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Kenya Study and Leadership Experience
July 2012 - Teachers Helping Teachers

The Kenya Leadership Program provides a once in a unique opportunity to partake in service learning, volunteerism, and educational programs in one of the most beautiful places on earth.
Participants will travel to Kenya and be located in a safari camp on the edge of the Maasai Mara, Africa’s richest wildlife reserve.   The Maasai Mara is home the Big Five mammals: elephant, rhino, lion, buffalo and leopard, and is situated within diverse fauna and flora.   The Maasai Mara is also home to the world’s greatest migration of zebra and wildebeest, with millions of wild animals crossing to and from the Tanzanian Serengeti to the Kenyan Mara, between the months of June and October.

Participants will have the opportunity to explore and enhance their leadership by combining meaningful service learning and educational activities.   Participants will spend time volunteering at local schools, teaching, building classrooms, and helping in practical ways to improve the local community, while interacting intensively with the local cultural groups, including the Maasai and Kipsigis.   Moreover, concrete learning about development, world issues, leadership, environmental conservation and biodiversity through interactive seminars will engage individuals to consider the importance and challenges of much needed development, while ensuring the protection of the world’s most wondrous flora and fauna.

There will also be unique opportunities to interact with local teachers. This is intended to promote mutual collaboration between educational professionals for the benefit of Canadian and Kenyan teachers and students.  Sharing experiences will likely involve discussion about content selection, knowledge about diverse teaching and learning styles, and delivery strategies.

Canadian teachers will have opportunities to observe Kenya’s teachers in their classrooms, teach in Kenyan classrooms, present professional development workshops and engage in cultural activities including song and dance.   Learning opportunities to study the Kenyan culture will be available through a university program run by the La Sallian Brothers as well as through experiential interactions including home and village visits, water walks, hikes and talks by local experts around the camp fire.   Service components include the opportunity to build a school,
an engaging visit to an orphanage and facilitating an Olympics games day.

Rationale
The motivation for this program was derived from the personal and professional experiences of its authors in conjunction with the vision prescribed by Adventure Learning Experiences for all of its programs.  This vision involves learning, leadership and service within the context of safe adventure.

Service Learning
A unique and distinguishing component of this program is the concept of “service learning”.  Service learning can be identified as experiential education when the learner adopts a life role that provides meaningful service to a community in order to learn about oneself and others.  The pedagogical value of the service increases when the following are added to the learning:  an academic component designed to prepare the learner in terms of content and competencies relevant to the service; an opportunity to reflect upon and think critically about the experience; an element of adventure and challenge; an international and cross-cultural context; and an alignment of individual, placement, and system goals. 

Affiliation
The delivery of this program is in conjunction with the 'Me to We' organization. Co-founded by Marc and Craig Kielburger, 'Me to We' has earned world-wide recognition for its dedication in eradicating child labour throughout the world. It is also devoted to youth leadership and has established program sites around the world.  In this present program, we will be visiting the Kenya Peace and Leadership Centre, which is located on the edge of the Maasai Mara, Africa’s richest game reserve.

Participants

Two groups of approximately 18 teachers each will be selected for admission to this program and will be open to teachers from both panels. Participants will be selected according to the following criteria:
 
            1.        Trustworthiness and reliability
            2.        Respectfulness of other people and cultures
            3.        Adaptability to new experiences
            4.        Fitness
            5.        Pleasant disposition
           
Interested teachers will be invited to submit an application and two letters of reference attesting to their suitability according to the criteria cited above. 

Code of Behaviour
Each participant will be expected to pledge commitment to a Code of Behaviour,  which is intended to ensure that respect for each participant, his/her property, and well-being is safeguarded.  It is designed to eliminate harassment, abusiveness and will prohibit the use of alcohol and drugs.  Above all, the rights and responsibilities of all participants will be clearly defined so that the objectives of this program may be achieved within a healthy and safe environment. 

Teacher Leader(s)  
Adventure Learning Experiences will provide an infrastructure that will guide the preparation of curriculum, health and safety, trip responsibilities, and organizational structure.

Adventure Learning Experiences will pay the expenses of one participant to perform this role, or will supply the group with another experienced individual who will perform this role.

In addition to this leader, Me to We will also be providing the group with its own leader who will be directly involved with the group for the entire duration of the trip.

Interviews
Each applicant will be invited to a private interview with the Directors to assess his/her suitability for the program. This will also give the applicant the opportunity to determine if the program serves his/her needs and interests.

Program Design
The program will consist of a learning program, conducted before departure, followed by the trip to Kenya. The pre-trip program is meant to sensitize participants to issues involving this part of the world, develop rapport between participants, and deal with health and safety concerns. Participants will be asked to select and explore a topic of personal interest related to an African theme (history, politics, geography, wildlife, spirituality,etc) and share it with the group.  This is not meant to be burdensome but rather is intended to give participants the opportunity to deepen their understanding of Africa and thereby maximize their experience. There will be 4 individual meetings arranged according to the following schedule, along with a weekend of teambuilding and goal-directed activities, including manual labour: 

Reading List
A short reading list will be provided at a later date.


Journaling
Daily journal writing will be an essential component of the program. A composite journal with volunteer submissions from all participants will be compiled and offered to all participants at the end of the experience as a memory of our shared experience.

