SSSA MODEL
CONNECT. LEARN. INTERN.
Our unique Service & Study Model allows participants to apply what they learn in the classroom to service projects in the community. Through internships with our local
partners, our participants gain hands on experience in grassroots work. Through our classroom instruction, we provide global, historical and political context to the very
social issues that our participants work to address in their internships.
Connect
Central to SSSA's pedagogy and politics is connections.
Our classroom lessons are framed using community-based participatory action research and critical anthropology. We teach theory, methods, and ethics around respect, reciprocity, and relationship building. We unpack the interconnections of the local and global, of the legacies of colonialism, and of our varying privilege and power.
Our internships are rooted in this praxis where we work in collaboration with local nonprofits, educators, and youth groups of whom we build professional and personal relationships with over time.
Our cohorts build friendships and connections with each other and with their peers and leaders in Ghana. We curate a number of team-building activities for our cohorts, in additional to special events that include our partners, local educators, and friends we make along the way.
Intern
Our participants work as volunteer interns with Ghana-based and operated nonprofits and small business. Participants spend half of their time interning with one of three projects. Each project is fundamentally interconnected and offers unique insight into the global development strategy, volunteer tourism, human rights, and grassroots organizing. SSSA partners work in the Kasoa community 365 days a year. Due to the nature of grassroots work, internship duties and responsibilities change from year to year based on what the local landscape is and the changes that take place.
Education
Campaign for Learning Disabilities
www.cledghana.org
Founded by Padmore Quansah, the Campaign for Learning Disabilities is a non-governmental organization committed to inclusive and quality education for children with learning disabilities and special needs. CLED takes a comprehensive approach to ensure that students with learning differences receive the tools they need to succeed in the classroom and beyond. They provide training, assessment and intervention services to students, teachers, parents, administrators and all those who work, teach and care for the child. Their work has included dyslexia screenings, diagnostic assessments, educational placement guidance, counseling for families, training for teachers, community outreach and more. Learn more about the Campaign for Learning Disabilities and the work they do here.
STEM
Dext Technology
www.thescienceset.com
Founded by Michael Asante Afrifa and Ofori Charles, Dext
Technology is a tech company based in Kumasi, Ghana that
develops manufactures and deploys innovative, science
and technology driven educational solutions for the effective
learning of Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics
(STEM). Best known for their Science Set, Dext specializes in creating tools that make science affordable, hands on and experiential. The science set is a compact kit that contains over 40 components that together deliver over 30 experiments that teach fundamental STEM concepts including electromagnetism, circuits, resistors & capacitors, electronics, light and more. Through our collaboration, SSSA participants assigned to the STEM project receive hands-on instruction and training on the Science Set. Participants then work alongside teachers and administrators in local schools to create lesson plans and conduct experiments; bringing the science set into the hands of more learners and making STEM education more accessible. Learn more about Dext Technology and the Science Set here.
Public Health
PHiX Care
@phixcareorg
Founded by Mamley Adams, PHiX care is a registered non-governmental organization that aims to improve health and educational outcomes for girls and youth in the Kasoa area. PHiX works closely with local administrators, community members, schools and other stakeholders to improve the health of youth in the community. Their initiatives include education in schools, assisting in local health clinics, data analysis and research, implementing safe sex and teen pregnancy prevention programs and more. Learn more about PHiX Care and their public health initiatives here.
STUDY
Our participants spend half of their time engaging in critical thinking and academic discussion in the classroom to contextualize and better understand the broader, global context behind the very issues they work to address in their internships. Through small group discussions, guest lectures*, video and readings, our participants receive an enhanced learning experience while our partners receive more capable and informed global stewards ready to take on the many challenges our multicultural world faces.
We feel that it is important for participants to understand their positionality in the world & investigate the political, historical and social events that contribute to an issue before trying to remedy it. Therefore our learning environment focuses largely on social justice & self-reflexivity. We see it irresponsible to go to another country to "help" with little knowledge of the culture, customs, and history of the region and we are recognized critics of the volunteer tourism industry. Not only do we thoughtfully analyze the issues our service projects address, we also look at the history between West Africa and the Western World. In particular, we analyze the impact that service trips & aid from the West have had on post-colonial Africa and question our own roles, participation and potential. With an engaging and enriching syllabus designed by seasoned traveler, social activist and doctoral candidate and our Director of Programs, Brittni Howard, SSSA participants engage in critical discussions and educational activities around the following topics:
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Colonialism
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Race/Racism
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Slavery
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Identity
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History
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Politics
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Economics
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Int. development/aid
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Public health
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And much more!
*Past guest lecturers have included:
- Chief Nana Danchie of Nyano, The Culture of Childhood in Ghana
- Dr. Kofi Baku, University of Ghana, The Transatlantic Slave Trade
- Dr. Leticia Appiah, Executive Director National Population Council, Contextualizing Public Health in Ghana
- Eric Tei-Kumadoe, M.S., Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, Decolonizing African History
Wonder what we're up to when we're not working and studying?
Follow us on social media to see our adventures around Ghana!
