TOLEDO EXCEL: Global Diversity PEACE Project
Overview
The TOLEDO EXCEL program is designed to stimulate academic success,
self-confidence, and social and personal growth in high school students
from ethnic and socioeconomic groups underrepresented in institutions of
higher education. As part of TOLEDO EXCEL’s fourth-year curriculum, “Human
Rights & Global Diversity,” the Partnership for Educational Awareness and
Cultural Exchange (PEACE) once again brought together talented
and inspired American and South African students for an international
educational and cultural exchange.
The PEACE Project is a collaboration between TOLEDO EXCEL, a scholarship incentive program at the University of Toledo, Owens-Illinois, Inc., and The University of Ghana in Accra. It was created in 1994 with the intent fostering relationships between students around the world. As the study continues, new aspects of the project present themselves for investigation.
During this field study, students visited several cities in
South
Africa and Ghana, West Africa including Durban, Kumasi, Johannesburg, Cape
Town, Sharpsville, Accra, Cape Coast and Soweto. They also took part
in many activities in Johannesburg, including a visit to the African
National Congress, the political party responsible for the dismantling of
Apartheid and spending time in a traditional Zulu Village. In Soweto the
students visited Orlando West High School, which is known for its
student activists. They also visited the University of Cape Town, one
of the first public universities to integrate in South Africa.
American, Ghanaian, and South African student participants in previous trips have found the experience to be invaluable to their educational and personal maturation. More than just travelers, these students are active as ethnographers, historians, journalists and teachers learning to investigate, interview, analyze and interpret situations during the field study.
One highlight of the PEACE Project is students’ participation in the
development of a comprehensive document promoting educational development,
cultural sensitivity and peace in our Global Village. Visual and audio
records as well as personal journals from our students are the primary
elements in this project. It is hoped that students will share their experiences and their participation in this program
will lead to further exchanges at the secondary and higher educational
levels between the United States and South Africa.
