High School Club Connects With Disadvantaged High Schoolers in Kenya

Do you remember what it was like being a high schooler? Juggling homework, clubs, family, friends, girlfriends, boyfriends, and still trying to make time to sleep. Then waking up early the next day to do it all over again! High school was your life. It was difficult to look beyond those four walls. But one high school club is doing just that: looking beyond their classroom and into a culture half way across the world.

Erik Seyring, a Social Science teacher at Prairie Ridge High School in Illinois, is working together with Kinship United and our Kenyan Partners to spearhead a project that’ll connect his students with students at Gilgal High School in Kenya.

Together, they’ve organized a program that’ll enable Erik and his students to Skype directly with teachers and students at Gilgal. They’ll be able to ask each other questions and gain a glimpse into the lives of other high school students thousands of miles away.

The development of this school-to-school program is still in its early stages, but so far both schools have begun answering each other’s questions through short video diaries, which are created with smart phones and small camcorders that the Prairie Ridge students donated to Gilgal.

The Prairie Ridge students have also started raising some funds for the students at Gilgal. They’re encouraging more students at their school to join the project, and we’re excited to watch this grow!

Could you imagine having this type of opportunity in high school? A project that not only introduces you to students eight thousand miles away but also gives you a glimpse into their culture from their own perspective. Your very own National Geographic episodes created by you and your friends!

This project will stick with both the Gilgal and the Prairie Ridge students as they move through life. It gives the students in both countries the chance to pull back the curtains for each other on the United States and Kenya. Instead of relying on stereotypes in their minds, these students will get to personally meet one another via video chat and create their own understandings.

We’re excited about the growth and development of this project and what it means for the students involved! We’ll be sure to keep you updated!

Are you interested in developing a similar program at your school? Email Allen at akakooza@kinshipunited.org for more information.