The Global Buddies Movie

Want to know what Global Buddies is all about? Want to see what the Global Buddies did in Cape Town this year? Check out the Global Buddies movie!

The impact of the program…in their words…

The Global Buddies participants are changed by their experiences together. It’s more than seeing some of the beautiful and historical sites in Cape Town, enjoying fun trips and going to restaurants, or even making new friendships. After their time together, the Global Buddies see themselves and the world around them differently. South African Global Buddies improve their English, start seeing a future that includes education and university, and learn about recycling and fundraising from their American friends. The Los Angeles Buddies learn about South Africa, see ways that joy exists outside of material things, and go home with a different perspective of the abundance in their lives.

Dharan Khumar, 8, was clearly affected when his mother told him about a 4-year-old boy she saw dying in one of the Cape Town townships. Dharan understood that this boy’s weight was about half of the weight of his brother of the same age who was healthy and happy back in L.A. Dharan was also affected by the huge difference between how much he has, and how little the families in Mfuleni have. Dharan, whose parents own a huge house in L.A. and many cars said that when he goes back to Los Angeles he wanted to waste less, and use things for longer. He talked about buying clothes in bigger sizes so that he could wear them for longer.

Above is an audio slideshow of the 2008 Global Buddies trip. The Global Buddies, including Dharan’s mother Sharmini, talk about their time together in Cape Town. Some South Africans who have seen this slideshow expressed how even though their kids live so close to the townships, their children have no idea about the reality of life for those living in poverty in South Africa. One mother talked about how she’s tried for years to drill a sense of appreciation into her children for what they have, but their understanding didn’t come close to what the U.S. Global Buddies immediately understood by interacting with each other and experiencing each other’s worlds.

Starting in 2009, Global Buddies will build in a way for non-township/non-Mfuleni families in South Africa to also participate in Global Buddies so that the learning and exchange can happen both between families of different backgrounds in South Africa and between them and families in the U.S.

Global Buddies 2008 in Photos

The Global Buddies Program is filled with new friendships, meaningful activities and beautiful sights. Families engage in a way that’s fun, educational, character-building, and impactful on communities.

Below, the 2008 Global Buddies itinerary is laid out, and there is a selection of images from the time the Global Buddies spent together this year in Cape Town. These images are a snap-shot of the various activities and the interactions that happen during the Global Buddies exchange. Press who want to use these images to accompany stories on Global Buddies should email globalbuddies@yenza.org to request stand-alone high res images with captions.

This is what you’re looking at:

*Photos of the group meeting for the first time (or in the case of those who met last year, the reunion) in Kirstenbosch Gardens for a picnic and fun outdoors activites.
*Community parade in Mfuleni when the US Global Buddies first arrive at Women For Peace/Nobuntu Center in Mfuleni on Tuesday
*Some of the ways the group share song and dance as part of their cultural exchange
*Global Buddies youth practicing the national anthem
*Global Buddies working with Yenza on interviewing each other and presenting their interviews of each other to the group
*Global Buddies working with Yenza on radio interviewing
*The parents and adults preparing the playground area
*Visiting S.A. Global Buddies homes
*Sakaumzi showing his Global Buddies his ballroom dancing trophies
*Learning about World Geography in a fun way by playing Geography Jingo
*Learning about the environment and how to protect it at Footprints Environmental Center
*Fun Swimming at Boulder’s Beach, followed by dinner at Seaforth Restaurant on the Beach
*Sight-seeing in Cape Town: The Company Gardens, District Six Museum, Signal Hill Picnic, Robben Island
*Looking at a “dom-pass” (“dumb pass” – the pass Black South Africans were forced to carry during Apartheid)
*Parents bringing toys to orphanage and visiting SA Global Buddy Abigail’s home
*Kicking for Peace (soccer tournament – alumni global buddies vs new global buddies)
*Global Buddies writing workshop With Yenza (reflecting on the week)
*Global Buddies Youth Service Project – helping Seniors in Mfuleni clean their homes and plant a vegetable garden
*Fun dinner with music and traditional face-painting at Moyo Restaurant in Spier
*Margaret Gwegwe who runs the Nobuntu Center/Women For Peace
*Global Buddies Youth Cultural Presentation
*Presentation of School Uniforms by American families to Mfuleni families (bought with funds US alumni global buddies raised in LA)
*SA Global Buddies Ballroom Dancing Presentation
*Ribbon Cutting/Opening the Playground
*Global Buddies Bye-Byes/Farewells

