Grant Recipient: Class of 2011Major: English
Organization: Hop Inn FunHouse
Location: Accra, Ghana
For the past six weeks I have been teaching ballet, modern dance, and creative writing to children at Hop Inn FunHouse located in Accra, Ghana. The children range in age from 2 years to 11 years, and their families come not only from Ghana but also Senegal, France, and the United States. For the first few weeks of my internship many of my duties centered on marketing; Hop Inn was launched just this June as an activity center for children. I created flyers, organized an Open House, and planned the summer program. Although it was difficult being a part of the marketing team for the first few weeks of my stay (my vision included teaching from the start), once children started enrolling and my role changed to teacher, my spirits were immediately lifted. Now, deep in the throes of teaching, I love being with the kids in the classroom, the studio, or the playground. They come to ballet and modern with no prior knowledge (many think ballet is merely about standing on their toes) and I love knowing that I am bringing to them new and exciting ways of thinking and moving. They are full of life, and like the palm trees in Ghana, it is an amazing experience to watch them thrive beneath this African sun!
