A class of Ghanaian students, ages 12 to 26, were introduced recently to the poem, Praise Song for the Day,” written by Elizabeth Alexander in honor of President Barack Obama’s inauguration ceremony in 2004.
Their teacher, Michael Morand, deputy chief communications officer at Yale, is among a number of volunteers who have traveled to Yamoransa, Ghana, this August, as part of the Yale Alumni Service Corps (YASC) 2013 initiative. The service corps volunteers train students in several areas, including business development, education and the arts, college mentoring and public health. Michael Morand is using, “Praise Song,” to expand the students’ arts education experience, one of the aims of the service program.
The Yale Alumni Service Corps program is conducted in collaboration with AFS Ghana in Yamoransa, Ghana.
Read more about the Yale Service Corp 2013 initiative at http://www.yaleservicetours.org/title-ghana2013
“Some live by love thy neighbor as thyself,
others by first do no harm or take no more
than you need. What if the mightiest word is love?”
from “Praise Song for the Day”
Elizabeth Alexander