The Words of the Flynn Family
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The Words of the Flynn Family |
This summer young American Ambassadors for Peace traveled to Gambia for the third time with the service group “Side by Side”, inspiring greater participation of Gambian youth in service and establishing lifelong friendships. Beverly Berndt, a teacher and administrator at New Hope Academy in Landover Hills, Maryland, created “The Gambia Project” out of her love of the African nation of The Gambia. Since 1998, she has been traveling each summer with groups of American youth, to visit, organize service projects and educational programs.
The Gambia, a nation that gained its independence from Great Britain in 1965, is located in West Africa, completely surrounded by Senegal. The population of some 1.8 million is predominantly Muslim. The per capita income is less than $400 per year; 75% of the people depend on crops and livestock for its livelihood.
The project promotes understanding and cooperation between Americans and Gambians in a number of valuable ways:
Schools in The Gambia are not free. To help school children there, The Gambia Project asks for families in the USA to sponsor one or more children in The Gambia. Currently the project is supporting the education of 45 children.
Each summer the program organizes a special service project in conjunction with Service for Peace. Called “Side by Side”, the project brings young people from the USA to Africa to be paired with a Gambian. Young AFPs raise money all year long to pay expenses. Then the US and Gambia pair work together on service projects.
Character education curriculum. “Side by Side in The Gambia” provides teacher training and basic modeling of the “Discovering the Real Me” character education curriculum.
"Side by Side” provides unforgettable experiences to American youth as they engage in a totally different culture, invest themselves in service initiatives, and learn from the people of Gambia.
In 2009, eight young people from Maryland participated in the 3-week summer program as “Young Ambassadors for Peace”. Upon her return this summer, Alysia Flynn shares her experiences;
“This summer I had the opportunity to return to The Gambia, West Africa, for a third time with the service group Side by Side. When I first traveled to Gambia in 2007, I never could have anticipated what a life changing experience it would be. That first year, I was completely inspired by the heart of the Gambian people, the way they treated each and every person as a member of their own family. I was also very compelled by the dedication of youth that we worked with, and their unwavering belief that they could change the world. Needless to say, I came back to America a different person.
Going back to Gambia this summer was a breath of fresh air. The young people that we work with offer so much to their community and country. Coming from an American perspective, the people in the Gambia have seemingly less than we do. There is not always electricity, and they are not bombarded with the thousands of material things that young people in America are. However, when you get to know these young people, see them serving their community, it becomes very evident how rich they are in heart and love for each other. Surrounded by such an inspiring group of Gambian young people, who are truly dedicated to changing not only their community and country, but also the world through service, is a such humbling and amazing experience each and every time.”