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\u201cThe goal of the program is for educators to engage in experiential learning by traveling to a new country and developing a curriculum project based on the information, perspectives and materials that are gathered, intertwining African culture with the educator\u2019s subject area and classroom,\u201d according to school officials.<\/p>\n
Participants in this transnational African and African Diaspora Identities program will travel for a month to learn about Ghana\u2019s culture, language, history, politics and society \u201cthrough the lens of the transatlantic slave trade,\u201d according to OU CIS, and focus on the connections between Ghana and Ohio.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe hope the participants will gain insight and new perspectives on the historical and contemporary relationship between Ghana and the United States,\u201d said Cat Cutcher, CIS associate director, who is leading the program with Assan Sarr, associate professor of history in the College of Arts and Sciences at Ohio University.<\/p>\n Program leaders will lead daily experiential learning engagements in Accra, Kumasi, and Cape Coast, plus 10 hours of Akan language training, according to CIS. The goal of the program is to provide ways for educators to infuse West African perspectives into U.S. classrooms and curricula.<\/p>\n \u201cThe OHIO Ghana program will strengthen understanding of the historical and contemporary relationships between West Africa and Appalachian Ohio established through the transatlantic slave trade and shaped by global connections across time,\u201d according to CIS.<\/p>\n Along with developing curriculum materials and lesson plans for their classrooms, participants will also learn the Akan\/Twi language through online learning leading up to the trip.<\/p>\n Negash participated in the program last summer in Thailand. She said the experience was \u201cso rich professionally and personally\u201d and inspired to her to apply for next year\u2019s program.<\/p>\n \u201cBased on my time in Thailand, I developed a curriculum project that I then submitted to the U.S. Department of Education and Fulbright Commission as a resource for other educators to use. I will teach this unit about informative writing related to Thailand\u2019s sustainability efforts this spring,\u201d she said. \u201cI am looking forward to developing a new and engaging unit tied to my experiences in Ghana.\u201d<\/p>\n Teevan, biology teacher at SOI, is excited to learn how Ghanians are mitigating the effects of climate change.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have meetings scheduled with local environmental justice NGOs and national youth development NGOs,\u201d she said. \u201cI look forward to hearing from a multitude of voices on this topic.\u201d<\/p>\n Fifteen eligible participants were chosen for program. Participants will arrive in Ghana on June 16 and return on July 14, 2025, according to the OU CIS.<\/p>\n For more information on the program and who is eligible to apply, visit www.ed.gov\/grants-and-programs\/grants-higher-education\/ifle\/fulbright-hays-group-projects-abroad-program.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n