International Education Week

From AFSWiki

AFS-USA encourages all our staff, volunteers, and students to join with other educational and cultural organizations across the country to celebrate International Education Week (IEW) from November 14-18, 2011. International Education Week is an opportunity to celebrate the benefits of intercultural education and exchange worldwide. IEW was first held in 2000 and today, is celebrated in more than 100 countries worldwide. This annual initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education aims to promote international understanding and build support for international educational exchange by encouraging the development of programs that prepare Americans to live and work in a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn, and exchange experiences in the United States.

This year’s theme is International Education: Inspiring Students Locally to Succeed Globally. It celebrates the benefits of understanding the world around us so we can better communicate and collaborate with others from different cultures. It is an ideal opportunity to inspire students to broaden their horizons through global learning, foreign languages and international exchange.

Exchange programs are critical to developing mutual understanding and respect, building leadership, fostering an appreciation for the U.S., and investing in the future relationship between Americans and people around the world. International education is also a vital service industry, bringing more than $20 billion into the U.S. economy in 2009/10. According to Open Doors, 690,923 international students studied in the U.S. in 2009/10. International cooperation on education contributes to education reform and education solutions for the U.S. and for our partner nations.

We encourage the participation of all individuals and institutions interested in international education and exchange activities, including schools, colleges and universities, embassies, international organizations, businesses, associations, and community organizations.

Now is the time to start planning activities and events in your local communities with AFS Volunteers and AFS Exchange Students to promote intercultural learning and exchange.

Here are some additional ideas on how to celebrate IEW:

• Incorporate information on a country or culture into your regular lesson plan, even if you don't teach social studies.
• Explore international aspects of the arts - music, film, theatre, visual arts, literature, dance - by creating, performing, or studying artworks with an international component. This could include a field trip to a museum or concert or * showing a foreign film in class.
• Adopt a school in a developing country and donate school supplies, reference materials, and other items.
• Trade questions and answers with students from another country through the Internet, pen pal clubs, or a Digital Video Conference.
• Encourage cultural understanding for students using the online resource One World: Connecting Communities, Cultures, and Classrooms. Sponsored by the National Football League and Scholastic Inc., this unique education resource designed for teachers. The free, web-based program may be downloaded from [1].
• Organize a cross-cultural potluck lunch in which students bring in or make foods from their homeland or ancestors' homeland.
• Ask students to write essays on countries they would like to visit and why they chose those countries.
• Feature local international experts as speakers: Fulbright Students and Scholars, former diplomats or Peace Corps volunteers, business leaders working for multi-national corporations, or journalists.
• Participate in a Model UN [2].
• Assign students to produce a video or website about their cross-cultural experiences. The video could explore issues of cultural idiosyncrasies, stereotypes, and/or their own experiences in another culture.
• Hold a geography, foreign language, or world history bee for your students. (For ideas, see the IEW Quiz! [3]
• Work with a local children's museum to offer a one day class in a foreign language to elementary school students.
• Find a Sister city / town [4] and carry out a joint activity during IEW.
• Present Certificates of Appreciation to educators with whom you work;
• Ask hosted students and recent returnees to talk with their teachers about speaking in class about their exchange experience (living with a new family, country, and culture);
• Ask schools for a special bulletin board for a week to highlight AFS, returnees, hosted students, and distribute information on AFS;
• Ask a local newspaper to write a feature story on a hosted student, host family or recent returnee, or ask hosted students to send a letter to the editor about their experiences that thanks their host families;
• Send a simple thank you (or bring some goodies to the office) to the schools that support AFS in your communities the most, or to schools where you would like to strengthen relationships

Take the time today to also visit the [5] U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education IEW website and see how you and exchange students in your community can get involved in promoting student exchange!

Local Customizable Press Release

Contact: [Local Contact]

AFS-USA CELEBRATES INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION WEEK [Highlight Local Event Here]

[City, State]—AFS Intercultural Programs, a leader in international high school student exchange for more than 60 years, joins educational and cultural organizations across the country in celebrating the 12th annual International Education Week, November 14-18, 2011. International Education Week is a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Department of Education to promote programs that prepare Americans to live and work in a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn, and exchange experiences in the United States.

[Place paragraph here that announces local event. For example: The AFS (use real name) Team invites the community to attend an International Pot Luck Dinner at the Fireman’s Hall on Monday, November 14 at 5 PM. AFS Exchange Students who are attending high school in our community this year and their host families will prepare recipes from the students’ home countries to share with others, and students will talk about their experiences in the U.S. Please come by and meet the new members of our community! For more information, call (phone number).]

During International Education Week, AFS participants will share their stories at school and community events throughout the U.S. to promote intercultural understanding and awareness. All these activities highlight the stories of AFS Exchange Students and their families, as well as those of the educators, volunteers, and community members whose lives have been touched in sharing with students and teachers from other countries and cultures.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said, "A complete education in the 21st century must teach our children about their interdependent world, and it must prepare them to be good leaders and good global citizens. International awareness and knowledge can help our children build the skills needed to communicate and cooperate with those from other nations and other cultures. And as they participate in international education and international exchange, our students can gain the knowledge and experiences to help them contribute to a sustainable future for all."

For more information on International Education Week, please visit www.afsusa.org/iew. To learn more about how you can arrange for a presentation in your school or community, or for more information on study abroad programs, scholarship opportunities, hosting an outstanding student, or volunteering in your community with AFS, please visit www.afsusa.org.

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About AFS

AFS is a worldwide, nonprofit organization that has been leading international high school student exchange for more than 60 years. Each year, AFS-USA sends more than 1,400 U.S. students abroad, provides approximately $3 million in scholarships and financial aid, and welcomes 2,500 international high school students who come to study in U.S. high schools and live with host families. More than 6,000 volunteers in the U.S. make the work of AFS possible.