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Sunday, July 4, 2010

“Hotel Akilah” and the Human Rights Tree

Melissa Cushman, Guest Speaker from Colombia Teachers College

Akilah students and their Human Rights Tree

During the first activity of our week-long unit on human rights, I realized the young women of Akilah are definitely not afraid to use their voices to confront the challenges in their communities.

The students were given the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to read as homework before class and we were now going around the room introducing ourselves and reading each human right out-load. This was the first time that most of them had ever heard of the concept of human rights, however, they were all very aware of the social injustices that are a reality in their world. After we went through all 30 universal human rights, I asked them if they had any questions about the terms used in the declaration or about the rights themselves.

Students debate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

One student raised her hand and said, “I don’t understand human right number 26…the part where it says, …you should be able to train for whatever job you would like, or continue your studies as far as you wish…” I asked her what about this right she didn’t understand and she replied, “I don’t think everyone gets to go to school for as long as they want.” I told her she was exactly right—that most people in the world are not able to pursue their education as far as they would like and that this is an example of a human rights violation.

In order to help the students understand the importance of human rights and how it is up to each of us to demand that they are protected, during the next class I led them in an activity I call “The Banana Tree of Human Rights.” The tree consisted of roots, a long trunk, branches and leaves, and bananas. I started the activity by explaining how each part of the tree had a special role to play in its growth and purpose.

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Monday, June 28, 2010

Minding Her Manors

Mary Powell – Lead Instructor

We have all been gearing up for an exciting summer on campus, but didn’t realize that this summer would be a time for our students to begin to blossom outside of Akilah, too!

Last month, four of our students were offered positions at The Manor, a boutique hotel that has just opened in Kigali.

On her first day at work last week, Anita, one of our best students, was promoted from the Housekeeping department directly to Reception.

Anita is now the face of the Manor – an enormous responsibility and a source of pride for every member of our Akilah family. Anita spent last weekend using the skills she’s gaining here to welcome The Manor’s first guests.

Akilah staff are not the only ones watching Anita’s career bloom, however. In the last few days, Anita has inspired over ten other students to step out of their comfort zones and enter Kigali’s job market. Our Program Director, Monique, has written letters of recommendation to a variety of companies around the city. Some students have applied to work in Customer Service at a top telephone and internet provider, some have applied for training at Rwanda’s premier coffee shop, and some have sought to become Anita’s colleagues at The Manor.

As Akilah’s hospitality instructor, the last two weeks have given me a renewed pride in my students. In only half a year we have built a richly supportive environment in which students are learning new skills as they develop confidence and inspire each other to go out and create a place for themselves in the new Rwanda.

In March, students wrote poems about their dreams for the Dream Flag Project. Here is what Anita had to say. I think she is well on her way.

I am the Dreamer.
I dream so wide.
I dream I am a sunrise in the sky.
I dream I am a tall tree in the forest.
I dream I am a leader, somewhere, somehow.
This is all about my dreams.
I dream I’ll hold the hands of those who are weak.
I dream I am a peacemaker in my society.
I dream so big.
I dream I’ll be the moonlight in my nation.
I dream I’ll rise up like a new flower.
I dream so big.
I dream one day I will speak to the world.
I dream I’ll be one of the inheritants of the Kingdom of God.
I am the Dreamer.

Posted in Foundation Year, Mary Powell, Rwanda, Staff Updates | No Comments »

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Leadership & Presentations – The Critique (PART II)

Jonathan Kleiman – Instructor

Several weeks ago, each student delivered a speech about her vision for the future to practice speaking before an audience. The following week, the students watched and critiqued their speeches. Here’s what happened.

Posted in Foundation Year, Jonathan Kleiman, Rwanda, Staff Updates | No Comments »

Monday, June 21, 2010

Back in Action

Irene Kagoya – Leadership and Ethics Instructor

It is exhilarating to be at Akilah again after our three-week break. It has been a refreshing break and definitely has energized us to go through the summer.

