UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Five students in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences had the opportunity of a lifetime when they spent more than two weeks in Kenya as part of the embedded course, “Issues in Economic, Community and Agricultural Development in Kenya.”
This course is part of an initiative to develop viable economic and youth development options for former street-dwelling children in Kenya. Students learn about cultural, economic and social conditions, then build on this knowledge to develop options for youth development and entrepreneurship.
The course has been offered annually for about 10 years, and Janelle Larson, associate professor of agricultural economics, noted that it will be held in the spring 2020 semester. Larson was the initiator of the class and has been teaching it with Sjoerd Duiker, professor of soil management and applied soil physics, and Brian Thiede, assistant professor of rural sociology, sociology, and demography.
Larson said before traveling in May, students in the class prepare by spending time getting to know more about Kenya. Topics covered in the first part of the course include the history of Kenya, current socioeconomic conditions and things that impact youth poverty in the country.
“We are very intentional about how we prepare our students,” Larson said. “We want them to recognize what they are learning and gaining from this experience and approach it with humility. We are not there to implement our ideas; we are going to help. I want students to be open to that collaboration.”
While in Kenya, students work with the Children and Youth Empowerment Centre in Nyeri on projects identified as priorities by staff at the center. Larson said this class gives students the opportunity to gain practical experience working and learning about community development while supporting the initiatives of the center. This year, the students worked on two projects: one to develop a prototype landfill and another to facilitate an assessment of food security in neighborhoods that the center serves.