Global Encounters: An expression of culture and heritage
January 24, 2014 | Canada
In July 2013, 64 students from 13 countries gathered together at the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa to participate in Global Encounters.
The program has three key areas of focus: service learning, leadership development, and global citizenship and pluralism.
One of the distinctive aspects of the program was the interface with the Kenyan Jamat and the wider Kenyan society where aspects of faith, culture, heritage, and ethics were deeply embedded throughout the entire experience. “Kenyan culture is inclusive, with a strong sense of community, and social cohesion. An unspoken and easily formed connection was felt as we interacted with the Kenyan youth,” notes participant Dilina Lallani.
Students had the opportunity to visit Town Jamatkhana in Nairobi where Mawlana Hazar Imam recited Eid Namaz for the first time. Students also visited Parklands Jamatkhana where the Imam first ascended the throne of Imamat in 1957 and where Mawlana Sultan Mahomed Shah, our 48th Imam, celebrated his Platinum Jubilee in 1954.
Visits to AKDN projects across Kenya were organized where participants gained first-hand experience of AKDN’s approach to community-driven development and were able to make links between the network's work and its deep connection to faith and values. At the heart of the program were student-led volunteer projects at government schools in Mombasa. “Working with these enthusiastic and charismatic children was one of the most inspiring parts of this entire trip. Although students at these schools lack basic necessities required for schooling, they are eager to learn and build a proper foundation for their future,” says Yaasin Dayani, another participant.
Overall, Global Encounters offered a collective set of unparalleled experiences, motivating students to develop leadership and cultural competency skills by being immersed in Kenyan culture, language, and the arts.
Excerpted from article originally published in the Ismaili Canada magazine Vol 1 2014. By: Aysha Kaba (GE 2013 Facilitator), Yaasir Dayani and Dilina Lallani (GE 2013 participants).
