mentor groups and did Goal Setting – where we learned how to set realistic and achievable goals for our time in Ghana!
Then, we all got a chance to get our measurements taken and choose from a color variety of fabrics of beautiful patterns to have certain clothing items custom made for us—shirts, skirts, pants, shorts, etc. Some of the students even purchased items for family members, so some of you may get a fun surprise!
We had a yummy lunch. Then we went to Asitey Park to play with the kids after deciding on an array of games, dances, and activities we would play! A lot of people got a chance to open up more in this experience and playing with the kids was something that we all enjoyed! We had a great dinner.
Then, we went to the bonfire where we enjoyed lots of music, dancing and marshmallows!!! Hopefully you can tell from the photos just how much we were dancing around and having fun!
Overall, it was a busy and exciting day, filled with new experiences. Our quote of the day was “The purpose of life is to experience” which embodies many of our memories made today.
Your first student leaders of the day- Ameena, Eden and Savanna
BLOG POST FOR JULY 29
Hello GLA fam!
Today we had a very exciting day. We started off the day with our group leaders (Sydney, Uziel, and Miguel!) doing the morning announcements! Then after breakfast the whole group got ready to do service work making floors at two different local schools.
This work included shoveling rock and sand into a mold for the classroom and mixing and laying concrete for the second school. During the service work we also played with the students at the respective schools and danced the morning away.
After our construction service work we started our lesson planning for our service work as teachers to students in two separate local schools. We were in groups of 3-4 each group was assigned a certain grade level and came up with creative lessons and icebreakers to get the kids motivated and excited to learn.
After lunch and lesson planning we met our host families for the first time! We started by preparing a corn dish that will be given to the host family’s as a gift at the end of a program. A child from each host family led their group to their home with groups spread across different homes in the village to meet the family’s and start learning the Krobo language. During the host family session we learned the alphabet, common greetings and a song (that we will be performing at church).
After host family time we took a quick rest and had the opportunity to play with kids outside. After dinner we got to dress up in traditional Ghanaian outfits, complete with body paint, and took part in the traditional naming ceremony. It was amazing to be given our krobo names and family bead!
All in all we had a busy and fun day and cannot wait to start teaching tomorrow!
Sydney, Uziel, and Miguel, Leaders of the Day
BLOG POST FOR JULY 30
What’s up GLA fam!
Today was another exciting day. We started with a hefty breakfast before leaving for our service sites, with the group splitting into 2. One group went down the road to the Asitey Park school, where they taught elementary schoolers various subjects. The other group journeyed to Sunnydale elementary school where they celebrated the end of the school year with the students.
At noon, we regrouped at home base for a delicious lunch. We enjoyed cultural Ghanian dishes, which included chapati and corn beef stew.
After lunch, we headed back to our rooms for a small break. As we are living in a house owned by Papa Henry, everyone was split into groups to clean up their rooms and living areas. We then had our lesson planning for our classes that we would be teaching tomorrow- we’d be teaching maths so we found ways to teach for all different grades.
Later, we went down to Asitey park to play with the kids. Few of us danced with the older girls and some played football with the other kids. 5:30 was shower time and for dinner we had sweet potato fries and chicken. Yum!
We then had the lovely opportunity to meet the Queen Mother of Krobo, learning of her impact on the her people, an inspiring and wonderful experience for the students!
We ended the night with mentor groups, reflecting on our journey so far and playing a few more team building games.
Another awesome day, more to come, from your leaders of the day- Ashley, Dureti, and Roshen- signing out
BLOG POST FOR JULY 31
Hola familias de GLA- Today was another day of our trip and it was very busy!
We started off the morning with a fun game picked by one of the leaders, Emily. Students stood in a line and the first person drew a shape on the person in front of them’s back. After many iterations of re-drawing the shape (imagine like broken telephones) the final shapes were uncovered. Needless to say the final versions were not the rhombus or hexagon we started with!
For breakfast we had toast, cereal, sausage and huevos revueltos (scrambled egg). We went with our service site groups from yesterday and started off with some gavel distribution. We did our lessons that we had planned the night before but realized the students learnt quicker than we anticipated and they would need to be longer. Continuamos con el almuerzos!
