GAIL Conference 2017

Erin Mellow, Faculty
This summer Kimball Union Academy sent ten delegates to the annual GAIL Conference held in Pretoria, South Africa. GAIL, the Global Alliance for Innovative Learning, is a network of seven schools from countries around the world who have joined together to foster student exchanges, collaboration among classes, and faculty fellowships. KUA, a member since 2014, has sent delegates to conferences held in the foothills of the Himalayas in India, the coast of Scotland, and now in the highlands of South Africa.  
 
 
The theme of this year’s conference was “Ubuntu,” which translates from Zulu to “I am because you are.” The workshops throughout the week asked students and faculty alike to examine the importance of intrapersonal and interpersonal relationships. Conference attendees prepared for a debate at the end of the week that required students to argue on various sides of evolutionary issues. The full slate of activities on the Prestige College campus included a scavenger hunt, leadership games, and cultural activities. One highlight was an off-campus day trip spent at the Cradle of Humankind, the location where the oldest fossils of hominids were found. The Kimball Union students blended into the diverse group of students and jumped right into the activities throughout the week. It was exciting to learn how to make fire, one of the earliest tools discovered by humans, and to participate in a drum circle.  
 
From the conference, the KUA delegation drove to Kruger National Park, the largest game park in Africa. There they saw elephants, giraffes, impala, zebras, crocodiles, and even two rhinos. They also had the opportunity to feed and pet elephants at an elephant sanctuary. The group then traveled to Cape Town to hike Table Mountain, see African penguins in Simonstown, and visit Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners was imprisoned during Apartheid.  
 
The students and faculty had an incredible time meeting students from all over the world and touring the unique country. Kimball Union will host the GAIL conference next year and is excited to invite the schools from India, Scotland, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and China to visit our campus in Meriden.  
 
For more information, please visit: gailschools.org
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