Global Buddies 2008 Itinerary:

Monday
U.S. and S.A. Global Buddies meet at Kirstenbosch for an outdoor celebration and picnic

Tuesday
All Global Buddies meet in Mfuleni. Morning starts with a parade through the community

YOUTH:
Rehearsal for cultural presentation
Interviewing and Writing Workshop with Yenza
Radio Interviewing Workshop with Yenza
Workshop on Global Citizenship

ADULTS:
Work on Playground Service Project

Wednesday

YOUTH
South African Alumni Global Buddies go on a tour of the University of Western Cape
South African Global Buddies give their US visitors a tour of some of their homes
Global Exchange through rehearsal for cultural presentation and other workshops
Learning World Geography

ADULTS
Visit Philani Nutrition and Development Center
Work on Playground Service Project

Thursday
Learning about how to protect our environment at Foorptrints Environmental Center
Fun swimming at Boulders Beach, followed by dinner at Seaforth Restaurant in Simonstown

Friday
Sight-seeing
Table Mountain (or Company Gardens/Signal Hill if Table Mountain closed due to weather conditions)
District 6 Museum
Robben Island

Saturday
YOUTH
Rehearsal for Cultural Presentation
Soccer Tournament – Kicking for Peace – Alumni Global Buddies vs New Global Buddies
Writing Workshop with Yenza – Reflecting on the week together
Service Project – Global Buddies Youth help seniors in Mfuleni clean their houses and work on their gardens
South African Alumni Global Buddies do College Prep Workshop

ADULTS
Taking toys to orphanage
Visiting SA Global Buddies’ homes
Work on Playground Project

EVENING
Everyone goes to Moyo Restaurant at Spier for delicious South African dining experience

Sunday
Church in Mfuleni

Youth: Final Rehearsal for Cultural Presentation
Adults: Tea Discussion about South Africa, Race and Social Change

AFTERNOON
Global Buddies youth put on a multicultural bilingual presentation for adults and others in the community around personal identity and global leadership, featuring the South African National anthem, language exchange and dance.

U.S. Global Buddies present dozens of Mfuleni families with school uniforms (purchased by funds raised by Global BUddies’ families in Los Angeles)

Ribbon Cutting Opening Celebration of Playground

Monday
South African Global Buddies Put on a Ballroom Dancing Show for their U.S. Buddies

Program Closing and Certificates

International Lunch

Global Buddies Say Their Farewells.

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Through Their Lenses…

As part of the partnership between Yenza and Global Buddies, this year’s Global Buddies participated in media workshops and training in interviewing, writing, radio and photography. While the main day for photography training was Thursday at Boulders Beach, once they started photographing, the Global Buddies were hooked all week, requesting cameras and taking lots of pictures of their communities, Global Buddies’ friends, and activities.

The slideshows here show just a selection of the images eight Global Buddies took – in Mfuleni, on Robben Island, on Signal Hill and especially on Boulders Beach. Boulders Beach was by far the most enjoyed activity of the Global Buddies youth – playing in the cold water, climbing on the rocks, and enjoying the sun. They also enjoyed the yummy dinner afterwards in the Seaforth Restaurant on the beach.

In South Africa’s Apartheid days, most beaches were segregated, but now, people of all races enjoy the beauty and nature of their country together.

While the slideshows only contains a selection of images, there are still a large number of images included. Each time a new photographer’s images are being shown, a photo with their name written on it will appear. The images that follow are taken by that Global Buddy, except for the few situations when a friend took a photo of that Global Buddy for him/her.Yenza provided the Global Buddies with cameras, but a couple of the Global Buddies had their own cameras to use.

