Role Model Of Kilalo
Kilalo helps black students find their way
To be young, gifted and black
It is a long-standing issue, on which the last words have not been said yet. Student with a migration background are underrepresented in Flanders' higher education, especially youngsters with Sub-Saharan roots. Kilalo, an organisation based in Antwerp, is working on change.
“Kilalo is born out of my personal experiences with higher education,” explains Sandrine Ekofo. After high school, Sandrine Ekofo, who has roots in Congo, went to study Law at the University of Antwerp, only to discover that she was one of the very few black students in the classroom. “I felt very uncomfrotable with this situation and asked myself where on earth were the others.”
After her studies, …show more content…
“Three times a week, we provide help with student's homework on three different locations in Antwerp. In total, we counsel something like fourty pupils. We give them advise on more efficient study methods as well. And the fact that our voluteers provide them with a role model is equelly important. It shows them that higher education is not an unattainable dream.”
It was a deliberate choice of Kilalo to focus on secondary education, says Sandrine. “If we want to see more black students take up higher education, it is logical to intervene at an early age. According to me, it is percisely there where the problem lies. Youngsters from African orgine are too often advised by their teachers to follow vocational education. Of course, there is nothing wrong with these fields of study, but a large part of them could have done technical or general education with some extra effort and …show more content…
The goal is to help youngsters cope with their blackness, explains Sandrine. “A lot of young people are struggling with their double identitiy, which can be a curse or a blessing. They feels misunderstood in both cultures. They are brought up in a culture with certain expectation, but live in a society that expects something different from them. All too often, the negative sides of both culture prevail. But it does not have to be like that. Growing up on the intersection of two worlds can be a richness. It gives them an unique perspective on the
To be young, gifted and black
It is a long-standing issue, on which the last words have not been said yet. Student with a migration background are underrepresented in Flanders' higher education, especially youngsters with Sub-Saharan roots. Kilalo, an organisation based in Antwerp, is working on change.
“Kilalo is born out of my personal experiences with higher education,” explains Sandrine Ekofo. After high school, Sandrine Ekofo, who has roots in Congo, went to study Law at the University of Antwerp, only to discover that she was one of the very few black students in the classroom. “I felt very uncomfrotable with this situation and asked myself where on earth were the others.”
After her studies, …show more content…
“Three times a week, we provide help with student's homework on three different locations in Antwerp. In total, we counsel something like fourty pupils. We give them advise on more efficient study methods as well. And the fact that our voluteers provide them with a role model is equelly important. It shows them that higher education is not an unattainable dream.”
It was a deliberate choice of Kilalo to focus on secondary education, says Sandrine. “If we want to see more black students take up higher education, it is logical to intervene at an early age. According to me, it is percisely there where the problem lies. Youngsters from African orgine are too often advised by their teachers to follow vocational education. Of course, there is nothing wrong with these fields of study, but a large part of them could have done technical or general education with some extra effort and …show more content…
The goal is to help youngsters cope with their blackness, explains Sandrine. “A lot of young people are struggling with their double identitiy, which can be a curse or a blessing. They feels misunderstood in both cultures. They are brought up in a culture with certain expectation, but live in a society that expects something different from them. All too often, the negative sides of both culture prevail. But it does not have to be like that. Growing up on the intersection of two worlds can be a richness. It gives them an unique perspective on the