South Africa Student Exchange
Donation protected
We are raising funds for students to go on Swaliga’s third annual South Africa Student Exchange.
Since 2016, the Swaliga Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization, has hosted the South Africa Student Exchange -- a student exchange that sends students and educators from the United States to South Africa to engage with their peers overseas in cultural dialogue and interactive workshops. This week-long exchange focuses on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM); Entrepreneurship and Leadership; Health and Wellness; and Music. Our holistic youth approach provides a unique international experience for our exchange students!
In two short years, we have grown this exchange from only two students and three educators from Washington, D.C. to an international program with 70 students and educators and four partner educational organizations from Nashville, Houston, and Los Angeles in the United States and Johannesburg in South Africa. Together with our educational organization partners, we formed the Global Education Exchange Coalition (GEEC) to plan, coordinate, and execute the South Africa Student Exchange in a way that maximizes our impact.
2018 is a big year for the South Africa Student Exchange trip! We have come to you and GoFundMe to raise the funds needed so that we can include all of the students who want to participate in this year’s student exchange and include all of the plans we wish to accomplish on this trip!
Here’s what we have planned.
The 2018 South Africa Student Exchange Trip
This year, of the 70 GEEC participants, Swaliga plans to bring 12 students and 8 educators from Washington, D.C. for the South Africa Student Exchange. Our trip will take us to Eldomaine High School in Eldorado Park; a school connected with GEEC and that shares similar educational challenges to the Washington, D.C. communities that Swaliga serves. These communities share common challenges with graduation rates, unemployment, and juvenile violence. The student exchange will include two key components:
- STEAM Workshops and Excursions: A week-long series of STEAM-focused workshops and excursions with GEEC and Eldomaine High School Students culminating with the GEEC Youth Summit.
- Engineering Service Project: A new program to assemble solar powered lamps for 100 families living without electricity in Johannesburg.
STEAM Workshops and Excursions
The Exchange will include our week-long series of STEAM-focused workshops and excursions with Eldomaine High School, home to more than 1,000 students. GEEC students and educators will have the opportunity to engage with Eldomaine in specialized sessions such as Engineering Design, Professional Development, Music Production, and Yoga. These sessions encourage a mutual exchange of ideas and talents so students’ may strengthen their confidence, communication, and leadership.
The culmination of the exchange is the GEEC Youth Summit on July 20, 2018, which will be a community celebration highlighting the youth and their accomplishments! Students will have the opportunity to share what they created together and present what they learned to their families and to their community.
Engineering Service Project
To pay homage to Nelson Mandela’s centenary this year, we are honoring his legacy by providing solar powered lamps to more than 100 families currently living without electricity in the local city of Johannesburg. This project will mark the launch of the newest component of our Exchange program: the Engineering Service Project (ESP), which we aim to expand through a partnership with Vaal University of Technology, the University of Johannesburg, and local high schools in South Africa. Through assembling solar powered lamps, GEEC and Eldomaine students will experience firsthand how knowledge and skills in renewable energy and the engineering design process can make an impact in their community. During the project, GEEC will also teach the South African students and parents how to maintain the solar lamp and demonstrate entrepreneurial opportunities to grow this project after its completion.
How Your Support Will Be Used
Currently, Swaliga has enough funding for four of the twelve students to go on the exchange. These four students have fortunately received support from their high school to go. However, the remaining students and their families have so far paid out of pocket. We have come to you and GoFundMe to lessen the burden of paying for the trip for these students and their families. Our goal is to raise the remaining funds needed so that all 12 students may go.
Here is the breakdown of our budget:
Meals $1,600
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner in Johannesburg and Cape Town, est. 20 meals not including meals sponsored with our partners.
Flights $14,000
Flights from Washington, D.C. to Johannesburg, South Africa and from Johannesburg to Cape Town, South Africa. Each ticket is approximately $1,750.
Lodging $1,800
Stay at Kwa-Eden Compound in Johannesburg for 10 nights and Township HomeStay in Cape Town for 5 nights.
Admission Fee for Cultural Excursions $2,600
Admission cost for a Boat Excursion to Robben Island, trip to Table Mountain, Soweto Tour, and trip to Mama Kena’s Organic Farm.
Transportation $2,000
One van for airport drop off and pick up.
Support and Deposits $5,000
Outside of this crowdfunding campaign we have received a total of $5,000 in support and deposits from the students going to the trip.
