By Aita Diakhate (YES 2010-2011, Senegal, hosted by AYUSA in Lowell, MA)

One of the largest service events in the world, Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) is celebrated each April by millions of young people working to improve their communities through service projects and activities. This year, YES alumni in Senegal celebrated GYSD with more than 200 students and other community members in Dakar, Mboro, and Tambacounda.

In Dakar, I worked with a team of six alumni to organize an environmental education activity with fifth grade students from St. Teresa Girl’s Primary School in partnership with the local Environmental Education Center. The activity started with an environmental education course that raised awareness among young people about environmental issues and the importance of plants and trees in our lives. In a very simple and fun way, the Environmental Education Center staff members also explained to students the different components of plants, how to plant trees, and how to take care of trees once planted. Following the course, the students were split into five groups for which alumni, teachers, the school director, and technical staff served as mentors. Each group planted a tree in the school yard to put into practice what they had learned. The students were very enthusiastic and happy to be responsible for the future care of the trees and promised to take good care of them.

In Mboro, Mame Diarra Sarr (YES 2016-2017, Senegal, hosted by AYA/AIFS in Veneta, OR) organized a project called Brighten the Path. Inspired by a career fair she attended at her host high school during her exchange year in the U.S., Mame wanted to give guidance to her fellow students at Mboro high school as they look to choosing future careers. She invited a medical doctor, a doctor in management sciences, and the director of a vocational training school. These professionals shared their experiences in their respective professions and also advised the approximately 100 students in attendance on how to choose their own career paths. According to Mame, the students appreciated the professional advice they received and found it helpful. School officials, including the Principal of Mboro High School and the President of the Students’ Parents Association, also attended the event.

In Tambacounda, Mamady Diaoune (YES 2014-2015, Senegal, hosted by American Councils PO in Pittsburgh, PA) initiated a project for raising vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, onions, carrots, and salads in his native village, Mariama Cita, which is located 150 kilometers from the nearest city, Tambacounda. Women from Mariama Cita had to travel long distances to buy vegetables in the city, and by the time they got back to the village, those vegetables were often no longer fresh, or were even rotting. With the support of 22 volunteers from the youth association in the village, three supervisors, and other members of the community, Mamady put up fences in a plot of land designated for the garden and prepared it for women to start gardening and planting seeds. Mamady shared that the citizens of the village were very pleased with this project, which put an end to the problem of access to fresh vegetables they have faced for many years. He hopes that this project will not only benefit the people in his village, but also in all the neighboring villages.

We, the YES alumni in Senegal, are looking forward to next year’s GYSD activities to have an even greater impact on our communities!