May 03
Brett HahnEmergency, Student Voices Annual Student Workshop, Emergency Response, Field Visit, Global Concerns Classroom, Kenya
Brett presenting at the Global Concerns Annual Student Workshop on Emergency Response
When a global crisis strikes a region on Earth that doesn’t have the resources to recover on its own, the international community comes together in an effort to rebuild the devastated region and provide assistance to those most affected. Similarly, this past month, high school students from across the U.S. came together for the Global Concerns Annual Workshop.
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Feb 17
Sylvia WongGlobal Concerns Clubs, Student Action Field Visit, Global Concerns Classroom, Video
For more about our 2011 School Field Visit to Kenya, read highlights from participating students Brett Hahn and Francesca Conlin, teacher Sinead Naughton, and Concern’s Education Officer, Sylvia Wong.
Nov 11
Francesca ConlinEducation, Student Voices Concern, Education, Field Visit, Kenya, Livelihoods
Francesca visiting with students at Brilliant Academy in Mathare slum, Nairobi, Kenya
I walked down a dusty hill and into a small classroom constructed of sheet metal supported only by wooden branches. In the slums of Nairobi, Kenya, wide-eyed school children greeted me with a song and a dance. Their smiles jumped right out at me. As my eyes began to scope out the area I was in, I was astonished by the fact that such beautiful faces could be in such severe poverty.
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Oct 07
Sinead NaughtonPeople and Places, Voices from the Field Concern, Education, Field Visit, Kenya, Livelihoods
Women weaving mats from a Concern-supported livelihoods project in Kisumu, Kenya
From the moment our delegation from Concern, which included two high school students, myself, and a staff member, arrived at the Nairobi airport until our departure a week later, the word that rang the loudest was “community.” Our Kenya field visit trip provided me with a stronger understanding of that word than perhaps I have ever known.
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Sep 28
Brett HahnEducation, Student Voices Concern, Education, Field Visit, Kenya
Brett with students from Brilliant Academy in Mathare slum, Kenya
Step out of a van and onto a dusty road. Surrounded by smiling faces, a new place filled with fruit vendors, hanging clothes, and children playing soccer with bare feet, the street calls out to you like no other before. The warm phrase, “How are you,” echoes in your ear. Reach out your hand and it is touched by the gentle fingers of youth; you are not just anywhere, you’re in Kenya.
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Aug 11
Shane DowlingStudent Voices, Voices from the Field Education, Field Visit, Fundraising, Health, Rwanda
Shane visiting a primary school in Simbi
Before I went to Rwanda I can honestly admit that I didn’t really know what to expect. I pictured it to be like “The Lion King” or full of deserts or famine but after the week there accompanied by teacher Sheia Ryan and fellow student Chrsitina Phelan I must say that my perception of Rwanda and consequently Africa as a whole altered greatly.
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Aug 11
Michelle McHughStudent Voices, Voices from the Field Education, Field Visit, Primary School, Rwanda
Children at a primary school in Simbi performing traditional Rwandan dance
The primary school we visited while in Rwanda was certainly an unforgettable experience. When the bus arrived, children swarmed the bus in hundreds. We stepped off and there was this palpable buzz of excitement around the place. The energy of the children was indescribable. Their white teeth beamed a welcoming hello to us all and they stared at us wondering who we were and where we came from.
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Aug 10
Christina PhelanStudent Voices, Voices from the Field Field Visit, Rwanda
Shane & Christina with their teacher, Sheila Ryan, in front of the Kigali Memorial Center
My name is Christina Phelan. In July of 2010, I got the amazing opportunity to go on an experience of a lifetime trip to Rwanda. Sheila Ryan (a teacher), Shane Dowling (fellow student) and I got to go on the Concern trip because of the fundraising our school does annually. When we landed in Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda, I felt blessed to be there.
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Aug 06
Sylvia WongPoverty, Voices from the Field Child Survival, Concern, Education, Field Visit, Livelihoods, Rwanda
The team in front of the Concern office in Kigali
In July 2010, I was part of a team of students, educators, and staff who went to Rwanda on a Concern field visit. The purpose of the trip was to learn firsthand about Concern’s work and to bring our experiences back to our schools and respective environments to inspire others to take part in fighting poverty.
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