Total Expenses $17,000
The total expenses remaining include all of the expenses above for eight students minus the support and deposits received so far.
About the Swaliga Foundation
Engineering the Art of Education
The Swaliga Foundation, founded in Washington, D.C. in 2012, is the bridge for inspiring the next generation. Swaliga (Swah-lee-guh)'s mission is to cultivate learning globally by inspiring young people to connect their passion to successful careers. Through world class STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Mathematics) curricula Swaliga is engineering the art of education.
The Swaliga Foundation is an official 501(c)3 non-profit that has served more than 6,000 youth around the world since 2012 through collaboration with our Global Education Exchange Coalition, DC Public Schools and the Boys & Girls Clubs of South Africa.
About the CEO/Founder - Lemond Brown
As an educator, music artist, and philanthropist born in Washington, D.C., Lemond aka IMAG continues to give consistently to those in need. After graduating with BSc Architectural Engineering from Drexel University in 2012, Lemond returned to Washington, D.C. and founded the Swaliga Foundation with the mission of inspiring young people to find their true passion.
Watch Lemond’s TEDx Talk to learn more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=-nnl-sNEMcc
About The Global Education Exchange Coalition
The Global Education Exchange Coalition was formed in 2016, after Swaliga’s first South Africa Student Exchange. Swaliga partnered with the following educational organizations across the United States and in South Africa:
- From The Heart International Education Services (Nashville, Tennessee)
- South Union Community Development Corporation (Houston, Texas)
- The Village Health Foundation (Los Angeles, California)
- Word Liver Youth Foundation (Johannesburg, South Africa)
- Tšeya Yoga (Johannesburg, South Africa)
- The Swaliga Foundation (Washington, D.C.)
Credits
Thank you to our partners in the Global Education Exchange Coalition. Thank you to Adrian LThank you to all of our volunteers and educators who make this experience possible. Thank you to the city of Johannesburg, the city of Cape Town, and all of our University partners in South Africa for graciously hosting us. Also, thank you for reading this and contributing to our efforts. With your support, we can work towards achieving our goal of cultivate learning globally by inspiring young people to connect their passion to successful careers.
Since 2016, the Swaliga Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization, has hosted the South Africa Student Exchange -- a student exchange that sends students and educators from the United States to South Africa to engage with their peers overseas in cultural dialogue and interactive workshops. This week-long exchange focuses on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM); Entrepreneurship and Leadership; Health and Wellness; and Music. Our holistic youth approach provides a unique international experience for our exchange students!
In two short years, we have grown this exchange from only two students and three educators from Washington, D.C. to an international program with 70 students and educators and four partner educational organizations from Nashville, Houston, and Los Angeles in the United States and Johannesburg in South Africa. Together with our educational organization partners, we formed the Global Education Exchange Coalition (GEEC) to plan, coordinate, and execute the South Africa Student Exchange in a way that maximizes our impact.
2018 is a big year for the South Africa Student Exchange trip! We have come to you and GoFundMe to raise the funds needed so that we can include all of the students who want to participate in this year’s student exchange and include all of the plans we wish to accomplish on this trip!
Here’s what we have planned.
The 2018 South Africa Student Exchange Trip
This year, of the 70 GEEC participants, Swaliga plans to bring 12 students and 8 educators from Washington, D.C. for the South Africa Student Exchange. Our trip will take us to Eldomaine High School in Eldorado Park; a school connected with GEEC and that shares similar educational challenges to the Washington, D.C. communities that Swaliga serves. These communities share common challenges with graduation rates, unemployment, and juvenile violence. The student exchange will include two key components:
- STEAM Workshops and Excursions: A week-long series of STEAM-focused workshops and excursions with GEEC and Eldomaine High School Students culminating with the GEEC Youth Summit.
- Engineering Service Project: A new program to assemble solar powered lamps for 100 families living without electricity in Johannesburg.
STEAM Workshops and Excursions
The Exchange will include our week-long series of STEAM-focused workshops and excursions with Eldomaine High School, home to more than 1,000 students. GEEC students and educators will have the opportunity to engage with Eldomaine in specialized sessions such as Engineering Design, Professional Development, Music Production, and Yoga. These sessions encourage a mutual exchange of ideas and talents so students’ may strengthen their confidence, communication, and leadership.
