YYAS: An Amazing Journey, by Demilade Sanusi

Demilade Sanusi (second from right) and other participants from YYAS 2017 in Ghana pose for a photo with YYAS Mentorship Coordinator Yaa Ampofo.

Before I got to the YYAS program in Ghana, I never expected that I would make so many friends or like it as much as I did! I wasn't sure what was going to happen that week, and I was prepared for the worst: but the worst never came.

After check-in and the welcome keynote, the first thing we did on Day 1 was play a game. Not the normal kind of game most people play when they first meet each other. No, this game involved running around in a circle, jumping, yelling, and basically making a fool of yourself in front of people that you had never met. At first I was shy and not a fan, but as we progressed I realized something: no one cared how you looked as you ran around barefoot yelling “Balance the ball, balance the ball!” People were too engrossed in the game, having too much fun to actually judge someone they hardly knew. And through that game, many of us began to connect. It didn't matter where you were from or who you knew there: once you ran around and came back to your spot, people just started approaching you and everyone laughed, creating a sense of friendship and connection.

From that day on, things just sort of clicked. We ate meals together in big groups; we sat next to each other in seminars and talked about big world issues and ideas. People respected others’ opinions and created a fun learning environment. Life seemed so normal, as if we had all been attending the same school for months.

But, like all good things in life, the program came to an end. I wasn't surprised to see people crying as they left their new friends. It seemed oddly appropriate. YYAS was a wonderful program and I am so glad to have attended. It is something I would definitely recommend for any African high school student—and not only because of the beautiful friendships that would be made. The idea of an academic summer program for only one week might seem ridiculous at first to some people, but what we learned academically and socially in that week has undoubtedly gone a long way toward shaping our future. I couldn't imagine it to be any other way.