Area Teens Share About Their Life-Changing Entrepreneurship Experiences at 'Inspired By The Gambia'

Come witness how 10 teenage leaders were transformed during their recent 13-day experience in The Gambia, a tiny country in West Africa along the Gambia River, at “Inspired by The Gambia” on Sunday, Aug. 27 from 3:30-6:30 p.m. at Madison Museum of Contemporary Art. As part of CEOs of Tomorrow’s These Teens Mean Busine$$ Global Excursions program, the students helped to teach entrepreneurship seminars to local youth, learned about the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the country and were fully immersed in the culture. Register online for the free event. 

At “Inspired by The Gambia,” guests will learn more about the Global Excursions program. Each student will give a presentation about their experience and the impact of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in Africa. Guests will also be the first to view the new Senegambia Discovery Box, full of traditional Gambian artifacts chosen by the teens during their stay and presented to the UW-Madison African Studies Program for hands-on exploration in Wisconsin classrooms. The program includes an opportunity for the audience to ask questions and will give special recognition to supporters who made the trip possible.

“Traveling abroad has allowed our students to experience different cultures firsthand. It has helped them gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the world and the people in it,” said Roxie Hentz, Ph.D., founding executive director of CEOs of Tomorrow. “It was amazing to witness them become more open-minded, tolerant and accepting of different ways of life. I’m so proud of them!”

Ten participating CEOs of Tomorrow students, grades 9-12, went to The Gambia from Saturday, July 22 to Saturday, Aug. 5. Of those, nine were students of color and traveling out of the country for the first time.

Quinton Maddox, an eleventh grader in Sun Prairie, shared that “the exchange of knowledge and culture was very enriching. The way I view relationships with other people has changed. I'm now more grateful and extremely value those close to me.”

Prior to the excursion, teens engage in summer coursework to learn about the host country, including its geography, customs, languages, education system and local entrepreneurial ecosystem. The program includes a 10-14-day trip to immerse them in opportunities out of the country, where they work with international teens by applying what they have learned in social entrepreneurship. Through these collaborative lessons, the teens collectively develop small business ideas aimed at addressing a local need and bringing revenue to youth, families and villages.

“Our Global Excursions program is one of many of our college-level courses where area high school students can earn both college and high school credits taking this college-level course and travel about entrepreneurship,” said Hentz. “Students open real businesses and make real money while addressing social and environmental issues. Through their work, they can truly see themselves impacting the world.”

According to Sowmya Rajana, a twelfth grader, from Middleton, “The most meaningful part of this experience of travel to The Gambia this summer was meeting people, making friendships and connecting with different cultures. Initially, during the trip preparation meetings, I remember being worried that I wouldn’t be able to make any friends. But through this experience, I got to know and work closely with the Kotu Secondary School students in The Gambia. This was great! I still stay in contact with some of them today.”

Denali Kraemer, a senior from Verona, shared, “People were the highlight of the experience. Everyone we met greeted us with open arms and loving hearts. It didn't matter if we lived across the world or spoke a different language. We are family.”

CEOs of Tomorrow thanks these program sponsors: American Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social Impact, Schlecht Family Foundation, UW-Madison African Studies Program, Overture Center for the Arts and Madison Museum of Contemporary Art.

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