by [email protected] | Mar 22, 2018 | Blog Posts, News
This spring and summer, iEARN-USA would like to welcome 143 NSLI-Y scholarship recipients to the iEARN family!
The vision of iEARN-USA is an interconnected, peaceful and just world. The mission of iEARN-USA is to empower educators, young people and their communities through global collaboration and transformative learning. One of the important ways that iEARN-USA works to achieve this mission is through physical exchange opportunities for youth, such as the NSLI-Y program.
NSLI-Y is a State Department funded program that provides full scholarships for high school students to study languages abroad. One of the goals of this program is to improve the ability of Americans to engage with people around the world through shared language. Another goal of the program is to create a cadre of young Americans who have the advanced linguistic and cultural skills to be able to advance international dialogue. This kind of people-to-people diplomacy is crucial to creating a more interconnected and peaceful world.
As Michelle Obama said in a 2011 speech at Howard University:
“These [exchange] experiences… set the stage for young people all over the world to come together and work together to make our world stronger, because make no mistake about it, whether it’s climate change or terrorism, economic recovery or the spread of nuclear weapons … the defining challenges of our time are shared challenges. Neither of our countries can confront these alone. The only way forward, the only way to solve these problems, is by working together.
That’s why it is so important for more of our young people to live and study in each other’s countries. That’s how, student by student, we develop that habit of cooperation, by immersing yourself in someone else’s culture, by sharing your stories and letting them share theirs, by taking the time to get past the stereotypes and misperceptions that too often divide us.”
Perhaps it goes without saying, though it does bear repeating: being able to use a shared language is a crucial starting point for any effective communication and collaboration.
Since 2009, iEARN-USA has administered the NSLI-Y program for 1003 students, and each of those students represents just one dot in an interconnected web of newly created international relationships. Students go overseas and create strong, long-lasting friendships with their their host families, teachers, program administrators, friends, and neighbors in their host communities. Even if they cannot speak the language when they first arrive, students figure out how to mime, gesture, smile, and laugh their way to a shared understanding.
iEARN-USA is proud to welcome the 2018 cohort of iEARN NSLI-Y students. As NSLI-Y is a merit-based scholarship, these 143 new iEARN NSLI-Y students represent the very best and brightest of American youth. They are innovative, diverse, and optimistic. Commenting on the benefits she experienced from participating in an iEARN NSLI-Y program, one alumna wrote,
“I have also become more hopeful about my own country. Being able to make friends who are just as passionate about learning and cultural understanding as I am has allowed me to see a better side of my own country, and if people like those I have met on this program are the future of the United States then I am truly excited for the interconnected world they will help create.â€
We think of these new NSLI-Y participants not only as citizen ambassadors for the United States, but also as global representatives of iEARN-USA’s mission, creating a more interconnected, peaceful and just world, one friendship at a time.
Are you a U.S. educator? Encourage your high school students to apply for the scholarship next year!
Are you a new NSLI-Y finalist or parent? Find out more about how you can connect your teacher or school to iEARN-USA’s robust international network of educators.
by [email protected] | Nov 15, 2017 | Blog Posts, News
When Starbucks launched the Pumpkin Spice Latte, my perception of autumn in America was formed. Autumn is imagined as pumpkin in Americans mind. Stores and markets decorated with pumpkins are verifying my idea. Fall is signified enrichment to everyone like ripped plump-pumpkin. Thanksgiving is known as a holiday to celebrate the abundance of the season and people express gratitude for a full harvest, and gather with beloved family around a dining table for a warm meal. Likewise, Chuseok, Korean Thanksgiving day, is a big national holiday, so I can understand how much thanksgiving is important to American and has precious meaning.
Sometimes, however, the reason why people get excited during the holiday is not just because of family reunion, but a great deal of shopping. Colossal bargains which are promoted over the holiday such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday by retailers are regarded as big chances to purchase commodities at outstanding prices. According to a research by NRF, National Retail Federation, more than 154 million consumers shopped in person and online last Black Friday.
On the contrary, while many people are keen to be a winner of a shopping competition,there are movements contributing to giving back to society. #GivingTuesday is such a movement, celebrated on the day after Thanksgiving each year. It was started to support charity and encourage people to give back through donating and volunteerism. The influence of #GivingTuesday is becoming stronger as it remarkably raised $116 million for charities in 2015—only 3 years after it was founded.
