Discover true generosity; live with a Senegalese family, learn a new craft, drum and dance, find yourself immersed in a new worldview.
You never know what new beauty might emerge in Senegal.
Enter a fortuneteller’s hut and ask a question about your future. Spin and dance with Sufi mystics. Discover fluent Spanish speakers on a mangrove island. Speak with a young man preparing to cross the Strait of Gibraltar to find work in Spain. This country is a collision of influences: French, Islamic, African, and increasingly, American and Chinese. Renowned for its hospitality and tolerance, Senegal makes room for all. We delve into pressing modern social issues while immersing ourselves in deep culture. As we sink into the rhythm of Senegalese life, we see that this place has much to teach us about community, global issues, and our own humanity.
Our journey begins in Thies, where we get our first…
Enter a fortuneteller’s hut and ask a question about your future. Spin and dance with Sufi mystics. Discover fluent Spanish speakers on a mangrove island. Speak with a young man preparing to cross the Strait of Gibraltar to find work in Spain. This country is a collision of influences: French, Islamic, African, and increasingly, American and Chinese. Renowned for its hospitality and tolerance, Senegal makes room for all. We delve into pressing modern social issues while immersing ourselves in deep culture. As we sink into the rhythm of Senegalese life, we see that this place has much to teach us about community, global issues, and our own humanity.
Our journey begins in Thies, where we get our first taste of tchieb-u-dien, Senegal’s national dish, and explore colorful markets, dance and drum with local teachers, and begin to examine issues surrouding the term ‘development.’ From Thies we travel to the sandy shores of Dene, where we study comparative religion amongst a community of Islamic scholars, practice French and Wolof greetings and learn new cultural norms, and possibly stay up late drumming and dancing under the stars. These initial days set the stage for an in-depth exploration of issues related to public health, gender, education, social justice, and human migration. Then, in the urban center of Thies, we engage in an urban homestay where we learn about local history, politics, and development challenges. Plunging into the vibrant traditions of a country that is 95% Muslim, we examine how Islam intersects with ancient African religious customs.
Heading south, we watch the flat desert landscape scattered with ancient baobab trees turn into lush, green forest. We trek through the foothills of the Fouta Djallon mountains, visiting Pulaar villages, traditional healers, and environmental activists along the way. We come to rest for a week of homestays, where students live in traditional thatched-hut family compounds. Students spend the day as locals do, working in the fields, milking cows, partaking in drumming and dance lessons, and listening to village meetings. As we sink into the rhythm of Senegalese life, we see that the tradition of teranga (the culture of giving) offers us many lessons about community and the web of connections we share.
Hear more from our Senegal Program Director in this recent webinar.
Click on the gallery below to browse photos, videos and quotes from our participants and instructors.
Explore unique variations of West African Islam, Catholicism, and animism.
Engage with gender issues and children’s rights, immigration and unemployment, desertification and climate change, public health and education.
Discover Senegal's rich artistic heritage, explore Sufi mysticism, and learn more about 'teranga,' Senegal's culture of giving.
Spend a week with a family in an individual rural village homestay with very rugged amenities, another week in a semi-urban homestay. Possible stays in additional group homestays in other parts of Senegal.
Choose from a wide range of possible topics for mentored study during time in homestays such as drumming, dance, storytelling, gender issues, visual arts, health, politics, animism and more.
Study Wolof, French, and Pulaar through language classes and immersion with homestay families, trekking guides, and Senegalese friends.
Learn about how our Senegalese hosts serve the environment through reforestation efforts in mangrove swamps and chimpanzee habitats. Give back to communities by dispelling stereotypes and assisting your homestay families with farm chores.
Travel overland throughout through Senegal on public transport, trek on foot through the hills of Kedougou, and stay in communities with little running water or electricity.
Take on a moderately challenging multi-day trek from village to village and discover beautiful waterfalls in the verdant hills of the Kedougou region.
Eve learned so much about global issues, for example the treatment of women and deforestation. She became sensitized to how people live outside the US and the challenges they face. All this learning and growing took place within a joyful, warm and welcoming environment.
Senegal Summer Program
She really had an amazing experience. Though of course it is hard to know the extent of the impact at this stage, I would say it will be life changing.
Wendy L., Parent Senegal Summer Program
Sam had an incredible experience. Exactly the one we hoped for. His group was a diverse mix of personalities, his leaders engaged, and Sam loved everything in the itinerary.
Parents Senegal Summer Program