Global Xchange participants in Ghana sing praises

The young volunteers were part of Global Xchange, a volunteer programme run by the British Council and Volunteer Services Overseas. The initiative sees a group of participants from the UK, and a group from a selected country participate in six months of community service together.

The group spends three months in a community in the UK, and three months in the home country of the other half of the group. The most recent placement took place from September 2007 to March 2008 in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Ghana, Nepal and two communities in Nigeria.

Participants from the Southwark UK and Elmina, Ghana exchange were full of praise for the initiative, and wrote to British Council about their profound experience they had had working in each others communities.

The theme of their volunteer exchange was basic education and expanding livelihood options.

Ghanaian volunteer Charity Enimil writes of the experience she had filming a two-minute clip of the volunteers in the Southwark community for partner McDonalds. The advert will be screened on TV stations in the United Kingdom. “Who knows if a group of young people tucking in to their Big Macs look up to see our advert and finally find the next positive step in their lives?” says Enimil. “Who knows if a man sitting in a doctor’s surgery tomorrow will consider hosting volunteers working in his community? We created something that reached widely in the community, [that touched] people who might not have necessarily considered volunteering, or leaving their comfort zone to learn from a different culture. We put the challenge out there for individuals in the community to take up.”

UK volunteer Catherine Weeks and Ghanaian volunteer Cynthia Tengey write of their experience working with a Ghanaian headmaster at a local school. The headmaster, according to Weeks and Tengey, was demotivated about opportunities in Ghana, and problems within the education system. “The challenge had been set,” write the pair. ”Perhaps it was more the teachers who needed a change of perception”. Weeks says it was Tengey’s positive attitude that effected the headmaster. “She showed such pride in her country. As a volunteer she was making an effort to help develop Ghana, giving her passion and commitment to create a better future. At first, it seemed he would never budge from his position, but little by little we started to break through. He became more positive, conceding that perhaps he didn’t need to go abroad for better opportunities after all.”

Ghanaian Volunteer Joy Tindana described meeting a young boy at a primary school in Tamford. Teaching a class of 70 pupils, Tindana says she noticed the young boy walking out of class crying. “I said to him: ‘you are very handsome – don’t allow tears to spoil your good looks!’” The boy was affected by negative criticism from teachers. “He wanted to be a medical doctor. I told him he could only become a doctor if he stayed in class and worked on his best talents.” Tindana spent some time with the boy and learnt about his feelings of intimidation and inferiority. After talking to him, she says: “now I see a big change in him because he shows more interest in class and takes part in all school activities. He is also always present at social gatherings, believeing that [taking part] is the only way to get to his dreams.”

British Council communications manager Diana Yanney says of the volunteers: “They had a truly life changing experience. Global Xchange has helped us break down barriers to understanding each other. Participants were able to exchange ideas, share knowledge and learn from each other in bid to building those lasting relationships based on trust, mutual understanding and respect that serve as the hallmark of cultural relation at the heart of British Council work.”

Read about the next batch of UK and South African students who have left for three months community service in Mpumalanga, South Africa in our news section. Find out about other initiatives or programmes running in your country by calling your closest British Council office. If you are a professional looking for leadership initiatives to get involved in, visit Interaction, our leadership programme for adults.