Shaker Travels to South Africa
Be a part of a life-changing experience for Shaker students!
A new international travel opportunity is being offered by Shaker Heights High School in the 2023-2024 school year.
The South African Cultural Exchange (SACE) team, an initiative of Shaker Heights City School District’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, has planned a trip to South Africa in March 2024. SACE is a passionate group of educators and administrators committed to creating an exceptional cultural and learning opportunity for our students. This inaugural trip aims to provide our students with a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in the rich cultural heritage, historical significance, and breathtaking landscapes of South Africa.
The primary objectives of this journey are to foster global citizenship, cultural awareness, and empathy among our students. By engaging with the local communities and participating in service learning, our students will gain a profound understanding of the struggle for freedom and the similarities between apartheid in South Africa and the Civil Rights movement in the U.S. Moreover, this experience will inspire them to become advocates for positive change and social justice.
Our Commitment:
To make the South African Cultural Exchange (SACE) to be a sustained part of international study options for Shaker students that advances our strategic commitment to achieve inclusive excellence and equity for all members of the District.
Dr. Lawrence Burnley, Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer for the Shaker Heights City School District, has accompanied previous student groups to South Africa and is looking forward to being able to share this experience with Shaker travelers:
The South Africa Cultural Exchange (SACE) is an exciting, unique, and historic international study experience being offered to Shaker students. SACE provides participating students with an extraordinary opportunity to participate in an emerging global conversation that leverages student agency in responding to the shared and unique challenges facing our world and our respective countries. An innovative pathway to experiential learning, SACE invites students and educators to reconsider Western interpretations of African history and culture from diverse South African perspectives. Our commitment is for SACE to be a sustained part of international study options for Shaker students that advances our strategic commitment to achieve inclusive excellence and equity for all members of the District.
Your Generous Donations
By contributing to this journey, you will directly impact these young individuals’ lives, instilling in them a sense of purpose, self-confidence, and a deeper understanding of a world beyond their own.
Your support of the Shaker Schools Foundation’s Travel Assistance Fund will provide scholarships for deserving students who might otherwise miss this incredible opportunity.
Please join us in supporting this incredible opportunity for Shaker students. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of these bright young minds and contribute to a better world. Thank you for your consideration!
Trip Itinerary
Our educational travel and safety partner for the trip is EF Educational Tours, a world leader in international education with over 55 years of experience.
Johannesburg Days 1-5
Guided tour of Johannesburg
Visit the Apartheid Museum
Day trip to the Cradle of Humankind
Observe ancient fossils during a guided tour of the Sterkfontein Caves
Enjoy a toboggan ride at Long Tom Misty Mountain
Visit the forest floor of Graskop Gorge
Kruger National Park & Cape Town Days 6-8
Take a drive in an off-road safari vehicle through Kruger National Park
Visit the summit of Table Mountain
Take a guided tour of Cape Town
Take a ferry to Robben Island, visit Nelson Mandela’s prison cell
Visit the University of Western Cape
Cape Town Days 9-11
Visit the Boulders Penguin Colony
Explore Cape Town
Learning Objectives:
- Gain a global awareness of the sociocultural and educational history of different communities through a different lens than Western portrayals;
- Understand, disrupt, and dismantle systemic oppression, specifically systemic racism, in a global context;
- Develop student capacity to be reflective and caring thinkers in alignment with the International Baccalaureate (IB) learner profile whose aim is to develop internationally-minded people.
Shaker Student Travel Savings Fund
The Shaker Schools Foundation is proud to partner with Huntington Bank to help our families plan for the experience of a lifetime by opening a Shaker Student Travel Savings Fund. The time to start saving is NOW! Our partnership with Huntington will allow you to start a student travel savings fund now–with ZERO cost to you to set up. It is completely free. Your savings today will give your student the experience of a lifetime in high school. Learn more here.
