Document Type

Article

Publication Date

9-1-2025

Abstract

Many of the stories included here take place outside of the United States. India, South Africa,Senegal, and Guatemala feature prominently while China, Cameroon, and Native lands are also referenced. Other stories take us to places that might be unfamiliar or forgotten: Middle school buses, rural back roads, New York subways, deep South barbershops, sunny Miami beaches, andlonely snowy roads on a winter night. Stories help us to not just enter into the lives of people but also their environments.

This service-learning project is designed not just to help students think about engaging in philanthropic work in a group context but also to consider the lives of civic leaders and civic educators in Africa. Students learn the local challenges faced by these talented leaders and work to help them. Along the way, they are charged with learning a bit about that cultural context as they write a short reflection on the food, dance, dress, or famous tourist site of their assigned country in Africa. As a practical note: While this assignment utilizes an existing relationship with Mandela Washington Fellows, nearly every university has similar relationships with international alumni, visiting academics,or grant-funded global programs.

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