CULTURAL EXPOSURE: Change Makers Academy students and staff during their 2017 visit to South Africa.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHANGE ACADEMY 

Staff Report

ACCRA, West Africa – With a strong belief that exposure makes a difference, Robert Stephens III and Dwayne A. Stewart, founders of Change Makers Academy, will take their mentees to Accra, Ghana for the second year for the program’s ‘I AM AFRICA’ International Study Abroad program.

Stephens and Stewart use the community program to immerse middle and high school males of color into a dynamic culture-shifting dialogue and environment internationally.

Through their minority initiative, they seek to create direct pathways for their “Gents” (gentlemen) to expand their world view, while exploring regions that are historically relevant to their experience. Change Makers Academy believes: “We most effectively empower when we effectively expose.”

The I Am Africa Experience will teach participants the value of social infrastructure, public policy, and governance. The group’s 2017 excursion to Johannesburg, South Africa gave participants a firsthand look at Western influence on world societies, while demonstrating the power of cultural preservation of indigenous and tradition perspectives.

The 2018 Experience boasts the opportunity to learn many facets of African life such as the economy, medicine, people and society, as well as indulge in the adventure of cultural exploration.

Participants will explore the economy of Ghana through a cultural experience and develop a working knowledge of professional & trade groups, various branches of government & requirements for citizenship.

Students will be able to identify medicinal practices, Ghanaian market prices of non-profit generic medicinal suppliers, and public procurement prices, as they compare to international reference prices. Participants will also be able to recognize the social impact of Alternative African medicine, indigenous herbalism, & African Spirituality.

Students will learn to identify Ghanaian ethnic groups, languages and religions, explain the necessity of social responsibility and recognize collective norms and practices.

Participants are required to demonstrate a functional knowledge of social concepts of responsibility, develop a plan for third world development and identify cultural practices that align with personal interests and talents.

To learn more about the program, visit www.changemakersacademy.com, email changemakersacademy@gmail.com or call 786-523-5209.