LearnServe Teacher's Blog: July 4th in South Africa (7/4)

This year marked the second time I’ve spent the 4th out of the country traveling with LearnServe International and my young men in the Eastern Men of Excellence program.  And so at the end of this reflection, I would like to pay tribute to 5 people who were with me around this same time last year.

On this 4th, we returned to one of the central pillars of the LearnServe International mission:  social entrepreneurship and community building. Tuesday morning, we visited a business called MonkeyBiz (www.monkeybiz.co.za). MonkeyBiz is a classic example of social entrepreneurship because it was created to honor and revive traditional African Beadwork while simultaneously providing an opportunity for South African women to be gainfully employed within their own communities. The finished products are artistic masterpieces! Our students were treated to a special presentation by one of the leaders of Monkeybiz and they peppered her with questions about how the business is embedded within the community. LearnServe was also able to coordinate for us to visit the site on the same day that women from throughout South Africa were in the store to sell their African beadwork or to be provided with one-on-one guidance on various business strategies. The model is simply brilliant and the work product is truly priceless. Lions, giraffes, monkeys, table tops, wall pieces…you name it, MonkeyBiz has some beads for it. But it’s more than just beads. The organization has helped many women open bank accounts for the first time. It has provided resources for women to improve their health care. It has lifted women out of poverty. It has adopted a flexible business model that allows women opportunities to work from home and retain artistic license over their art work product. Monkeybiz is now global and does have a pretty cool and interactive website. I recommend you all visit and see if you can contribute to a business that is having a positive effect in the lives of women (and some men) throughout South Africa. Yes, I went home with a few souvenirs myself 🙂 ​

I highlight MonkeyBiz for two reasons.  One, because we came to see social entrepreneurship in action.  Creating businesses within communities that actually positively effect that same community, empowers the every day man and woman to provide for their family.  We witnessed the same late last week when we visited a local community center and purchased pottery from local potters.  Our purchases sow directly into the lives of people we know need it the most.  Secondly, the work of MonkeyBiz serves as an inspiration to our students to think globally, but act locally.  LearnServe and the Eastern Men of Excellence program challenges students to think critically about how they can make a difference in their own community.  I’m excited every day about how some of our EME scholars have already answered the call by becoming leaders within our Eastern and D.C. community.  Let’s continue to challenge each of them to think big but act local.  Our EME scholars have the tools needed to address many of the issues they have already identified in our community:  teenage pregnancy, uneducated youth, and teenage unemployment.  I’m confident that they will move forward with their own initiatives in the coming months.

We ended our day giving students some time to explore the coast line of South Africa by taking them to the Waterfront for a few hours.  Our young men always enjoy opportunities to be “independent,” so we could think of no better time to honor them (you see what I did there?!)!

As I close, I want to shout out 4 of our EME students and our LearnServe trip leader.  Alonzo, Clinard, Elijah and Peyton, have been with me since we first traveled to Jamaica with LearnServe in 2016.  Since then, they have grown and matured beyond my wildest expectations.  They truly have taken on the responsibility of being Eastern Men of Excellence ambassadors by performing well in school, recruiting other young men to join our mentoring group, traveling to other exciting destinations, and serving as leaders within and outside of Eastern High School.  Our organization would not be what it is today without the path that each of them have set.  So today, I celebrate each of them for a job well done.

Last, but not least, I want to shout out our LearnServe trip leader, Courtney Williams.  July 4th is her birthday and for the second year she spent it traveling with a bunch of high school students!  I salute Courtney for her leadership, sense of humor, passion, and tenacity.  Seeing her in her expanded leadership role this year after our journey together in Jamaica, has served to inspire me to continue to strive for excellence in all that I pursue.  The amount of time and energy that it must have taken to help engineer this 16-day trip is on display each and every day.  Her ability to remain positive and flexible, even when dealing with 14 young men with varying personalities and demands, is worthy of some praise!  Thank you, Courtney for all you do and for sharing your heart with us all.  Please join me in wishing Courtney Happy Birthday and Independence Day!!!

Tomorrow, I am excited to share with you the work we have started with The Homestead Project.

More pictures and videos have been added here: https://goo.gl/photos/2S9GS5pHLF7cMmUKA.

Regards,
Ivan C. Douglas Jr.
Law Programs Teacher
Program Director
Empowering Males of Color Initiative
Eastern High School