The pictures appear in the following order:

PART ONE (above)
Tours of SA Global Buddies’ homes etc:
Maya
Briana

Boulders Beach
Malebongwe
Rosy
Briana
Nandipha
Maya

PART TWO (below)
Boulders Beach
Lizzy
Zukiswa
Analisa

Signal Hill, Robben Island and Visiting Children’s Creche
Analisa
Briana
Lizzy

Stay tuned…

The last 3 days the Global Buddies spent together in South Africa together were filled with soccer, amazing service projects, a Xhosa-English performance put on by all the Global Buddies and an unbelievable ballroom dance performance put on by the South African Global Buddies. Over the next few days, we will be posting audio, video and photo slideshows, plus we will be presenting the Global Buddies in their own words….Stay tuned…

Historic Cape Town

Today the Global Buddies learned about the Apartheid history of South Africa, and experienced more of Cape Town’s beauty.

Starting the day with a walk through Cape Town’s beautiful Company Gardens, they then toured the District Six Museum. District Six is an area in Cape Town where a lively and diverse community was forceably removed from their homes by the Apartheid regime and forced to live in neighborhoods designated according to race. At the museum, the generous spirit between the buddies was reflected in a small gesture when a South African Global Buddy used some spending money he had to buy lollipops for three of his “global buddies”.

From the tourbus, staring out the window, the Global Buddies excitedly cried out as the city view revealed itself as the bus climbed the mountain…There, on top of Cape Town’s Signal Hill, they ate a picnic lunch, took pictures, enjoyed ice cream and looked over the city and the famous Robben Island where Nelson Mandela and many other political activists were imprisoned during the Apartheid years of South Africa.

The view then became the road as they took the ferry across to Robben Island, with the beautiful Table Mountain behind them. Anticipation and excitement was high, especially amongst the South African Global Buddies, most who had never been on a boat nor been to Robben Island before. They learned a bit about the history of Apartheid, how even prisoners were treated differently according to their race (Black prisoners got less food – no bread for example – than Colored and Indian prisoners), and visited Nelson Mandela’s prison cell.They also got to talk to Ahmed “Kathy” Kathrada (friend of Global Buddies’ partner Yenza.org) by speakerphone. Kathy, who spent 26 years in prison, alongside Nelson Mandela (and was the only Indian prisoner amongst the eight men who were sentenced to life in prison at the Rivonia Trials) encouraged the Global Buddies to pursue education, telling them how after 8 hours working under harsh conditions, he and his fellow prisoners would study. He told the Global Buddies they had a duty to themselves and their community to educate themselves so they can serve their communities. He told the South African Global Buddies that now that the doors to education were open to them, he hoped they would enter them.

On the bus part of the Robben Island tour, the Global Buddies learned more about the history of the island and Apartheid, saw the lime quarry where the prisoners were forced to work in the sun, and were moved by the story of Pan African Congress (PAC) leader Robert Sobukwe who spent many of the last years of his life imprisoned and prevented from contact with all but a few.

The leper cemetery, penguins and wildlife, and the island view of Table Mountain and Cape Town all got the group’s attention.The sunset boat-ride back was made more fun by the choppiness of the water and the strong winds as the Buddies who were daring enough to sit outside glued themselves to their seats, laughing.

Perhaps inspired by their historic day, some of the American Global Buddies started singing the South African national anthem as they entered the Nelson Mandela gateway as the boat from Robben Island docked back in Cape Town. They’ve been practicing the anthem for a performance they’re going to do on Monday and their “show” today, singing the five-language anthem was quite impressive.

Penguins, Photography and Fun on the Beach…

Coming soon…The Global Buddies spent today on Boulders Beach where they could see the penguins close up and personal and have much fun splashing in the water and playing in the sun. Global Buddies were the photographers today…stay tuned to see their pictures…

Who will save the planet?

The Global Buddies really enjoyed their visit to Footprints Environmental and Recycling Center in Cape Town. One of the challenges that the Buddies will have to face in their lives is the environmental crisis.

Learning about the environment and how to protect it is part of becoming both a better global citizen and global leader. At Footprints, they learned about the environment and our precious resources and how to protect our earth.

The youngest Global Buddy, Teddy was a surprise inspiration. He stood up and took initiative to save “the earth” in the exercise they were working on, and soon inspired all his other Global Buddies to join him in the effort, showing that one person alone can inspire change in their community.

Geography Fun

The Global Buddies continued learning about place when they had some geography jingo fun…forming teams of two (one South African, one American), they joined forces in a quest to answer questions about world geography and win a prize. The energy was fun, but also quite competitive.

The South African Global Buddies were given the world-maps to take home, as well as globe beach-balls.