Sankofa is a Ghanaian concept, which literally means "Go Back and Fetch it." This adage encourages us to avidly retrieve our past in order to create a powerful future. It is imperative for people of African ancestry to develop a historical lens and educational practices that place us as the center of our intellectual and cultural inquiries.

Sunz of Sankofa Passages is philosophically governed by the ancient precept, "Know Thyself" and the rite of passage educational pedagogy. In general terms a rite of passage is an initiation of a young person into adulthood. Within indigenous cultures throughout the world, village elders assumed the responsibilities of systematically socializing children by providing them with a holistic education that would prepare them to be viable citizens of the adult community. These concepts and approaches are the foundation of our services and foster the notion of self-mastery as a vehicle to actualizing one's life purpose. Through affective, conative, kinesthetic, cognitive, reflective and artistic activities, participants will gain greater awareness of the intrinsic elements that contribute to their authentic identities.

TARGET POPULATION

The Sunz of Sankofa program directly targets its services, without exclusion to any other disadvantaged populations, towards the Black and Latino communities (male and female) in resource lacking/low-income communities. These two ethnic groups, disproportionate to other ethnic groups, present prototypical models of intergenerational disconnect and unnatural generational/family division birthed from a need of healthy interaction and bonding experiences that lend themselves to a greater understanding and gratitude for the natural symbiosis that has always existed, customarily, between the Elder class and the Youth Class. This problem is clearly evident in the Black community and, to slightly lesser degree, its Latino counterpart, but still very much present and identically destructive; as proven by the proliferation of Black/Latino gangs, ruptured homes, drop-out rates, unplanned teenage pregnancies, rates of incarceration, and treacherous neighborhoods. The model of communal child rearing ("It takes a village to raise a child") has been replaced with an intimidated adult population fearful of its own progeny and a youth populace whose peer age group reigns supreme over any and all tutelage and proven good judgment.

EXPECTED OUTCOMES

At the completion of the Passage cycle participants will be better equipped to navigate through their own inner conflict and discern the root source of their own thoughts, deeds, and actions. Participants will also be able to determine their progress and current position on the timeline of their personal development and establish healthy objectives based off of the needs of a newly discovered, healthy community. The benefits of this work at the individual and cultural levels are many and include: self-knowledge (both strengths and weaknesses), leadership skills, self-esteem, self-assurance, sense of accountability for self and community, fuller access to emotions, feelings and spirit, respect for self and others and a deep honoring of the natural world that supports us all.

The passage programs to the right describe the character centered, value based and culturally relevant services that Sunz of Sankofa Passages offer to cultivate and refine the dormant talents of our brilliant young people and the adults that work intimately with them.

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