Students travel to West Africa with Global Kids Youth
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
Three Queens students
recently returned from their
summer trip to Senegal in West
Africa, where they discovered
the culture and history of the
country while interacting with
entrepreneurs, educators, and
Senegalese youth.
Olivia Davis and Suesilla
Daley, both 17, and seniors
at John Adams High School
in Ozone Park, and Adrian
Hernandez, 18, a student
at William Cullen Bryant
High School in Long Island
City, were among a group
of five students selected by
Global Kids Inc. for the 10-
day excursion from July 23 to
Aug. 1.
“Providing meaningful
international travel
experiences for young people,
particularly youth from
underserved communities,
is life-changing,” says Evie
Hantzopoulos, Global Kids
executive director. “Our
Global Kids Leaders will share
what they learned with their
peers and communities when
they return to school, and we
can’t wait to see their projects
and presentations.”
The trip is part of a
partnership with Black
Birthright, an initiative of the
Tunstall Foundation founded
in 2019. Black Birthright is
an immersive program taking
Black American high school
students to African countries
to learn their history,
experience the continent’s rich
culture and develop a stronger
sense of self and purpose.
The students visited Goree
Island and the Museum
of Black Civilizations,
where they learned about
the Transatlantic Slave
Trade, witnessing Senegal’s
ecological beauty of Somone
Lagoon Reserve and Ile de
Sarpan, enjoying the sights
of Senegal’s shopping district
and touring one of the
country’s most prominent
college campus.
“I was expecting a
huge culture shock but the
kids who we spoke too are
English speakers and a lot
of them listen to the same
musical artists that I like,
which I wasn’t expecting,”
Daley said. “We had a lot
more in common than I had
originally thought.”
For Daley, the overall
experience was life-changing,
she says, and emotional.
“There was so much
emotional stuff happening for
me being where my ancestors
were, at the time,” Daley said.
“I went to the Door of No Return
one of the biggest House of
Slaves on Goree Island and I
was able to return where my
ancestors thought they would
never be able to return.”
For Hernandez, the
Senegalese were very inviting
and treated their guests like
family, he said.
“I learned a lot about their
agricultural lifestyle, how
they grow their crops without
much use of water, especially
when it doesn’t rain as often,”
Hernandez said. “Also, how
some people live whether in
urban or rural areas as well
as where they work and play
together all day everyday.”
Davis said the trip to
Senegal opened up her mind
to see Africa differently than
what it is portrayed as, such as
learning about entrepreneur
businesses, in addition to
slavery and colonialism.
(From l. to r.) Global Youth Leaders Adrian Hernandez, 18, of William
Cullen Bryant High School, (second from left, Suesilla Daley, 17, of
John Adams High School (third from left), and Olivia Davis, 17, of
John Adams High School (far-right). Courtesy of Global Kids
“I think this trip was a great
way to start a conversation on
the topic of slavery and we
were able to speak on different
things going on in the world.
We were educated wonderfully
on the history of Senegal and
Africa, and we made great
connections with each other
and other people we met there.
It was a wonderful experience
and cultural enrichment,”
Daley said.
Reach reporter Carlotta
Mohamed by email at
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.
com or by phone at (718) 260–4526.
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