The academies reach out to students of all backgrounds, regardless of culture, race, religion, or financial circumstance. The first of the academies was opened in Kenya on an 18-acre site in the Kizingo area of Mombasa in 2003. At present, it is estimated the network will comprise 18 campuses across 14 countries that will teach 14,000 students. The curriculum was built around an international baccalaureate model.
The Global Encounters Program
Global Encounters is an international program for adolescent Ismaili Muslim youth focused “on service, leadership development, culture, and global citizenship.” The Global Encounters Program offers residential camps, virtual camps, and internships.
Global Encounters Residential Camps give participants the unique opportunity to experience lived pluralism in a residential setting. This can happen in person at the Aga Khan Academies and at the Aga Khan University or, as was the case during the pandemic, virtually through CONNECT.
Goals for participants at the camps include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
CONNECT, a journey of exploration, learning and creativity is designed to strengthen connections amongst global youth aged 14-17. CONNECT offers opportunities for youth to “make friends from around the world, engage in cultural exchange, learn new skills, explore the AKDN, collaborate on creative projects, dialogue about current issues, and build for the future.” Nearly 2,500 youth from more than 42 countries participated in CONNECT during 2020 and 2021,
The Global Encounters Internship Program was inaugurated in 2019. Its goal is to assist post-secondary students and young
83