The Career Services Centre has expanded Ashesi’s student community service initiative by launching the Ashesi Service Learning Programme. The programme seeks to broaden and enrich the students skills and experience through a wide variety of volunteer community service projects at organizations across Ghana.
All Ashesi students are required to complete at least thirty-six hours of community service before graduation from the University. This experience is designed to help students better understand the challenges facing our society and actively participate in creating solutions to these problems. In addition, Ashesi students participate in a seminar entitled “Leadership as Service”, in which students have a chance to interact with leaders from Ghanaian non-profit organizations and reflect on the role leaders can play in improving their communities.
During the summer break several Ashesi students partnered with students from Ohio State University and Carnegie Mellon University (Qatar Campus) to carry out volunteer projects in Ghana’s South and Central Regions. The students participated in a wide range of activities including farming, teaching and the construction of a new school.
One summer volunteer, Bolaji Buremoh, Class of 2009 stated “Amidst all the work we had to do, we had a good time. We learned a lot and admired the passion the students we worked with had for the development of Ghana.”
Ashesi hopes to continue such collaborations in the future and will sponsor more service learning expeditions with the aim of giving back to the Ghanaian community.