I am Real Education

"Fathers, be good to your daughters
Daughters will love like you do
Girls become lovers who turn into mothers
So mothers, be good to your daughters too"
John Mayer

'Education! Education! Education!' This was one of the many chants I heard children preform at the Youth Alive Exchange. The Youth Alive Exchange exists to share the challenges and opportunties, the learnings and goals of six hundred African Students. On top of the dramatic skis and musical numbers preformed by the students, there was entertainment in the form of song, dance and comedy. The experience was amazing to say the least. When you put on an event like this, you want the students to have fun but you also want real learning to take place. This week as I was doing lifeskills classes, I saw the result firsthand.

I asked the students what they learned at the exchange the I was a litte surprised to hear the response. Time and time again, I heard, 'I learned that children have a right to education, food and shelter.' When I was eleven years old, I certainly knew and believed (even then) in the basic staple rights of people but I don't think I ever came close to an understanding of what having these basic rights ever realy meant. Perhaps these students don't understand it either because they don't see the privilege that students in other countries have but the overwhelming feeling I get from talking to these students is that they know far more about basic rights at eleven years old then I ever did at that age because it is a struggle form them to have these rights day to day.

During lifeskills this week, we landed on what so far has been my favourite topic: friendship. Before you disqualify friendship as an age appropriate topic for eleven year olds, remember what is happening in their lives. Children are startingto take on more responsiblities and are redefining their group of friends much like the transition to secondary school for the Canadian teenager.

Students were asked to describe the qualities of good and bad friends and what their lives would be like if they grow up and associate with good or bad friends. Beginning at this age, it is undeniable the impact that your peer group has on you, your choices and the consequences or rewards of those choices.

It felt good to offer students a safe space to discuss their ideas and feelings especially since it was evident that a lot of these topics are treated as non-issues at home. Students asked questions on how to deal with friends that have started to sniff glue or friends that were presurring them into early sexual behaviour. Students also asked aout moral dillemmas like not having enough money to afford things and giving into peer pressure when a so-called 'friend' offers oney in exchange for something else.

I think its difficult to hear these questions. I know that I can answer them. I know that teachers teach far more then academics but I can not help thinking that these kids have had absolutely no conversations with their parents at home. I remember having those difficult moments with my parents over issues like sex, drugs and alcohol. Looking back, no matter how uncomfortable, those topics made me feel, I'd rather have the conversation with my parents than with others like bad friends, friends that don't actually know the answer or when its too late and you have contracted an STI or been arrested for public drunkedness.

These aren't the only conversations that students don't have with their parents. Misguided and incorrect facts sit with the students regarding puberty and growing up. Some of the misconceptions include:
-The belief that when the penis enlarges, it means that young men need sex to survive
-In order for the egg to 'fall out of the vagina,' it needs to be fertilized at least once a month
-That during menstration, pads only need to be changed once
-Wet Dreams occur when a boy urinates during the night.

Its shameful that a culture of trust does not exist to discuss these ideas between parents and their children. A problem exists when a child is not allowed to discuss the most intimate details of life like sexuality, growing up and choosing good company with their parents. I am not arguing that these subjects should not be taught in the classroom because they should be part of the cirriculum but the subject matter should not be a first discovery in the classroom, rather a reenforcement of what the students learned at home.

A culture of learning must also take place so that parents are given accurate information to give to their children. Rolemodels like older siblings must also have accurate information in order for them to give honest answers when they are asked questions from younger children within the home. The subject matter has now surpassed basic rights in education, food and shelter and have now extended to the very important subject matter of health. Life is health. Without good health, it is near impossible to have a good standard of living.

The people I've met are entitled to their rights just like you and I but too often have to rely on faith to get through those important moments in life. Having an abdudance of medication, food, education is simply not in the cards for these people. We don't have to want for anything yet there are people around the world that have to want for rights they are entitled to.