Sankofa Scholars Are Getting to Work in Petersburg

The Sankofa Scholars Program began with a question: What happens when young people learn more about who they are, where they come from, and what they can change?

This year, our Scholars will put those lessons to work in Petersburg. Alongside their cultural learning and exchanges with peers in Ghana, they will develop community service projects and take on advocacy issues that matter to them. The students will help choose the work, shape their plans, and carry them out.

One possibility they are exploring is a Black history preservation project. Scholars could research Petersburg’s neighborhoods, businesses, institutions, and historic sites; interview residents; and share what they learn through videos, articles, digital exhibits, or a student-led walking tour. Petersburg holds stories that deserve to be heard, and our young people can help tell them.

The Scholars will also build leadership through a Rotary Interact Club and the Petersburg NAACP Youth Council. These groups will give students a place to organize service, examine local issues, speak up, and practice the work of making change together. We want them to learn how to listen to their neighbors, ask good questions, follow through on commitments, and make room for different perspectives.

Their first steps are already underway. At our kickoff, the Scholars used an identity mapping exercise to learn about themselves and one another, then began connecting their interests to possible service projects and advocacy issues. A Petersburg history walking tour will give them another chance to look closely at the community they will serve.

The goal is bigger than completing a project. We want our Scholars to see that they belong to a long tradition of people who cared enough about their community to act. We also want Petersburg to see what its young people can do when they have guidance, trust, and a real voice in the decisions.

We’ll share the projects the Scholars select and their progress throughout the year. If you have local history to share, a skill to teach, or a way to support their work, we’d love to hear from you. You can also support the Sankofa Scholars Program.