Education

We’re curious about education. We want to know how it can be used to empower youth to achieve their two-fold, moral purpose.

We’ve centered our interest in education around an after-school, drop-in center for orphans, vulnerable children, and youth in a remote, informal township southeast of Johannesburg, South Africa. This is the site of our longest standing community partnership, a place we’ve been working for more than 13 years. Recently, we’ve accompanied the staff at our partner organization, Vumundzuku-bya Vana/Our Children’s Future (VVOCF), as they test a series of educational projects, including:

• tutoring and homework help,

• children’s classes, and

• a junior youth spiritual empowerment program.

Priorities

• What does education for empowerment look and feel like for children and youth?

Alternative Educational Models

• In a place like South Africa, where obstacles and barriers prevent children and youth from accessing high quality education, what alternatives and/or out-of-school experiences might complement traditional, classroom-based learning?