Change Makers Academy

CHANGE MAKERS ACADEMY

presents

THE

I AM AFRICA

EXPERIENCE JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA

April 9th-14th, 2017

PARTNER’S KEEPSAKE BOOK

MISSION STATEMENT

WE ARE A NON-PROFIT COMMUNITY-DRIVEN EMPOWERMENT PLATFORM THAT USES SOCIAL ISSUES AS ITS CATALYST TO ENGAGE DIFFERENCE-MAKERS THROUGH VISIONARY PROGRAMMING AND PURPOSEFUL INITIATIVES.

Welcome!

The vision to immerse participants in a rich cultural experience was born from our interactions with students during our Summer 2016 “Gs to Gents” initiative. During this program, we had the opportunity to delve into some of the abiding philosophies that make up our students’ worldviews. After the month-long initiative, it became evident that Change Makers Academy was in a unique position to increase exposure to create, not only better students academically, but more effective global citizens.

We developed the “I AM AFRICA” experience as a means of immersing participants into an alternative to spring recess that uses the underpinnings of human environment, cultural diversity, and global service. This experience will highlight the best of this region with hopes of exposing participants to concepts extending beyond their everyday realities and enhance their worldviews.

This vision became a reality through your support and we want to thank you once again for partnering with us! We hope that this keepsake will give you a taste of the life-changing experience that you made possible for our students.

Sincerely, Robert Stephens III & Dwayne Stewart Founders

Day 1 April 9th

Welcome to Africa!

A

fter almost two days of air travel (including a layover in the Middle East), our team arrived in Johannesburg, the largest city in South Africa and one of the fifty largest urban areas in the world safely.

Day 2

April 10th

Local Leisure A

fter breakfast, our boys prepared for round table collaboration with a young entrepreneur who shared the pros and cons of business in South Africa. We then departed Midrand for a day in Sandton City & Soweto where we would spend the remainder of the day honoring the life & legacy of South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician and philanthropist Nelson Mandela. Of course, we did all of this in gear from our partners at Michigan State University! “Go State!�

Day 3

April 11th

Empowerment

W

e began day three with a riveting tour of the Apartheid Museum.

Our students were randomly classified as “whites” and “non-whites” prior to entering the Museum. This would determine the experience each student would have. This exhibit left our students speechless and celebrating the freedom we now enjoy. We journeyed back to Soweto to the Hector Pieterson Memorial where we honored the memory of this 13 year old boy who was killed in a student protest.

Day 4 April 12th

Adventure Awaits

A

fter an almost three hour journey, we arrived at Pilanesburg National Park for one of our most notable adventures yet. No trip to South Africa is complete without a visit to the safari. This experience gave each participant an opportunity to view this well-stocked national park and dramatic landscape. Virtually every animal species native to southern Africa can be found in Pilanesberg.

Day 5 April 13

th

Education

T

his day began with a full tour of the Cradle of Humankind Exhibit. This exhibit was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999. It is about 50 kilometres northwest of Johannesburg, South Africa in the Gauteng province.

This site currently occupies 47,000 hectares (180 sq mi) and it contains a complex of limestone caves. There are more than a dozen major fossil sites in the Cradle of Humankind, and as not all these sites are open to the public, the Maropeng centre was developed to provide visitors with an overview of the significance of the area as well as the story of human development.

Day 6 April 14th

Faith

A

s our tour fell on “Holy Week�, our students were invited to experience a South African worship service with the Crystal Church family.

Vote of Thanks!

The I AM AFRICA Experience was made possible by the vision of our founders and the support of our partners. Change Makers Academy would like to thank you for partnering with us to make this a life-changing experience for our students. Because of you, Change Starts Here!