Exchange Matters / July 15, 2025

Education as Empowerment: 2025 Emerging Leader Highlights Community Service Project

By Raven Jules, 2025 Global Ties U.S. Emerging Leader

Editor’s Note: Raven Jules is an alumna of the 2025 Global Ties U.S. Emerging Leader Program and former intern with Global Ties Alabama. She is also a pre-law student interested in the intersection of juvenile defense, education equity, and community service. Raven reflects on her Emerging Leaders service projecthow global engagement starts at home, and how her experiences with the Global Ties Network shaped her professional growth.  

What initially drew me to Global Ties Alabama and the Global Ties Network was their work to strengthen communities through citizen diplomacy. As the daughter of a Haitian immigrant, I have always understood that access to education is not guaranteed. Growing up, my mother taught me that education is a tool of empowerment, and I carry that belief into every space that I enter. My personal background, along with my experience at Global Ties Alabama as a refugee resettlement intern, showed me firsthand the positive impact that people-to-people engagement can have on local communities.

While in college at Oakwood University, I served as the Community Service Chair for the NAACP. In that role, I launched a tutoring initiative at James I. Dawson elementary school in Huntsville, Alabama where students were performing at the lowest proficiency level. Our team met weekly with students to support them with their math studies. This experience showed me how important direct educational support can be. 

Given my family ties to Haiti and my growing concern about the school closures there, I decided to focus my Emerging Leaders service project on providing mentorship and academic support for students affected by civil unrest in Haiti. With most schools in Port-au-Prince shut down due to gang violence, and only private schools remaining open, the need was clear.  

I launched an English and computer literacy tutoring program for students in Jacmel—a more stable region in southern Haiti. I connected with Jean Kesner Delma at the middle school Petit Frère de Ste. Thérèse, who became a key partner. The school has a reputation for active engagement in community service, including providing clean drinking water to the community, and operates with transparency and accountability, making it an ideal location to launch the program. Petit Frère de Ste. Thérèse engages middle school students up to seventh grade with an average class size of 30–35 students. 

The project includes two weekly sessions focused on English language development, reading, writing, and basic computer skills. This English and computer literacy program is ongoing and will also include a certification. We are also working to secure high-speed internet access through Starlink, which became available in Haiti in 2023. With reliable internet connections, we plan to integrate virtual resources and expand digital learning opportunities for students. We are currently working with Jean to coordinate internet access, and acquire a large classroom monitor to enhance the learning experience.  

The political situation has created several challenges—most notably delays in communication and difficulty accessing reliable partners — yet the urgency of the work has only grown. We have revised our original partnership plan and are now finalizing agreements with the school to launch a pilot phase of the program. The project is ongoing, and we continue to adapt to changing conditions on the ground. My goal is to create a sustainable program that improves English and digital literacy skills in Haiti, with the goal of expanding to more schools in the future. 

My time with the Global Ties Network and the Emerging Leaders Program was a truly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me. While interning at Global Ties Alabama, I had no idea that I would be given the opportunity to become one of the 2025 Emerging Leaders, experience the Global Ties U.S. National Meeting in Washington, DC, and be able to implement a service project on a global scale. These moments not only reinforced my desire to pursue law but also allowed me to emphasize an important aspect of my life: service. Real leadership means lifting others as you rise. I am beyond grateful to have had this transformative experience and to be able to make a positive impact globally by first starting in my own backyard.