I’ve tried my best to withhold my impressions on Buea from this blog – focusing instead on the work being done and my personal challenges.  Come to find out that’s a wrong course of action.  My personal reflections are more than welcome on this blog.  I’m still hesitant though –...

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We’re making moves here in Buea - trying to connect students from the US and all over the world with students from our program here. 

We’re expanding the curriculum - connecting classrooms and youth groups in the US and Cameroon.  We want to tell the stories of youth through emails, Facebook, podcasts, and videos.  In a larger sense we’re going to try expand the reach of YAN by targeting our advocacy.  In a smaller sense we’re sending emails and brainstorming ideas.  

YAN isnâ...

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Today I had the honor and privilege of attending the inauguration of the first female principal of Lycee Bilingual High School in Buea.  Having never attended a ceremony like this one before I was unsure what to expect. Two things struck me right off:  1.  The amount of pomp and circumstance; and 2. The necessity for the change over.

I honestly don’t know what events are involved when a new principal is installed in a US school.  I would imagine on the first day of school there would be an a...
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Today I got a hit of what my days will be like once the rainy season ends.  This morning the sun cut through the clouds on my way to the Bueatown school to try and meet with the principal there.  She was not there and I found out that school was not a high school but a secondary school - oops - they also don’t have any internet connectivity.  Given these two things the prospects of moving into this school seem slim.  However, we know we want to maintain a connection to the school - or any s...
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One of the most exciting parts of this kind of work with meeting people who do similar work to you, partnering with them, and creating a project together that is better than either of you could have done alone.  During this time before school starts I am rushing to meet everyone I here involved with youth programs.  Turns out, in Buea, sometimes these potential partners just fall in your lap.

While registering Walters for school I ran into two American students from Penn State who were working...
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I have spent the better part of the past 48 hours restoring my computer and throwing water down my toilet to make it flush.  Countless skype calls to the MAC service center and too much money spent to re-download programs I had meticulously selected before I arrived in Africa - in combination with 2AM freak outs - is enough to put a person on edge for the better part of the day.  Still, I am here, sitting, sipping away at my Nescafe elated as I type away on my lap top keys and download the la...
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Well, I've been here for less than a week and it feels like a month already.  I've had the privilege of touring some area schools, meeting with principals, and discussing the future of YAN with the Chair of the Board of Directors.  It's an exciting time for YAN - we are formalizing our relationship with a second school and making plans to start a mentor program next year.  School doesn't start for a month and in the interim I am working with my Cameroonian counterpart to write a grant for nex...
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