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The pen pal relationship was initiated by Student Movement for Real Change, Inc., a non-profit organization committed to serving the Manyeleti region in the Mpumalanga province in northeastern South Africa. Through SMRC, students at Northwestern University have regularly visited the classrooms at Oakton School. Lauren Johnston, a Northwestern women's soccer goalee, has led this effort at Oakton. They work with the students doing writing, geography, music and cultural activities.

We have engaged Chicago photographer Jon Lowenstein and journalist Jeff Kelly Lowenstein to document this pen pal exchange. They travelled to the Gothenburg village in South Africa in September 2007 to photograph, interview, record sound and gather information about the daily life of the students, teachers and families of the students at Manyeleti Primary School. They will also photograph and document the lives of the students at Oakton Elementary School in the Chicago area.

In an effort to increase awareness of the children's circumstances in South Africa and to raise funds, we intend to stage a photo exhibition in Chicago which will include photographs, shared journals, letters, sound and video. An opening night fundraiser will be held which will include a "soccer ball" auction where artists from the area will create and donate decorated soccer balls. This will take place in the spring of 2008. Net proceeds from the exhibition and fundraiser will be used to build a library collection and to build additional classrooms to relieve overcrowding at Manyeleti Primary. Additionally, funds will be used improve the soccer field and provide athletic equipment.

An additional component of this project will be to add an arts element. Michael Montenegro, an Evanston puppeteer and Idris Goodwin, a writer, poet and performance artist will work with the students at Oakton in a project which will incorporate a self portrait and shared values in our culture. The goal of this project is to illustrate the shared cultural values of Oakton students. Children will reflect on values presented in "The Cougar Promise". Every student learns the promise at kindergarten and it is recited by all students everyday at the school.

Idris Goodwin, will work with the students to focus on the values of the promise. They will weave these ideas into text which will be performed by the students with musical accompaniment. Michel Montenegro will work with the students to create collages that mirror themselves in an exercise of self portrait. Before the collages are glued down, the students will be involved in a photography project to animate the collages for a video. The video will be shared with the children in South Africa.

If funding comes available, we would like to provide this same arts experience for the children at Manyeleti Primary School in South Africa.

It is our goal through this exchange that both populations of students will grow and become more aware of our global community.