Building Cultural Bridges Program
You remember pen pal programs right? Of course you do. But what if you had the chance to write internationally? The ability to discover a whole new culture, a whole new nation, and even an entirely new language?
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Well with world getting smaller and smaller and connectedness ever increasing through the internet, social media, and technology, Educators of America has developed the Building Cultural Bridges Program!
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If you do not know, one of the Educators of America's Board Members, Brett Claydon, is currently serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the African nation of Namibia. As a Peace Corps Volunteer, Brett is getting to witness a wealth of new cultural experiences, traditions and customs while striving to make a positive impact in the sector of Community Economic Development. In addition to his work in fostering entrepreneurship and small business growth, he is also able to share American customs and traditions while learning more about Namibian ones. His journey so far has taught us a great deal of what it is like to live in Namibia along with information about its history, the diversity of its peoples, and the education system there.
After a discussion about international relations and bringing the his experience back home, it was decided that developing an international PenPal program would allow for Namibian and American students to connect and share insights into their lives, their education, what they do for fun and much more.
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Yet, with the Building Cultural Bridges Program, there is a twist. After a few months of sending letters back and forth to one another, the Namibian students received a Video Technology system from Cisco that allows them to virtually meet an d speak with their pen pals back home in the United States.
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By allowing the students to visually see each other and interact, the original pen pal program becomes a digital platform where students can immediately share experiences, stories, and ask questions. By maturing from a simple pen and paper program into a technology-laced, highly valuable cross-cultural initiative, the Building Cultural Bridges Program is something that we look forward to nurturing with the schools' located at Brett's site assignment, the Peace Corps and the nation of Namibia.
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To follow the progression of the Building Cultural Bridges Program, please check out our blog!
Are you a School interested in joining the Building Cultural Bridges Program?
If your students, classroom, or entire school is interested in joining the Building Cultural Bridges Program, as a teacher or administrator you can use our easy-to-fill in school application forms available in both Word and PDF documents. Click either icon below to download and send our way!