February 26, 2016
From January 21 – 25, 2016, Ashesi’s Melton fellows – Sabelo Dube ‘18, Beryl Nana Ama Akuffo-Kwapong ‘18, Tito Magero ‘18, Vladimir Fomene ‘18 and Nana Kwame Oteng Darkwah ‘18 joined fellows from around the globe, for the New Fellow Orientation program in Darmstadt, Germany. The program culminated an eight-month virtual training program they underwent to becoming fellows, while giving them an opportunity to interact and deepen connections with other first-year fellows.
The team writes about their experiences and what it represented in their growth as Global citizens.
Just like any other trip, you are never really prepared until you reach your destination. Even then, the sudden reality when you finally do is usually far removed from what you expected. Darmstadt was quite a far cry from the usual bustle that characterizes most African cities; forget the cold and language differences. The parts we visited in Darmstadt were quiet, systematic and orderly; though such disparities make you appreciate Africa and in some instances, see opportunities for development.
This 5-day trip in Germany crowned our eight-month online initiation course in becoming Melton fellows. Finally, everyone got the opportunity to put the faces to the voices, and the chance to ask all the “whys” and “hows” of the various continents and cultures we represented. We engaged in workshops, skill-building sessions and conversations on global citizenship. In addition, we were taught how to design solutions for global issues and run through sessions of thriving in intercultural spaces. The entire experience re-shaped our understanding of global citizenship; a life and an unending experience.
After a few days, lifelong friendships had begun and our nights out, in and around Darmstadt gave us a new feel of life and perspectives. As a team from Ashesi, we bonded for some reason. Indirectly, as we met and built new friendships with the other fellows from around the world, we tightened our team spirit and dynamics. In the least, this trip reinforced the notion that race is a social construct- that under the fleshy skin color, we are fundamentally human. And even though different from our daily experiences and conversation, we laughed at the same jokes, found conversations and certain stories relatable and danced to the same music and enjoyed it also. It was space to find out who we were, our interest and passions.
We were able to appreciate our individuality while in the midst of so much diversity in thoughts, cultures and nationalities. This experience for us, defined what it means to be a global citizen, being who you are and immersing yourself in getting to know others.
Following the trip, the Melton fellows from Ashesi will be implementing projects aimed at addressing pressing global issues, on campus. The next stop for the Melton Fellows will be in Chile, at the Melton Global Citizenship Conference (GCC) to be held in September 2016.
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