There are lots of thrilling activities and projects that we have prepared for our students this summer. Our summer session is unique, incorporating film, outreach drama, and theory. All three sections revolve around three central themes: 1) Finding your Voice, 2) Women Breaking Barriers, and 3) Celebrating Diversity.

Also on the agenda, for the final week of the summer session, each staff member will lead a special seminar on a topic of her expertise.

Oh I was forgetting our favorite activity; we also have Kanatapi each week! Wow!

With such a fully packed summer, we cannot wait to begin the session and see how our students grow through it and learn from us as we learn from them.

Posted in Foundation Year, Irene Kagoya, Rwanda, Staff Updates | No Comments »

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Who Are The Teachers

Monique Schmidt – Program Director

As the rainy season begins to taper off, Akilah starts summer break. We have three weeks off before we start our summer session. For staff, the break provides a welcome time to rest, but it also means we haven’t seen our students since the end of May. That feels weird. It has created something like a void in my life. I’m used to seeing Nadine’s smile Monday through Friday. And I miss watching Fais think through all responses thoroughly.

Interestingly, I have been in education for over 10 years, but never have I bonded so intensely with such a group of exceptional students. The passion for education, compassion for others, and intellectual drive I observe in the Akilah classrooms astounds me on a daily basis.

While I haven’t seen our students recently, it still feels like they are a part of my daily life. During the break, it seems I have spent most of my time talking about Akilah, Rwanda, and our students….and the word “resiliency” keeps coming to mind. Two of the major lessons I have learned thus far at Akilah (and there have been many—especially about the importance of mosquito nets ☺ ) center around the resiliency of soul and the strength of love. In particular, one image from the movie “Catch Me if you Can” reoccurs for me. In the movie one of the characters tells the story of two mice who fell into a bucket of cream. The first mouse quickly gave up and drowned. The second mouse, wouldn’t quit. He struggled so hard that eventually he churned that cream into butter and crawled out.

I’m not sure if we can teach resiliency and determination, or if we can only cultivate them. I do know, however, that it is truly a gift to be working with students who have already, numerous times, turned cream into butter in their lives. Their determination and optimism teach me to work harder, love sincerely, and live deeper.

Noella and Alice

Florence

Posted in Foundation Year, Monique Schmidt, Rwanda, Staff Updates | No Comments »

Friday, June 4, 2010

Gorillas In My Viewfinder

Jonathan Kleiman – Health and Nutrition Instructor

There are moments when you look through the viewfinder of your video camera and know you are capturing magic. I had many of these moments last week.

Thanks to the generous efforts of Ged Caddick with Terra Incognita EcoTours, twenty Akilah student had the opportunity last week to go gorilla trekking. I had the opportunity to accompany and film these students.

The first magical moment came during dinner our first night together. Earlier that day, the students and I boarded a bus in Kigali and headed out to Musanze in the Northern Provence of Rwanda. We spent the night in a hotel in Musanze so we could begin our big trek the next day bright and early. For most of the students, this was their first time in a hotel. They were so giddy the whole time – seeing the pool, getting their room keys, parading around in the complementary sandals – that I didn’t put my video camera away at all that first day.

And so I had my camera out when we sat down for dinner in the big hotel dining room. And I was able to watch through the viewfinder as one student asked the 9 others what the strange, folded piece of fabric on her plate was. I watched as the students imagined all possible uses for their napkins, until one finally tucked it into her collar and the rest followed suit.

And then there was the moment at the start of our trek the next morning. We were walking in a single file line through the forest as our guide tried to find us a pack of gorillas. I was trailing behind with two other students, out of site from the rest of the group, when I started hearing these low, grumbling sounds. I turned my camera on to film the gorillas but didn’t see any. I asked the two students where they were, but they couldn’t find the gorillas either. And then the grumblings got louder and more aggressive sounding. Maybe we were a little scared. We kept walked though and finally caught up to the rest of the group, who were clumped together making gorilla sounds to summon the gorillas.

Getting ready for the hike

Thank you to Terra Incognita Tours for making this trip possible!

Posted in Foundation Year, Jonathan Kleiman, Rwanda, Staff Updates | 1 Comment »