Samoan youths who lived their whole life in the San Francisco Bay area in the United States will get to visit Samoa in a student exchange program to learn about their roots and culture.

Youths from Samoa will also benefit from the exchange and get to travel to San Francisco to learn how it is to grow up in a different country.

The participants will engage in a two-week immersion experience designed to foster cultural connection, welcome cross-culture exposure, engage in educational exchange opportunities and participate in community service initiatives.

The purpose is to create a lifelong impact on participants, promoting a sense of belonging, cultural pride and global citizenship among Samoan youths, fostering a stronger connection and understanding between Samoan communities in the San Francisco Bay area and Samoa.

The program is a collaborative effort between Brown Girl Woke and Samoa Solutions. Through the years, the non-government organisations have worked together on various projects to serve communities in the United States and in Samoa.

Doris Tulifau, the founder of the youth Brown Girl Woke based in Apia said she was also raised in San Francisco and is really excited for the Ta’iala Youth Exchange program creating cultural and educational experiences for Samoan youths.

“We are partnering with a Samoan non-government organisation in San Francisco called the Samoan Solutions,” she said. “For our first Samoan youth exchange program will bring over 15-20 Samoan youths from San Francisco to come to Samoa and learn.

“I’ve helped a lot of study abroad programs bringing over non-Samoan youths and now am excited to bring over Samoan youths who have never come to Samoa to see their families, and history and understand more about Samoa.” 

Brown Girl Woke will be the host agency for all activities and logistics support for the delegation of youths from the United States and Samoan Solutions will be the host agency for all activities and logistics support for youths from Samoa.

Their main reason behind this initiative was that they witnessed a disconnect experienced by Samoans growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area who have not had the opportunity to visit their homeland of Samoa. 

The Youth traveling from the States will arrive during their spring break, from 30 March to 13 April next year and the Samoan Delegation will travel over from 13 July to the 20 July of 2024.