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The Exchange 2.0 Summit - April 27th, 2011
Excerpt from Former Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Judith McHale
"With the help of many of you in this room, we have already started down this path at the State Department. Our Global Connections and Exchange Program has been in operation for ten years. This landmark public diplomacy initiative connects students who may never share a lunch table or walk home together. But with online classrooms, there are no limits on sharing their ideas. Together, they learn to be positive forces for change in their local communities.
One such exchange actually connects high school students in Egypt – Sadat City though, not Cairo – with those in Brookline, Massachusetts. They collaborate on environmental projects around waste removal and recycling. They call themselves “the Waste Busters.” Using digital video conferences, Skype, and Facebook, the students have formed an active community. And this community allows the students to do more than bust waste. They also encourage each other during final exams. And next week they are organizing an online discussion about the roots of Egypt’s revolution.
It doesn’t take much to unleash our natural curiosity about the other people and places of the world. It doesn’t take much to bring people together and remind us that we all belong to the same shared planet. Sometimes all it takes is the opportunity to ask a question and receive an honest answer. Connective technologies help us open those lines of communication".
"The Global Impact Apprentice Challenge, or GIA, is an opportunity for American high school students to collaborate with a partner school in the Middle East or North Africa on a service-learning project addressing an environmental issue of mutual concern in each of their communities. Through digital communication, joint service-learning initiatives and cultural exchange, GIA provides a unique forum for youth to collaborate on issues of both local and global concern."
GIA 2010-2011 Environmental Challenge
This challenge featured three American schools paired with one school in the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) region for an intercultural and international environmental leadership competition. Through a series of three videoconferences that took place throughout the 2010-2011 school year, teams ] learned about each other's environmental concerns and were tasked with collaborating on several joint challenges and projects. Environmental experts served as judges who rated each team's presentation and project during each videoconference. After the third and final videoconference, the judges awarded the winning team with a cultural exchange. Representatives from the American half of the winning team had the opportunity to visit their teammates abroad and representatives from the MENA portion of the team had the chance to visit their teammates in the United States.
Schools not directly involved in the competition can still participate virtually via webcast accessed through the GIA website. The top two webcast participants during each of the three webcasts will be awarded a prize for their participation. Please join our mailing list for updates on how to view each webcast and how to become involved.
Monday, May 2nd 2011, youth leaders from Egypt shared their stories and hope for their new Egypt with youth leaders from Boston, Massachusetts and from around the world. It was an amazing discussion with youth from Yemen, the United States and other countries emailing in questions. In case you missed it, the discussion can be viewed in its' entirety here.
Roots of the Revolution
Egypt's youth were the engine that drove the revolution. re-watch the discussion with over one dozen of these remarkable young leaders as they shared their experiences, hopes, and aspirations for their new Egypt.
Also participating in this event, via videoconference, was a group of American youth from Boston, Massachusetts who asked questions of the Egyptian youth leaders.
The on-line discussion was facilitated by prominent Northeastern University Professor Denis J. Sullivan. Mr. Sullivan is the Director of Northeastern Univesity’s International Affairs program and its’ Middle East Center for Peace, Culture, and Development.
