Now in its ninth season of delivering a transformative experiential learning experience in self-awareness, service learning and social impact to scholars across the globe, the ALA Global Scholars Program is much more than just a holiday program. This year, we welcome more than 150 young leaders from 20 countries to participate in five distinct GSP sessions between June 24th and August 15th.
What had initially begun in 2011 as a three-week summer program with 16 participants, has grown into a larger and more extensive leadership camp that helps students develop creative confidence, critical thinking skills, and the ability to collaborate and communicate as a team.
One of the key highlights of GSP each year is welcoming back several ALA alumni who return to campus to serve as GSP educators. Over half of the 31 educators staffing this year’s camps are returning alumni, including Olivier Ndiaye (’12) from Senegal who is the first alum to return as a GSP Camp Director. Other international educators this year are drawn from institutions in countries as diverse as Ireland, Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana and Tunisia among others.
GSP participants are introduced to ALA’s core curricula of Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and African Studies as well as the Academy’s values and approach to creating global change, while fostering cross-cultural connections.
The program partners with local organizations in the Johannesburg area where students perform community service twice a week, identifying specific needs in these communities and designing implementable solutions for each organization. The program culminates in a group presentation of their entrepreneurial concepts at the GSP Ideas Festival.
Our Custom Camps season also kicked-off in July with visitors from the US – International Scholars program (ISI). Two of our rising Year 2 students, Justice Ripanga (’18) and Cecile Matabaro (’18), were selected to participate in this program on full scholarships.
This was one of six custom programs being hosted on our campus this season. Others are:
- The African Youth Mentoring Network Program Launch
- Obama Foundation Leaders: Africa Program
- The Angel Rock Projects
- Enke and Yandisa Fellows Launch
- The Mandela Institute Scholars Program
To learn more about the Global Scholars Program, visit our website www.alasummer.org