The culmination of the exchange is the GEEC Youth Summit on July 20, 2018, which will be a community celebration highlighting the youth and their accomplishments! Students will have the opportunity to share what they created together and present what they learned to their families and to their community.
Engineering Service Project
To pay homage to Nelson Mandela’s centenary this year, we are honoring his legacy by providing solar powered lamps to more than 100 families currently living without electricity in the local city of Johannesburg. This project will mark the launch of the newest component of our Exchange program: the Engineering Service Project (ESP), which we aim to expand through a partnership with Vaal University of Technology, the University of Johannesburg, and local high schools in South Africa. Through assembling solar powered lamps, GEEC and Eldomaine students will experience firsthand how knowledge and skills in renewable energy and the engineering design process can make an impact in their community. During the project, GEEC will also teach the South African students and parents how to maintain the solar lamp and demonstrate entrepreneurial opportunities to grow this project after its completion.
How Your Support Will Be Used
Currently, Swaliga has enough funding for four of the twelve students to go on the exchange. These four students have fortunately received support from their high school to go. However, the remaining students and their families have so far paid out of pocket. We have come to you and GoFundMe to lessen the burden of paying for the trip for these students and their families. Our goal is to raise the remaining funds needed so that all 12 students may go.
Here is the breakdown of our budget:
Meals $1,600
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner in Johannesburg and Cape Town, est. 20 meals not including meals sponsored with our partners.
Flights $14,000
Flights from Washington, D.C. to Johannesburg, South Africa and from Johannesburg to Cape Town, South Africa. Each ticket is approximately $1,750.
Lodging $1,800
Stay at Kwa-Eden Compound in Johannesburg for 10 nights and Township HomeStay in Cape Town for 5 nights.
Admission Fee for Cultural Excursions $2,600
Admission cost for a Boat Excursion to Robben Island, trip to Table Mountain, Soweto Tour, and trip to Mama Kena’s Organic Farm.
Transportation $2,000
One van for airport drop off and pick up.
Support and Deposits $5,000
Outside of this crowdfunding campaign we have received a total of $5,000 in support and deposits from the students going to the trip.
Total Expenses $17,000
The total expenses remaining include all of the expenses above for eight students minus the support and deposits received so far.
About the Swaliga Foundation
Engineering the Art of Education
The Swaliga Foundation, founded in Washington, D.C. in 2012, is the bridge for inspiring the next generation. Swaliga (Swah-lee-guh)'s mission is to cultivate learning globally by inspiring young people to connect their passion to successful careers. Through world class STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Mathematics) curricula Swaliga is engineering the art of education.
The Swaliga Foundation is an official 501(c)3 non-profit that has served more than 6,000 youth around the world since 2012 through collaboration with our Global Education Exchange Coalition, DC Public Schools and the Boys & Girls Clubs of South Africa.
About the CEO/Founder - Lemond Brown
As an educator, music artist, and philanthropist born in Washington, D.C., Lemond aka IMAG continues to give consistently to those in need. After graduating with BSc Architectural Engineering from Drexel University in 2012, Lemond returned to Washington, D.C. and founded the Swaliga Foundation with the mission of inspiring young people to find their true passion.
Watch Lemond’s TEDx Talk to learn more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=-nnl-sNEMcc
About The Global Education Exchange Coalition
The Global Education Exchange Coalition was formed in 2016, after Swaliga’s first South Africa Student Exchange. Swaliga partnered with the following educational organizations across the United States and in South Africa:
- From The Heart International Education Services (Nashville, Tennessee)
- South Union Community Development Corporation (Houston, Texas)
- The Village Health Foundation (Los Angeles, California)
- Word Liver Youth Foundation (Johannesburg, South Africa)
- Tšeya Yoga (Johannesburg, South Africa)
- The Swaliga Foundation (Washington, D.C.)
Credits
Thank you to our partners in the Global Education Exchange Coalition. Thank you to Adrian LThank you to all of our volunteers and educators who make this experience possible. Thank you to the city of Johannesburg, the city of Cape Town, and all of our University partners in South Africa for graciously hosting us. Also, thank you for reading this and contributing to our efforts. With your support, we can work towards achieving our goal of cultivate learning globally by inspiring young people to connect their passion to successful careers.
Fundraising team: Swaliga Foundation (2)
Adrian Lu
Organizer
Washington D.C., DC
Lemond Brown
Team member
