The fifth day of STARS focused on taking the individual growth of the students and channeling it into service towards the development of their communities and schools. We decided that the best way for the students to learn about service was by actually doing service.

Five different sites were picked around the Kumasi area where the students volunteered their services for a day. The sites were Bomso Junior Secondary School, the KNUST Primary School, the KNUST Nursery School, the Garden City Special School, and the SOS Orphanage.

The group that went to the Bomso Junior Secondary School put its newly found HIV/AIDS knowledge (from day 2) to good use. Our STARS students gave lessons on risk factors, the ABCs of HIV prevention and put them through the Journey of Hope kit, a practical set of activities meant to help people internalize their knowledge of HIV/AIDS.



Those that went to the KNUST Primary School did storytelling and reading comprehension activities with the children.



At the KNUST Nursery School, our STARS also did storytelling at a more basic level with picture books, sang songs and did some small arts and crafts projects with the children.



The Garden City Special School is a school focused on education for the mentally challenged. Our group joined the students at the school in drumming and dancing, playing games and arts and crafts.



Those that went to the SOS Orphanage painted alphabet murals. They also played with the orphans and provided them the love and attention that they generally need.



The community service day was a definite success! The students experienced directly a way in which they can give back to their communities and change people’s lives.

After we returned to our conference center at Africa Hall, we brought our whole group together for our classic STARS shot.



In the evening, we had our final awards ceremony and gave our goodbyes to the group as a whole. Although the students were tired from a day of service, they still were able to come out for the final dance party!

The STARS Conference this year was fantastic. It would not have been possible without all of our generous sponsors who provided so much to the students.



We would also like to send out a big THANK YOU to Kevin and Sonya, our intrepid leaders, who made this year a huge success!

The fourth day of STARS focused on information and skills for carrying the students into the future. One of our PCV group leaders, Michael Sexton, was very excited.



Technology has become an unstoppable force worldwide, regardless of economic background. We started our day with a visit to the KNUST computer lab. The title of the session was “Beyond Facebook,” was led by Akwesi Amponsah, and was intended to show the students the breadth of possibilities the internet has to offer.



This was so exciting for the students that they lined up around the block!



After this session, we went on a tour of the KNUST campus. Most of the students have never ventured beyond the confines of their respective regions, and none of them have been exposed to the facilities of a world class university.



The weather was lovely, the buildings were impressive and you could feel the academic motivation rise inside the students as they saw one possible future for themselves.



I have no doubt they will be sitting in these same seats in one or two years, but as students in the university.

After seeing the possibilities that university has to offer, the first question in the mind of the students was, “What do I need to do in able to become a student at a university like this?” Our next sessions were intended to answer those questions.

Godfried Funkor, the author of the book Higher Education in Ghana came to speak to the students about all of their options for tertiary education and the requirements for those options. After this session our STARS mentors, current KNUST students, gave a talk about how they reached university and what their life is like currently. Finally, a session focused on study skills and time management was done, essential skills for reaching the tertiary education level.

Our evening activity composed of a debate on a variety of topics pertinent to high school students. The debate topics included whether caning should be allowed in schools in Ghana, whether high school students should be allowed to have cell phones in schools, whether condoms should be distributed in schools and whether internet should be present in secondary schools.



All of the debates were well-argued and the students well spoken!

Tomorrow is the last day of STARS 2011! We are excited for going out with a bang on community service day!

The excitement of day three continued with a choice for the students. They decided between science projects or entrepreneurship training. Which one looks the best to you?



The science projects were led by Ryan Wolf and included creating electrochemical cells (batteries) using potatoes, lighting fireballs and performing the dreaded Diet Coke and Mentos explosion! Below, Ryan is demonstrating how the elasticity of balloons vary when filled with different quantities of water and launched at students.



Creating an electricity source that can power a light bulb only requires some zinc, some copper and a whole string of potatoes!



Those that chose to learn about entrepreneurship were helped along by Nana Offoe, one of the Small Enterprise Development trainers in Peace Corps.



After these two sessions Tyanna and Kevin led the students through a session called Black America, where they used hip-hop music and lyrics as a medium for the students to connect with and understand the universal lessons present in Black American culture.

In the evening, the ultimate form of self-expression began: the TALENT SHOW. Below, Kaming is displaying the forty-something acts that we enjoyed throughout the night.