If you want to have meaningful Thanksgiving holiday this year, I strongly recommend joining #GivingTuesday. iEARN-USA also participates in the event, raising funds increasing awareness of global education. Through ‘Passport to iEARN’, one of iEARN’s #Givingtuesday events, you can experience 12-hrs of global virtual video chat – anyone can take part no matter far the physical distance between us. Additionally, they will hold an ‘Open house’ in the iEARN-USA office on the same day. If you are in New York,you can meet inspiring people from the global education community.
I’m so excited that this will be my first Thanksgiving in the U.S. and I can celebrate #GivingTuesday at the same time. I am looking forward to experiencing American holiday traditions and seeing a value of charity by participating in the event.
Learn more and join iEARN by visiting:
Open House https://iearnopenhouse.eventbrite.com
Passport to iEARN https://passporttoiearn.eventbrite.com
by [email protected] | Sep 22, 2017 | Blog Posts, News
by Yunhee Choi
On August 7, 2017, J Day was celebrated in communities across the United States, events were held in 21 states and Washington D.C. J Day is a celebration of international exchange and raising awareness of the J-1 Exchange Visitor Program (EVP).
I am an interning at iEARN-USA as part of my experience through the J-1 Exchange Visitor Program. For J Day, I participated in a community service event held at the East River Park in Lower Manhattan, New York City. The weather was great for a day of helping outside! Starting at 10am we provided volunteer help for the Ecology Center. Outfitted with work gloves and shovels, we helped with gardening and cleaning up weeds, in order to beautify the park. After our hard work, we enjoyed the park ourselves – with a pizza picnic by the East River.
Contributing to keep public places healthy lets us feel more like we belong to the local community, and we loved it so much. Also, our common attributes as J-1 visitors built a bond between us, even though we are from different nationalities. I had a chance to think about how the exchange visa programs are valuable to us as participants as well as the communities we are visiting.
We, as J-1 visitors, can improve English skills while staying in the U.S., build self-esteem by working at U.S. companies, contribute meaningfully to American society, and act as positive diplomats for our home countries. In addition, cultural diversity can be an advantage for the U.S. workplace, by having J-1 Exchange Visitor Program participants working in U.S. offices fosters cross-cultural communication and understanding, and providing new ideas and creativity in the world place.
To have this opportunity of living in the US is so meaningful to every J-1 visitor.J day celebration I attended combined people from many different backgrounds into one community and I realized that it reflects the essence of United States – diversity.
To learn more about J Day visit the Alliance for International Exchange website.
Yunhee Choi, is an iEARN-USA intern from South Korea.
by [email protected] | Sep 19, 2017 | Blog Posts, News
Written by Ligaya Beebe
In May, I had the privilege of visiting our partner, Sihong Huang, the Country Coordinator of iEARN-China. We spent several days together, talking about our hopes and dreams for iEARN, visiting with NSLI-Y host families, and meeting potential iEARN partners.
We sat down on a mountainside for a chat about iEARN-China. Here is an excerpt from our chat:
Ligaya: How did you learn about iEARN?
Sihong: I learned about iEARN in 1999 when I was pregnant with my first baby. In 2007 I was introduced to the former coordinator in iEARN-China, Su Bu De. Finally, in 2009 I became the coordinator for iEARN-China.
Ligaya: What was it about iEARN that was interesting to you?
Sihong: I was a teacher a middle school teacher in Beijing for fifteen years, during that time I thought about education a lot. I had a lot of questions about what teachers and students need. iEARN is a group that is open-minded and globally and culturally meaningful. It gives a chance to everybody in the field of education to learn from each other and to learn about themselves. It also gives you awareness to reflect on your own culture and what can you do to help education, not just locally in your own school with your own students, but also with other teachers and schools and friends.
Ligaya: What is your favorite iEARN project?
Sihong: They are all great. My favorite projects involve people having fun, that are also meaningful, that also help people share. You have the opportunity to share your background, what you learned, and what you experienced from this process. And also it [the project] can develop something inside of participants.
For example, “Talking Kites†and “Daffodils and Tulips.â€
“Daffodils and Tulips†involves the students planting their own daffodils and tulips and then collaborating with students around the world to record and compare results. It is interesting for kids and it is easier for teachers to attract students to be involved in this project.
Ligaya: What is the benefit of doing a project like this with iEARN?
Sihong: The benefit is not in the result, it is in the process, the process of communicating deeply. I try to encourage the teachers who participate to pay more attention to how they communicate with others, to focus on the process rather than the knowledge or the results.