NOTE: It is expected that participants will have the opportunity to study a course entitled "Introduction to African Cultures and Religion". The course will consist of 3 morning lectures on the following topices: African Culture; African Religion; and Kenyan Political and Economic Realities. The program will also include field research in local communitites facilitated by Kenyan university graduates. The timing of this program can be customized to fit the itinerary, and may include components at the beginning and at the end of the itinerary. It is offered by Tanzaga College, which is affiliated with St. Mary's University of Minnesota. For those interested in this program, there will be a small tuition charged by the College.

Service and Leadership Opportunities

1. Community development: Lend your hands to build a school and volunteer at our schools.
2. Cultural education: Attend workshops, walk through Maasai and Kipsigis villages, and learn Swahili.
3. Leadership training: Experience intensive and interactive training in our grass-thatched classroom.
4. Environmental education: Learn about environmental challenges on a fieldtrip to coastal region.
5. Safari adventures: Get up close and personal (through the lens of your camera) with Africa’s wildlife while on a safari in the Maasai Mara. 

Travel dates    Trip 1:   July 1-22, 2012
                           Trip 2:   July 4-25, 2012
                           Trip 3:   July 9-30, 2012

Sample Itinerary:  This itinerary is intended to highlight the types of activities will be doing and some of the locations we will be visiting.  You will receive an itinerary specific to your trip before you depart.     

Travel Arrangements

Transportation
Local transportation will be organized and provided by Me to We in the form of buses and lorries.  International air travel will be provided by a reputable international carrier.

                                              
Accommodation
In Kenya the accommodations will be provided by the 'Me to We' organization.  Appropriate separation between genders will always be ensured in these camp areas.  The camp is also supervised by both Canadian and local employees of 'Me to We'.

Finances
Participants will be charged a single fee of approximately $5295, which will cover return airfare from Toronto to Kenya, all travel expenses within the country, meals, accommodations, training materials and donations to the local communities.

Payment will be made by regular installments according to the following schedule:

            $595                Deposit accompanying application
            $1,600             December 5, 2011
            $1,600             March 1, 2012
            $1,500             June 1, 2012

Fundraising

Fundraising activities will be supported by the authors. Adventure Learning Experiences publishes a Sponsorship Booklet as its main fundraiser. This booklet will describe the features and participants of the program.  The sale of advertisements in the booklet will be directly subtracted from the fee charged to individual participants, with a nominal charge for the cost of printing the booklets. 

Participants of this program are welcome to participate in this initiative or may coordinate their own endeavour.

Refund Policy

For withdrawal before December 5th, a refund of $400 from the original deposit will be provided.

For withdrawal between December 5th and March 1st, a full refund minus the original deposit of $595 will be provided.

Other Costs

The only other costs that are not included in the above price are the following:

            Passport (this must not expire within 6 months of departure)
            Kenya Visa                                                     $50 US
            Out-of-country health insurance                    purchased privately  
            Flying Doctor Insurance                                  $50 US to be purchased in Nairobi
            Inoculations                                                     purchased privately
            End-of-trip banquet in Nairobi                         $40 US (optional)
            Private expenses

Health and Safety
Careful attention to sound health and safety practices will be an important part in the preparation of the program.  This will involve mandatory immunizations, learning healthy eating and drinking habits, and understanding effective illness prevention practices.  For maximum benefit it is recommended that participants, in general, be in good health and achieve a sufficient level of fitness prior to the trip.  Physical and dental check-ups are highly recommended prior to the departure date.   

Immunization

a)         The following are ordinarily administered through one’s family doctor in the course of normal Ontario health care.  All participants are asked to ensure their protection with inoculations against the following diseases:

            Tetanus – Diphtheria
            Polio
            Measles-Mumps-Rubella

b)            Protection against malaria is by tablet and is taken on a regular basis prior, during, and following the trip.  The exact regimen will be prescribed by a travel clinic.  All participants will be expected to bring a mosquito net and protective skin lotions.

c)            Inoculations against the following may be required:
 
                        Tetanus
                        Typhoid
                        Meningococcal meningitis
                        Hepatitis A
                        Hepatitis B
                        Yellow Fever
                        TB skin test

Precautions

As indicated above, careful preparation prior to departure about safe eating and drinking habits and illness prevention practices will be undertaken.  Participants will be expected to purchase “The Travel Doctor” by Dr. Mark Wise (Firefly Books, 2002) as part of this preparation.  A close working relationship has been developed by the authors with Dr. Mark Wise.  Dr. Wise is a family physician in North York whose medical practice includes a travel clinic. He  is considered a leading authority in tropical and parasitic diseases.  Prior to departure, Dr. Wise will conduct a 90 minute training workshop about preventative health practices, mandatory inoculations, and the relationship between poverty and disease in the Developing World.

Our groups will greatly benefit from the local contacts which the authors have established in Kenya with Me to We in the event that medical care is required. Each participant will be expected to purchase out-of-country health insurance. In addition, each participant will be expected to purchase evacuation insurance, called Flying Doctor insurance, upon arrival in Kenya at a cost of $50 US. This will guarantee emergency airline service from an airstrip near the Leadership centre to a leading  medical clinic in Nairobi. In addition, Dr. Lato and Mr. Rogers are both members of the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers (IAMAT). 

It is most strongly recommended that each participant seek proper medical advice for all potential health concerns at a travel health clinic prior to departure. 

It is advised that each participant complete the Consent to Medical Treatment Form in the event that urgent and emergency care is required.

• Build a school and volunteer at our schools
• Walk through Maasai and Kipsigis villages, and learn Swahili.
• Experience an African Safari
• Develop Your Leadership Skills Through Service