There was singing, dancing, storytelling, poetry and a couple magic shows to boot. Did I mention poetry?



Did I mention singing?



Did I mention dancing?



After ending on a full-roster performance of YMCA, the talent show dispersed and the students went to their beds to rest and gather energy for the upcoming events of day four!

The mission for the students on the third day of STARS was, EXPRESS YOURSELF! After two days involving strict schedules and exact goals, we were enthused to provide the students with the freedom to choose. The day was filled with activities focused on individual interests such as arts and crafts, science, agriculture, entrepreneurship, music and dancing.

As usual, our MC blazed the way in terms of self expression.

One group of students started the day with an agriculture project run by Mr. Lovans Owusu-Takyi.



They learned the importance of reforestation projects as well as the proper techniques for nursing and transplanting trees. They then had the chance to put these principles into practice by planting Moringa and Nim trees around the KNUST campus.



In ten or twenty years who knows how successful these young saplings will grow!



While this group was planting trees, another group was learning different practical skills. Most people drink store-bought water out of plastic pure water sachets. The cost to produce these sachets is low, but it leaves a large quantity of plastic refuse throughout the country. What can be done? Use the sachets to create something useful!

Under the guidance of Becky Pfluegger and Emily Kernan, the students learned how to take pure water sachets and turn them into wallets or coin purses.



The sachets are plentiful, but working with them required some effort on the part of the students.



The final result looked something like this.



Once the trees were planted and the sachet-creations born, Tyanna (our valued fourth year volunteer) taught the students how to line dance!



Eventually they were able to get the hang of it and do it on their own!

That’s all for now, look for more exciting Day 3 adventures in EXPRESS YOURSELF, Part 2!

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Today’s Mission: To give you the facts about HIV/AIDS and other STIs as well as discussing the correct behavior to avoid them.



While our mission for the day was sobering, we didn’t let that stop us from building on yesterday’s energy to create an action-packed and fun-filled day. Our MC became so excited at one point that he threw his shirt, not to mention caution, to the wind.


If that doesn’t prevent the students from partaking in risky behavior who knows what will!

In between Ryan’s antics, we were able to effectively cover a wide range of topics including the immune system, preventive measures against HIV infection, discouraging stigmatization of people living with HIV, and individual health. Funding for the day’s activities was provided by a PEPFAR (President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) grant, which provides monies for projects involving HIV/AIDS education worldwide.

A parenthetical note should be added here that all of the HIV/AIDS activities performed throughout the day were meant not only to teach our STARS students, but to provide them with the tools they need to bring what they have learned to others. The students attending STARS are the best and the brightest–they are Ghana’s future leaders–and they will certainly make a difference in the future as peer educators.

The morning began with a talk from a person living with HIV (PLWHIV). This provided a launching point for anti-stigma discussions, solidified the disease as something real and prepped the students for later lessons involving prevention and treatment. Once a person realizes that the disease is real and present in the world, the first question that comes to mind is how to avoid infection. Luckily, Mike “Burly” Burleson had all of the answers.



At this point the HIV/AIDS Club of KNUST, our host university, stepped in. They explained that the steps to preventing HIV rest in the ABCs: Abstinence, Being Faithful and Condom use. The first of these two were addressed in group discussions while the third required additional hands-on practice with condom demonstrations. This activity always produces lots of laughs and brings grins to every student’s face.



There’s not a person among us who does not enjoy the smiles and exuberant laughter of students. But we do want to do more than just make them run in circles.



Our goal is to inspire behavior change, and to do so, these lessons must strike home in such a way that the students internalize the lessons they learn. The Journey of Hope is a compilation of activities involving storytelling, everyday incidents and roleplaying with physical movements that allow the participants to own their knowledge about HIV infection and its prevention.



“Let me tell you the story of Kwame…” says the young man above. Through active participation in vignettes like these, the students found a more subtle guidepost for behavior change than the forthright ABCs, not to mention a talking point they can use when they bring these lessons to others as peer educators.



Some important lessons were learned. Everyone realized that without any help, it is very easy to lose one’s balance when crossing the bridge over life’s perils.



But they also found the solution. By helping each other and using preventive measures, they can easily find better footing.



