Edgar Barboza has spent a lot of time on the UCLA campus.

At 14, Edgar regularly comes to campus with his brother, who is pursuing a master's degree in the School of Theater, Film and Television.

But Edgar's visit to campus in July had a larger purpose. He spent nearly the entire month here in a cultural exchange program that brought together 12 students from the Los Angeles Unified School District and 12 students from Johannesburg, South Africa.

Through the Soze Project, students ages 9-14 from two different continents lived in the Hitch Residential Suites together with mentors from the two countries and learned dance, art, writing and music. After two weeks of classes, they wrote their own play together and performed it at the Freud Playhouse and at the Apollo Theater in Harlem at the end of July.

The Soze Project was sponsored by Equal Opportunity Productions, a UCLA-affiliated group started in 1997 by alumnus Michael Skolnik, the project's executive director.

Skolnik, a native of New York, said he wanted to create an outreach program for Los Angeles children unable to study the arts in school because of budget cuts. Each quarter, participating UCLA students go to a different elementary school to teach fifth graders about the arts; at the end, they put together a show and perform it. So far, they've gone to eight schools and taught more than 300 children.

The group also started a Saturday program for youths from varied economic and ethnic backgrounds who most wanted a chance to come to UCLA.

Working closely with Skolnik on the Soze Project was UCLA alumnus Mike de la Rocha, who serves as the managing director of Equal Opportunity Productions. He was the undergraduate president at UCLA in 1999-2000.

Nompumelelo Mayiyane, 13, of Johannesburg, said she auditioned to be part of the summer program because it was her dream to come to the United States.

"The workshop taught me the importance of trusting and family," she said. The other students became her second family and helped her deal with the long separation from her parents and siblings.

Anna Kats, 12, of West Hollywood, was involved with the Saturday program for two years when she applied for the summer program.

"I've completely changed," she said.

Before the workshop, Anna didn't dance or perform much. Now "I'm just so comfortable dancing. I discovered I can sing," she said.

Anna said she is much more confident, thanks to her new friends. "Their presence has taught me I am so much better than I thought I was and can do things I never thought I could do."

Jade Brogan Gretna Swartz, 12, of Johannesburg, said she enjoyed the wide variety of experiences the program offered, including being at the university, eating American food and being with Americans.

"It is the first time I've had such close brothers and sisters because I'm an only child," she said.

Jade said she planned when she arrived home to tell her family and friends what she learned: "They're the same as we are. They're lovely; they're caring. We have similarities, we have differences - in South Africa we have differences, too."