For lunch we had a rice and bean mixture that was called Gobe and is native to Ghana. It was really good and a lot of us went up for seconds, for our fruit selection we had pineapple.
After lunch we separated into our groups for host families where the local kids taught us more of the Krobo language along with a song. When we returned we all got into smaller groups and set off to the market for a little competition. We were given money (50 cedis- about $3.50) and told to purchase certain produce. It was amazing to test our haggling skills and get laughter from the local ladies as we stated our Krobo names or asked for more product in the local language. Overall the market was crowded, busy and a very different environment.
Finally, we came back to the base with all the vegetables and had a fun competition between the groups. The kitchen ladies rated the best purchased veggies.
Then we got to shower, do some laundry by hand washing and play a quick game of charades, all before having dinner.
We ended the day with a chill night in which epic games of Mafia, spoons and cards were played!
Emily, Mila and Monse- Leaders of the Day
BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 1
Hello GLA fam!
Today our group leaders were Erica, Rhea, and Ben. The wake up call went off today at 7am which definitely had a few students rising earlier than normal but got everyone to breakfast on time! Before breakfast we played a game of chaotic heads up but we still had fun. Unfortunately, we were not able to do construction today but used the time to practice our group dance and we still got to teach our wonderful students at either Asitsy or Sunnydale school.
At lunch we arranged seats so that new people could sit next to each other. It was definitely a learning experience! Lunch today was a traditional Ghanaian meal of rice and noodles, but in the same dish. Cool!
In the afternoon we as a group collectively participated in a discussion similar to Model UN. It was all about oil mining in Ghana and what we could do to improve the lives of everyday citizens. Our host family groups each represented a different view point and set out to make our position known. It was great to hear the differing views from across the table – and most importantly reach a consensus at the end of it.
After our debate, we enjoyed a break followed by activities with local children in the front yard. As group leaders, we decided to try something new and asked a new question for our chow circle. The question was “what have you gained from this GLA experience so far that you will take home with you?” Some memorable responses included the queen mother’s speech about pursuing your dreams, some music that we have listened to, our relationship with the children and each other as well as the food. Yum!
After dinner, we enjoyed a beautiful cultural dance by the Universal Music and Dance Group. They performed a traditional Ghanaian dance with loud drums, taught us some moves, and we had so much fun!
As we learnt at the dance tonight “One Spirit, One Family”
Ben, Erica and Rhea – Leaders of the Day
BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 2
Waking up on the final day of our first week, we started our morning with a rock paper scissors tournament. After a hearty meal, we headed to our respective service sites to conclude this week’s construction and teaching. We enjoyed another day of interacting with the local students in and out of the classroom.
We said goodbye to our students for the weekend and went to Cedi Beads to eat lunch and learn the art of bead making from Cedi himself. We even got to make our own beads – we are excited to see how they come out as Cedi made the process look very easy but we suspect it isn’t!
Our post-lunch team-building exercise was a few rounds of speed-“dating” which helped us get to know each other better.
After regrouping at home base, we played with the kids at Asitey Park. For dinner, we ate yams with corned beef stew before the mentors hosted a myriad of games for us to play, including a Battle of the Bands competition that saw everyone hit the dance floor.
As leaders of the day, we learned how to properly set engaging challenges for the entire group in order for them to connect with each other on a deeper level.
Your leaders of the day,
Nina, Auden, and Remi
BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 3
On this beautiful Saturday morning, we started with an active listening game. The students were disguising their voices as certain animals, and needed to find their pack. Following the exhilarating game, everyone sat down for a tasty breakfast which included pancakes, omelets, and juices.
Following breakfast the group embarked on a journey to Boti Falls. Here we visited a waterfall and were challenged by a tough hiking trail. After finishing this hike we saw the beautiful view making the work all worth it. After the trek back down, we enjoyed a tasty lunch which included rice, beans, chicken, and pasta with sauce. Once lunch was complete we visited the shop, and found some cool, authentic, original, handmade apparel. After purchasing items at the shop we headed back to the buses to go to home base.
Once at home base, we had much deserved rest time after a hard working hike. We spent this time napping, playing cards with friends, and some other fun games like mafia. After chill time concluded we went to dinner.
