Philly in Paris
Paris - November 2024HARRIET’S BOOKSHOP AND GOING GLOBAL WITH BARBARA:
PHILLY IN PARIS
WIF is proud to partner with Going Global with Barbara (GGwB), an organization devoted to exposing African-American youth to the possibilities that exist through travel and study abroad, on its International Youth Leadership Program. This organization is normalizing the conversation around college admissions and expanding it to include the possibility of studying abroad.
Harriet’s Bookshop in Philadelphia, PA engaged GGwB to work on a specially-conceived excursion that brought students and recent graduates from YESPhilly Accelerated High School to Paris in November 2024. Philly in Paris was created as a hands-on, innovative solution to the violence epidemic that Philadelphia youth face today.
WIF supported this initiative by organizing visits to the American University of Paris (AUP) and American Business School (ABS) as well as a women-centric Entrée to Black Paris tour.
Seven (7) males and two (2) females aged 17-18 participated in this excursion.
Copyright for the images on this page belongs to one of the following organizations or individuals: the Wells International Foundation, Going Global with Barbara, or Entrée to Black Paris.
AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF PARIS
Andrea Christmas of AUP admissions presented the topic of applying to universities in general to the students and fielded their initial questions.
Blu Clara Rapps-O’Dea Valey, president of the student group Black and Abroad, then led the group on a campus tour and had lunch with the group afterward.
While waiting for their meals, YESPhilly students mingled with AUP students and even engaged in a game of billiards.
ENTREE TO BLACK PARIS WALKING TOUR
Following lunch, WIF Founder & CEO, Dr. Monique Y. Wells led the group on the Entrée to Black Paris Black History in and around the Luxembourg Garden tour. This two-hour walk focuses the contributions of Afro-descendent women from multiple continents to Paris history, culture, and contemporary life.
AMERICAN BUSINESS SCHOOL
For the second time since WIF and GGwB began their collaboration in 2022, WIF organized a visit to the American Business School (ABS).
ABS Dean Samuel Berthet took the group on a tour of the campus.
The students then sat in on the Intercultural Studies class taught by former WIF board member Nicole Matusinec. This course is required for all students at ABS, and the YESPhilly students had the opportunity to see multiple ABS students present their homeland as part of their preparation for final exams.
YESPhilly students were introduced to Senegal, the Philippines, Germany, Italy, and Lebanon by natives who shared their experiences regarding the similarities and differences between life in their countries and Paris. . They also heard a student from the U.S. talk compare life in Paris to life at home.
Prior to leaving the campus, YESPhilly students mingled with college students who participated in a pop-up vintage clothing sale hosted by ESAM Paris, the undergraduate management/finance/law university that shares the building with ABS.
LUNCH AT NEW SOUL FOOD
New Soul Food is the brainchild of Rudy Laine, a culinary professional trained in cooking and pastry making. He and his brother Joël, who is also a chef patissier, are the owners of a food truck and a bricks-and-mortar restaurant that provide Afro-Caribbean cuisine to an eager French public.
The restaurant, New Soul Food Le Maquis, is a five-minute walk from ABS. Students and chaperones enjoyed lunch there after their visit to the university.