As usual, the Lions and Elephants game led to some fighting over the inner workings of the immune system.



The last events of the day were question and answer sessions about HIV/AIDS and general male and female health issues.



After dinner, the STARS released their inner thespians. They acted out dramas focused on pertinent issues in Ghana such as teen pregnancy, hand washing and littering.

Everyone then went to bed, exhausted from the accomplishment of the mission of the day, but excited for what day 3 would bring.

After months of planning by Peace Corps Volunteers Sonya Dugal, Kevin Johnson, Manish Padhiar, Dylan Brown and Michael Burleson, the activities are now underway.

The proceedings of the workshop are MC’d by the skillful and ebullient Ryan Wolf.

The focus of our first day was leadership with a mission to provide the students with the knowledge and skills needed to be a leader in your school or community.

All of the activities and speakers were focused on the idea of the students becoming strong leaders, not only for their own sake but for all of Ghana. Throughout the day, our MC loudly posed the question, “Who are you?!” To which the correct response was “We are Ghana!”

While it was initially comical to hear a room full of students screaming this phrase, the full implications of this statement eventually sank in. Some of the most promising young people in Ghana have been selected to take part in this STARS conference. They are the face of the future of Ghana and any positive change they make in themselves is a change in their country.

The day began with activities focused on solidifying each of the six groups of students into a cohesive unit. The students were encouraged to come up with prideful cheers and symbolic handshakes unique to their own groups, among other things.

The Ghanaian role-model counterparts for each group, all current students at the university, then talked to the group about developing the habits that will make them effective leaders and avoiding the distractions presented by some who may sidetrack them from following their dreams.

 

After lunch, we were visited by two guest speakers, Joseph Boamah and Mary Noorah. They serve as the Associate Peace Corps Directors in the education sector, and they talked to the students about the various pathways they may follow to achieve success in the future. After they spoke, everyone played a number of games which focused on the development of effective communication. The day was rounded off with an evening quiz bowl which tested the students’ acuity in various subjects.



The first day was most definitely successful and we are looking forward to what is to come!

An event like the STARS Conference does not come together over night, and it doesn’t happen without the efforts and contributions of many, many people. Although the conference is organized by Peace Corps Volunteers, who provide the “sweat equity” to plan and execute the project, it has always been supported by generous donations of money, in-kind items, and, most importantly, the time and energy of our distinguished guest speakers. Without this support, the conference would be neither possible nor meaningful for our students.

Although we will be sending personal thank-you notes to all of our Ghanaian sponsors, supporters, guest speakers, and donors, we would also like to offer this thank you to everyone who helped in any way with the conference, especially our friends and families in the states who supported the project.

A popular colloquialism in Ghana is “the tree that stands alone falls in the storm.” Thank you, one and all, for standing with us as we brought this experience to our students.

- Miss Kim, Peace Corps Volunteer Teacher and STARS Conference Planning Team Member

Students are endowed with a lot of talents that are earthed. They only need opportunities like this (STARS conference) to unearth such talents. Opportunities and such are lacking in our schools.

The challenges dramatised on stage by our students are the exact challenges they face in their various schools as student leaders. They most of the times resort to punishments and reportings to the authorities that be. Little do they know that they can overcome such challenges without outside hands.

STARS conference has unearthed these talents that have been in the hide out for some time now. What a pity for the schools that have not been represented! Who teaches their student leaders how to overcome their own challenges as leaders? Who brings them in touch with other students for socialization? How do they get to know that they can learn a lot with the use of the Internet? Well, everybody and his/her luck. Students who have participated in this conference are lucky and need to thank their stars.

STARS conference is doing a great job for the schools represented, since their student leaders are being empowered with leadership skills. STARS conference has started and looking at its importance, it must be made to stay. Every effort should therefore be made for its sustenance.

-Sumani Philip Abdulai, Counterpart Teacher, Gushegu Senior High School

The STARS Conference is an exciting and amazing opportunity to bring talented students from all over Ghana together to grow and learn together.

I’ve been extremely impressed with the students and the discussions they have engaged in. It’s also very impressive to hear from prominent Ghanaians, who are speaking throughout the conference schedule.

The positive energy that has been created by these students and Peace Corps volunteers is remarkable.

-Bob Golledge, Country Director, Peace Corps Ghana