OUR MODEL
Connect
Central to SSSA's pedagogy and mission is connection. Our classroom lessons are framed using community-based participatory action research and critical anthropology. We teach theory, methods, and ethics around respect, reciprocity, and relationship building. We unpack the interconnections of the local and global, of historical legacies, and of our varying privilege and power. Our internships are rooted in this praxis where we work in
collaboration with local nonprofits, educators, and youth groups of whom we build professional and personal relationships with over time. Our cohorts build friendships and connections with each other and with their peers and leaders in Ghana. We curate a number of team-building activities for our cohorts, in additional to special events that include our partners and friends we make along the way.
Learn
Our participants spend half of their time engaging in critical thinking and academic discussion. We contextualize and better understand the broader, global context behind the very issues our partners work to address. Through small group discussions, guest lectures**, videos, and readings, our participants receive an enhanced learning experience, while our partners receive more capable and informed global stewards ready to take on the many challenges our multicultural world faces.
We feel that it is important for participants to understand their positionality in the world & investigate the political, historical and social events that contribute to an issue before trying to remedy it. Therefore, our learning environment focuses largely on social justice & self-reflexivity. We unpack our own roles,
participation, ethics, and potential as global stewards. We see it irresponsible to go to another country to "help" with little knowledge of the culture, customs, and history of the region and with few hard skills, qualifications or experience working in a certain industry. We thoughtfully analyze the issues our service projects address as well as the impact that service trips and aid have on historically marginalized and oppressed communities. We provide our participants with important internship work that is of benefit to our partners and appropriate to their skillset. With an engaging and enriching
curriculum designed by seasoned traveler, social activist, anthropologist, and doctoral candidate, and our Director of Programs, Brittni Howard, SSSA participants engage in critical discussions and educational activities that guide questions of our own roles, participation and potential in the world.
**Past guest lecturers have included:
-
Chief Nana Danchie of Nyano, The Culture of Childhood in Ghana
-
Dr. Kofi Baku, University of Ghana, The Transatlantic Slave Trade
-
Dr. Leticia Appiah, Executive Director National Population Council, Contextualizing Public Health in Ghana
-
Eric Tei-Kumadoe, M.S., Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, Decolonizing African History
​
​
Intern
Our participants work as volunteer interns with Ghana-based and operated nonprofits and small business. Participants spend half of their time interning with one of the three projects listed below. Each project is fundamentally interconnected and offers unique insight into the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, volunteer tourism, human rights, and grassroots organizing.
SSSA partners work in the Kasoa community 365 days a year. Due to the nature of grassroots work, internship duties and responsibilities change from year-to-year based on what the local landscape is and the changes that take place in the local community. ​
Public Health
PHiX Care
@phixcareorg
Founded by Mamley Adams, PHiX Care aims to improve
health and educational outcomes for women and youth in
the Kasoa area. PHiX Care is committed to providing
young people with safe, accurate, and relevant information.
PhixCare works closely with school administrators, public health officials, community and clinic nurses and physicians, community members, school teachers, and other stakeholders to improve the health of youth and women in the community. Through these relationships, PhixCare and their partners reach hundreds of women and youth every year with life-changing information and screenings.
​
Their team provides lessons to school children, and assessments/screenings regarding a range of public health topics including but not limited to: reproductive health, sanitation and recycling, infectious disease, and preventative health measures. Their team assists in local health clinics, implementing safe sex and teen pregnancy prevention programs, providing free breast cancer screenings and cervical cancer awareness workshops, and providing young people with the tools and skills for success in education, personal hygiene, and more. Learn more about PHiX Care and their public health initiatives here.
STEM
Dext Technology
www.thescienceset.com
Founded by Michael Asante Afrifa and Ofori Charles, Dext
Technology is a tech company based in Kumasi, Ghana
that develops, manufactures, and deploys innovative, science
and technology driven educational solutions for the effective
learning of Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics.
Dext specializes in creating tools that make science affordable and experiential. The science set is a compact kit containing over 40 components. The set delivers over 30 experiments that teach fundamental STEM concepts including electromagnetism, circuits, resistors & capacitors, electronics, light and more.
Through our collaboration, SSSA participants assigned to the STEM project receive hands-on instruction and training on the Science Set. Participants then work alongside teachers and administrators in local schools to create lesson plans and conduct experiments; bringing the science set into the hands of more learners and making STEM education more accessible. Learn more about Dext Technology and the Science Set here.
Special Education
Campaign for Learning Disabilities
www.cledghana.org
Founded by Padmore Quansah, the Campaign for
Learning Disabilities is a non-governmental
organization committed to inclusive and quality
education for children with learning disabilities and special needs.
CLED takes a comprehensive approach to ensure that students with learning differences receive the tools they need to succeed in the classroom and beyond. They provide training, assessment and intervention services to students, teachers, parents, administrators and all those who work, teach and care for the child.
Their work has included dyslexia screenings, diagnostic assessments, educational placement guidance, counseling for families, training for teachers, community outreach and more. Learn more about the Campaign for Learning Disabilities and the work they do here.