EXCHANGE PROGRAMMES EMPOWER KIDS

IN today’s instalment, we depart from the norm as we focus on children’s desire for cultural exchange programmes.

I believe that a sound arts education involves travelling and experiencing different cultures.

Study has shown that cultural exchange programmes have a profound effect on children’s behaviour, attitude and life chances by significantly broadening their perspectives and appreciating other cultures.

Over the years, I have been championing this through Jenaguru.

In 1992, Jenaguru started going to Asia on a schools’ musical exchange programme.

We tour with school children ranging from Grade One to Grade Seven

Each overseas tour with school children is an unforgettable experience.

You will be travelling with innocent souls who show great enthusiasm to learn new things.

Our tours to Asia usually last from May to July. At the beginning of every year, Jenaguru Arts Centre arranges with the headmasters of the different schools where the young boys and girls chosen for a tour will be learning.

We ask them to provide extra lessons to ensure that the children cover everything they might miss when they are on tour.

Jenaguru makes a small donation to each teacher offering extra lessons through the headmaster.

When we return from Asia we also bring a lot of stationery for all the schools the touring students attend.

On many previous occasions we also donated musical instruments, soccer balls, hockey sets and laptops.

Before we travel, I invite parents of selected kids to come to Jenaguru and discuss the welfare of the kids when they are abroad.

This is done to jointly give our kids some form of pre-departure training.

Our training emphasises on basic interpersonal skills such as how to greet others, show respect for others and express gratitude when given a gift by well-wishers.

We make them understand that everyone on tour will be representing and flying the flag of Zimbabwe.

We teach them not to steal or fight amongst themselves.

They learn to work as a team.

All kids who qualify to join Jenaguru Music and Dance Group, automatically receive the following benefits payment of school fees, transport from and to their homes, passport application fees, free training in traditional dance, free training in playing traditional instruments (mbira, ngoma, hosho) and free refreshments during every training session.

Before departure, Jenaguru buys a suitcase and clothes for each child.

During our transit through South Africa and Hong Kong, all Jenaguru members benefit from our managing director’s lounge golden card.

Ideally, we should travel with a male teacher and a female teacher, to provide children with school lessons.

However, due to financial problems, I take the responsibility to look after boys while our managing director looks after the girls.

For most kids, the maiden tour will be the most exciting because it would be their first time to fly, sleep on a luxury bed in a hotel, eat very good food and have a computer in her/his room.

In Japan, we usually arrange a home stay for all the children.

The mayor and Member of Parliament for the host constituency invites parents who are willing to come and choose one child each for home stay.

The home stay immerses the kids in Japanese culture.

Listening to conversations in a foreign language and facing the challenge of an unfamiliar culture, expands their ideas about food, work ethos, making friends and meeting their basic needs.

These Japanese parents are very hospitable and take very good care of our touring kids, spoiling them with a lot of quality clothes.

Eventually, many of them volunteer to pay school fees and buy uniforms for Jenaguru kids when they return home.