New Expansion Alert: Project Access Africa!
Project Access is excited to announce our newest initiative: PA Africa! Keep reading to find out more about the project, with insights from our PA Africa Team.
So, what is PA Africa?
PA Africa will offer the Project Access experience to students in African countries. The project will build on the Project Access mentoring model, linking keen university applicants with current students from Africa, who themselves have recently made the leap to study overseas at top universities in the UK and US. Through specialized resources, PA Africa will provide a mentorship specifically designed for students in Nigeria, Botswana and other African countries to access the world’s top universities.
This program will be designed to suit students from middle and lower income backgrounds, providing support that acknowledges the systemic disadvantage between the Global North and Global South, spanning every area of this transition, from culture to finances to visas.
African students soon to complete high school will be paired with their older peers, currently studying in the US and UK, who will guide them through each step of the application process. Meanwhile, on campuses in the UK and US, a more accurate picture of Nigeria, Botswana and other African countries will begin to take shape.
How it all began
In the five years since Project Access’ inception, our student volunteers have worked tirelessly with underprivileged students across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Now, we’ve decided to broaden our scope. Outside of these regions, there was another group of individuals who possessed the drive, but not the resources necessary to experience higher education at our target universities: students in Africa.
A long time in the making, and after several attempts at different types of projects, our team decided to launch a regional team providing mentoring in multiple African countries.
PA Africa is now entering its planning phase, following four months of participatory research. The team spoke to over forty people and organizations across Africa to learn about the education system and the wider cultural significance of education in each country, and understand where Project Access could make the biggest difference. They have now decided to launch projects in Nigeria, Botswana and other countries to be announced.
The team are on the lookout for African students and partner organizations who have the knowledge and skills needed to drive the new PA Africa project forward. If that sounds like you - please get in touch!
Wondering how you can help? Join PA!
We asked members of the PA Africa team to share with us what led them to get involved, and what their work with Project Access has been like.
“It is humbling to hear of the challenges that many of our mentees have overcome, and think together about how these can make a good application. This is a process that is only possible thanks to a mobile phone - linking people up, each with their own life experience and cultural knowledge, who couldn’t otherwise have a connection.”
“I decided to join PA two years back because I felt that PA’s mission and vision are very meaningful, and in line with my interests. It has been amazing to be a part of a dynamic and passionate student-led organization tackling inequality in higher education, a perennial issue that has far-reaching consequences. During my time at PA, I have been able to hone my soft skills and hard skills, learning from and exchanging ideas with others.”
“Have you ever been in a situation where you are more confident with constructive ideas but don’t know how to spread them out to be heard? This happened to me a little over half of my age: the question ‘what is a mission?’ has been in my mind all these years. As time went by, I figured out none is born with a mission statement - finding your mission depends on your environment. Project Access has been one of the better places to prepare me to discover my mission.”
“I joined Project Access so that I could make a direct impact on the lives of underserved students and help them achieve their educational goals. I had worked with refugee populations in the past and understood some of the struggles they faced after being displaced from their home countries. Through PA Africa, I’ve been able to collaborate with individuals and organizations globally in order to understand the issues facing students in multiple African countries, and work towards the goal of educational equality.”
If you have academic experience in the US, UK, or EU, or are simply interested in contributing to this program, please don’t hesitate to reach out! We would love to hear from you!
The age-old question: Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
Our ambition is to create a high-impact project that links students in a range of countries in Africa with relatable and friendly student mentors at a university that has caught their interest. Through our research, we aim to identify people who wouldn’t be able to make the transition to university overseas without us - where a current student mentor working within an effective program could make their education possible.
We imagine a PA Africa that is familiar to African students across the US and UK, who have together reached and supported hundreds of African high school graduates along tested paths to university.
As we continue building on our foundation of different cultures and contexts, we would like to extend our gratitude to all the students, individuals, and NGOs, on whose support we continue to rely.
It is impossible to thank everyone who has spoken to us in this brief article, but we would like to give a special mention to ITrainAfrica, Emergination, ALforEducation, and KenSAP. Thank you all for your help in working to shape our upcoming project!
Follow us on our social media platforms to keep up to date with our progress and our other exciting programs!
Written by Veronica Aharon, 2nd year BSc Student at York University.
Do you have any topics you would especially like to see covered on our blog? People you would like to meet? Places you want to see? Send your suggestions to veronica.aharon@projectaccess.org ✉️