Brownsville to Ghana

The greatest gifts are not things, but experiences.

At Frederick Douglass Academy VII, a public high school in Brownsville, Brooklyn, we believe historic or economic disadvantages in underserved communities must not hinder the children we serve from receiving the best educational opportunities.

To that end, our school’s travel club sponsors amazing students, providing them with life-altering learning outside the States, with the world as their classroom. From 2017 to 2019, dozens of our scholars embarked on chaperoned tours of Spain, Japan, and South Africa. In 2023, we partnered with Reroot, an independent, sustainability-focused tour company, and explored life and culture hands-on in O’ahu, Hawai’i, guided by native practitioners. The support of thousands of donors like you made all this possible!

We have now set our sights on bringing a group of 15 scholars to Ghana. I cannot overstate how important such a journey is. The trip is meaningful for anyone, but as 9 out of 10 of our scholars are of African heritage, we are studying and traveling to the region of their ancestral home. They will see themselves in Africa and Africa in them. 15 Brooklyn teens will gain a new perspective on themselves and their past, and as a result, they will reimagine their future. Even our students who are not of African descent will be fully immersed in our exchange, and our school community at large will gain richly from what they observe their peers and pupils doing and learning.

I’m also very happy to announce that we have renewed our partnership with Birthright AFRICA, which has committed to match our donors’ funds, reducing the amount we must raise by half.

We invite you to contribute any amount you can. Your support is directed entirely to the travel costs of our students, and our fund is managed by FDA VII under the supervision of the Department of Ed of NYC.

Members of our donor community receive regular updates on our activities and images of our travels after we have completed our journey. If you choose to jump in, welcome, and thank you for your generosity. If you have contributed to one of our previous campaigns, we appreciate your steadfast support!

More on where we've been: Brownsville Abroad Recap