The Center for Peace, Equity, and Justice has revealed the Global Education Travel Program destination for the 2024-2025 school year: South Africa. The Global Education program has been running for over five years, taking trips to places such as Taiwan, India, and the American South. The program also includes the Barcelona language exchange program. Last year, Friends students took a trip to Vancouver to learn more about the Indigenous culture in the area. This year, CPEJ is leading Windows and Mirrors: A Journey through South Africa, a trip in partnership with EduAfrica, a company based in the area that facilitates 14 different middle and highschool trips in Southern and West African countries. EduAfrica also offers trips to Zimbabwe, where students learn about the ecology and conservation of the country, and Malawi, where students learn about empowering young women and helping them with leadership skills.
Windows and Mirrors, a custom program for the school, will take Upper School students to the two largest cities in South Africa: Cape Town and Johannesburg. The trip will be framed around the anti-Apartheid movement and its relation to the United States Civil Rights Movement and will teach students about indigenous South Africans. Kara Kutner, the director of CPEJ, says that the name Windows and Mirrors comes from the fact that students “Are going to learn about another place, but also reflect on how it sits in our own context and raise questions about that.” The trip will also connect students with the Quaker community in Johannesburg where they will share stories and possibly participate in a Meeting for Worship together.
Windows and Mirrors will also introduce Friends students to South Africa’s biodiversity by taking them to Pilanesberg Game Reserve, about three hours outside of Johannesburg. The park, which sits on the remains of a now-extinct volcano, houses 7,000 animals and 360 bird species. At the Reserve, students will take part in sunset “Game Drives” to see the wildlife that live in the area.
Kara says that “One of the reasons behind doing these programs is not just to get on a plane and go somewhere with your friends. It is really an opportunity to seek greater cultural understanding. In this case, delve into our given topic.” She encourages participants on the trip to “Try to think of yourself as a global citizen, bringing back what you’re learning and applying it in your own life and make connections to our Quaker values throughout.” The trip will take place from June 7 to June 18, the day after the last day of school. More information can be found on the “Global Education” tab on the Friends Seminary website.