A guest post by Sydney Morrison, a Leadership Certificate Series facilitator for Impact Delta.

 

This semester I have the privilege of facilitating the Impact Delta workshop. It was a little challenging at first because I was never a participant in the workshop; however, the topics were not brand new to me. My first experience confronting privilege and social justice was when I studied abroad in Cape Town, South Africa two summers ago. To say it was an eye-opening experience is a huge understatement.

The evidence of Cape Town’s history was never lost on me. I was able to engage in meaningful discussions about the history of apartheid and the lasting effects it still has today. Also, we were fortunate enough to be able to visit sites such as the District Six Museum and Robben Island that were both impactful and informative. I learned that there is much more to the world than what we are used to or comfortable talking about everyday.

The word ‘ubuntu’ always comes to mind when I think of my time in Cape Town. I learned the word when I first visited several of the townships outside of the city. Ubuntu translates to “I am because you are.” It truly encompasses the importance of community and fits in rather well with the social change model. Having facilitated three of the sessions already I am beginning to see how huge of an aspect the model is to the Impact Delta workshop. It is through working with others towards a common goal, feeling passionate enough about an issue and understanding one’s strengths and weaknesses that change is able to happen.

 

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