At dinner, we did a chow circle where we celebrated shout outs, gave the leaders advice, and new leaders were selected. Once this was complete, we ate a traditional Ghanaian meal which included Amakani Kpoko, Madaa Fufui, and Kotomle Flo. After this tasty dinner we listened to Papa Henry’s astonishing stories leaving us all speechless. The lessons he shared during these stories will leave an everlasting impact on all of our souls.
As leaders, we learned the challenges of appeasing a group. While some may always be happy with the circumstances, it’s virtually impossible to make sure everyone is happy. For example, choosing hiking groups was a real challenge with friends wanting to be with friends but we think we did a good job and everyone had an enjoyable day!
Tucker, Colin, Melvin – Leaders of the day
BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 4
Hello from hot Asitey,
On our last Sunday morning, we started our day a touch later than normal with a 8:30 breakfast. Before eating, the group played a rhyming game. We had to find other students who had words that rhyme with our own and we used this to work out who to sit with. Breakfast consisted of fried eggs, strawberry and vanilla pancakes, pineapple, cereal, and fresh juices.
After breakfast, we set off for church in our formal clothes. The Krobo church was a new experience for our leaders. We were immersed in Krobo culture by seeing their take on church, with energetic music, singing, and dancing. Our program went up and sung the song we’ve been working on with our host families, as well as Eden and Samuella’s lovely duet.
We came back to home base for another cultural meal of fufu, soup, rice, and watermelon. Fufu was a unique surprise as it is very difficult to make, and eating it was definitely another new experience for our GLA team. The rest of the afternoon was very laidback in preparation for another busy day tomorrow. We had dance practice where we continued to learn new steps and those going to Sunnydale service site did team lesson planning for tomorrow. Then we went to Asitey Park where we played with the children before heading to showers and dinner.
At dinner, we did chow circle. We celebrated each other’s good deeds with shoutouts and passed on group leaders to new students for tomorrow. Today was a very relaxing day, and can’t wait for more fun tomorrow!
Audra, Johannes and Star – Leaders of the Day
BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 5
Hello from sunny Asitey!
We started our day off with a quick yummy breakfast consisting of omelets, coco pops, French toast, and watermelon. Then we headed over to our service sites where we did our last day of construction and teaching. While it was hot, everyone persevered and came together to have a great last day!
After our service, we headed back to home base for lunch consisting of coconut rice and egg and beef stew with a side of Bl3fo Kp3te (tangerine). After our delicious lunch, everyone took a much needed break full of cards, games, and naps. After our break we had our dance practice to prepare for our dance troupe tonight and both service groups prepared for our farewells at the schools tomorrow.
Then, we headed over to our host family groups where we learned more Krobo and gifted our milled corn. After, we headed back to home base where we were met with the smiling faces of the kids and played football, catch, and skipped ropes.
We ended the day with refreshing showers, delicious dinner, and a dance troupe performance where we shared our own dance as well!
All in all, it was a fun packed day full of smiles and service, and we can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings!
Leah, Brooke, Molly- Leaders of the Day
BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 7
Hello from our final full day in Ghana!
To celebrate the end of an amazing two weeks in Ghana we took the whole group down to Sajuna Resort. The resort has two pools, volleyball, football and some ping pong tables.
When we arrived at the resort, the students got stuck straight in with playing games, including a game of chicken and marco polo in the pool, enjoying having the cool water as it was a very hot day!
The group did a final (and recorded) run through of their dance- we cant wait for you to see the final edit. Before departing to head back to home base we went on a river cruise and learnt more about the Volta river.
Once we arrived home it was time say some very teary goodbyes to the local children who have played such a massive part in this Ghana 14 Day programme. It was a great time of playing final games, exchanging letters as keepsakes and memories of this time and then having an epic fashion show.
Finally we hosted a farewell dinner before heading upstairs to reflect on the time in Ghana. It was so wonderful to hear from students and staff how special and transformative the experience has been.
From all the staff, we are wishing a safe travel day back for all the students. Thanks from us to them for taking part and bringing their energy, fun and friendship so fully these past few weeks.
Wishing our wonderful session 3 all the very best!
Ali, Henry, Lartey, Liz, Mia, Nana Ama, Ila and Ritchie – the Ghana 14 day staff team!
