Participating Schools:

The Bridge International School Douala, Cameroon & Auburn High School, Seattle, USA.

Vijona Africa is a US based nonprofit organisation with a mission to engage 7-17 year olds in all 54 countries in Africa to help identify, nurture and use their talent(s) to serve their communities and continent. Next generation Africans will grow up in a much more technologically advanced and global world.Its goal is to help ensure they are fully equipped to co-exist and succeed in that space by creating platforms for them to unlock and maximise their potentials.

One of the ways Vijona Africa does this is through its Connect sessions. An interactive and guided exchange between students of the same age group living in different continents or different countries. Creating a platform for collaboration, to break down walks, build bridges, debunk misconceptions and give them a window to see that at the end of the day we are all humans with similar dreams, wants, desires, fears, passions, etc….just separated by distance and other socio-economic factors.

A few students of The Bridge International School in Douala, Cameroon spent over an hour interacting with fellow students on the other side of the world in Auburn High School Seattle, USA via a Google Hangouts video conference call. The Headteachers of both schools met and expressed their interest for both schools to stay connected from a Global Perspectives angle. Students thoroughly enjoyed hanging out, getting to know each other by name and a fun fact, exchanging answers to questions like who is your role model and why, favourite activities to do after school, sharing what comes to mind when they think of Cameroon/Africa and vice-versa for USA.

From the feedback of the participating students on both sides, the session was fun and yet informative. They loved the exchange and wished they had more time to ask each other questions or do activities together, a smaller audience on both sides for in-depth conversations, etc. Things Vijona Africa is committed to improve with subsequent sessions.

It was a pleasure collaborating with both schools and Vijona Africa is looking forward to expanding the context and reach out for future sessions/exchanges together!

For more information on the Vijona Africa Project, visit our website @ www.vijonaafrica.org.