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PEACE THROUGH UNDERSTANDING: INNOVATIVE YOUTH PROGRAMS AWARDED GRANTS Communities in Afghanistan, Ukraine, Czech Republic & Armenia Collaborate With U.S. Sister Cities FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 17, 2006 WASHINGTON - In a time of rapid globalization and heightening international tensions, a new grant program aims to empower four sister city partnerships to build peace - by helping a diversity of school children and high school students to connect globally. Organized by Sister Cities International and funded by Hewlett Packard, this innovative project will involve today-s youth in global cooperation. Each partnership received $5,000 and an additional $1,200 to fund two students from each participating community to attend the International Youth Summit on Global Citizenship in July 2006 at the Sister Cities International 50th Anniversary Conference in Washington D.C. Jalalabad, Afghanistan and San Diego, California initiated the "We Are Citizens of the World" program with grade 2-5 students of Doyle Elementary School in San Diego and Najmul Rotary School in Jalalabad. Community and class letter exchange, picture book exchange, and learning about global citizenship and diplomacy. Rolling bulletin boards and presentations done by students on their partner culture will be used to exchange information between classrooms. Doyle Elementary School will hold a penny drive to buy school supplies for its partner school. Najmul Jahad will have an art drive to send student art to the San Diego school. Local contact: Dr. Cynthia Villis, cynvillis@worldnet.att.net 858.344.9052 Learning about global economy and trade will keep Chyhyryn, Ukraine and Sebastopol World Friends of Sebastopol, California busy this year. They have selected ten students from each community to learn about global citizenship and fair trade. After conducting research, students will write a position paper together and then create websites and presentations in both languages. They will then implement what they have learned within their communities. Students in Chyhyryn will identify ten producers with products that can be marketed internationally. Students in Sebastopol will procure a list of five marketing agents in Sonoma County. Chyhyryn students will take digital pictures of the products and provide English descriptions. Together, they will publish the products on a website for prospective retailers. Students will make trips to both communities to interact with business leaders and expand the project. Local contact: Leaf Roberts, leafroberts@yahoo.com 707.823.4100 Thanks to technology, youth can build friendships globally. Students from Rice Lake, Wisconsin and Zamberk, Czech Republic will collaborate on "Partners for Tomorrow: Youth for Global Citizenship Summit." Summits will be held in both cities. Each school will perform a concert for their partner community via video. Video conference meetings will be used for school tours, community sharing, and art exchange. Both summits will create a "Community Action Plan for Global Citizenship" to be incorporated into the local social studies curricula. Students will also participate in smaller informational exchanges including video interviews with each respective mayor . Students extend into the realm of arts and culture by performing coordinating arts performances within each community. Local Contact: Deb Neuheisel Smith, smthco@chibardun.net 715.234.1148 An age-old dispute about water access will build bridges of understanding between two high schools in Cambridge, Massachusetts and a secondary school in Yerevan, Armenia. They will hold a model United Nations debate about water access in Africa. Students will gain an education on water sanitation as well as access rights to the Nile River. They will learn about conflict resolution, negotiation, leadership, and the influence of national clout in world issues. Students from Yerevan will represent those nations that have the most power and influence, while students from Cambridge will represent the countries which have been denied access to the Nile. Students will communicate via email and chat room discussions for preparation of materials, the actual debate, and post-debate conversations. As a final product, students will build a website and post a copy of the debate with its outcomes. All three schools will create exhibits and show them to their local communities. Local contact: Yerevan, Armenia: Joanne Hartunian, cyscaschools@hotmail.com 617.484.0776 Grant-funded programs began in January 2006 and will run for 12 months, but organizers say they are expected to continue after the grant period. Each partnership is required to fully match their grant and file quarterly reports with Sister Cities International. Representing more than 2,400 communities in 132 countries, Sister Cities International (www.sister-cities.org) is a citizen diplomacy network creating and strengthening partnerships between the U.S. and communities abroad. Begun in 1956 after a White House summit where U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower called for people-to-people exchanges, sister city partnerships are tailored to local interests and increase global cooperation at the grassroots level. Sister Cities International promotes peace through mutual respect, understanding and cooperation by focusing on sustainable development, youth and education, arts and culture, humanitarian assistance and economic growth programs. |
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