I came away from my time with Sihong with a much more vivid understanding of iEARN-China’s important work and the challenges Sihong has overcome to champion iEARN’s vision. In China, concepts like “global education†and “global competence†are still relatively new and were practically unheard of in the late 1990’s, when Sihong first learned about the network. That an educator in Beijing was moved to not only join iEARN but to also take on a leadership role as the country coordinator is a true testament to iEARN’s sustained impact.
Thank you Sihong for all that you do for iEARN-China and for iEARN! We are so glad to have such a fierce advocate for global education in our iEARN family!
Ligaya Beebe is a Program Coordinator on iEARN-USA’s Grants Team. She is humbled everyday by iEARN’s mission and is proud to support their transformative exchange programs for youth.
by [email protected] | Jul 26, 2017 | Blog Posts, News
When I was young, I was full of curiosity outside of Korea where I’d never been. I was eager to go abroad and to challenge myself to experience other cultures. In high school, I participated in a student exchange program in Malaysia, and now, I am participating in the Korea WEST program in U.S. which offers me an opportunity to broaden my horizons. With these experiences, I’ve always been a student when it comes to global education. However, at the same time, I work with iEARN to provide global education. By being a student and provider, I have two different perspectives of global education.
Every country is connected industrially and diplomatically. This increases the importance of learning a second language in order to communicate with foreigners. This can be an advantage for the future careers of students. In Korea, I learned English in school, but I always felt uncertain in English and desired using more practical English. Thanks to the Korea WEST program, I can stay in U.S. and this is giving me a chance to use English in real life. I went to language school in Washington D.C. and that was one of the greatest experiences for me, not only because it improved my English, but also in terms of diversity. Everyone in the language school has various cultural backgrounds and different ethnicities. Building relationships with them encouraged me to study foreign languages more. Moreover, conversations with them made me realize that there are so many things I need to know in the world. Also, differences between us made me more opened-mind, even though it was uncomfortable accepting oppositions to my thought. Also, while living in the U.S. I hear Spanish as much as English and I’ve seen many diverse communities. These observations highly influence the necessity of cross-cultural education.
According to an article I read called, ‘7 Shocking Statistics Illustrating the Importance of Global Education’, students who learned global issues are more likely to take social action. We learned a lot of knowledge from a textbook, but there are millions of lessons beyond textbooks. However, for some students, going abroad is difficult, but there are various ways to get a global experience as well. iEARN provides an online network which enables students and teachers to approach global education in their classrooms. By joining in iEARN’s collaboration projects, students can meet virtually and communicate globally without taking a flight. These virtual exchange projects facilitate student contributions to the world.
Here are some beautiful quotes from teachers who participated in iEARN’s collaboration projects in their class.
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by [email protected] | Jun 27, 2017 | Blog Posts, News
This past April, iEARN-USA’s Director of Grants, Christine McCaleb and I, Nicole Weitzner, Program Manager for the NSLI-Y program, conducted a site visit to our NSLI-Y Academic Year Chinese language program in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Neither of us had been to Taiwan, so we arrived, excited to see the program firsthand, have some valuable face time with our partners, and get a taste of a new culture.
After a morning of strolling through the vibrant and colorful flower market in Taipei in northern Taiwan, where we flew into, we stopped into one of the many 7-11 convenience stores (they are on almost every street in Taiwan) and picked up some snacks for our train ride. In Taiwan, the 7-11s carry all sorts of foods, including hot, local delicacies, such as tea eggs; fish with rice in seaweed; an impressive variety of iced teas and coffees and more. As it was lunchtime, it was crowded with locals purchasing their lunch or afternoon snacks.
We took the very modern and comfortable High Speed Rail, and after about two and a half short hours, we were in the city of Kaohsiung, located near the southern tip of Taiwan. That evening, we got our bearings and went to Rui Feng Night Market, one of Kaohsiung’s most famous and buzzing night markets, where we took in the sights, sounds and smells. After seeing a long line of locals waiting to buy crispy fried chicken cutlets, Christine joined them in the queue and sampled some herself.
During the next few days, we had several very productive meetings with our partners; visited the iEARN-Taiwan office, Wenzao University, where the NSLI-Y students attend their Chinese language classes, tutoring sessions, and elective classes; and observed the NSLI-Y students’ morning Chinese language tutoring session. We were amazed upon hearing the students engage with their tutor and each other in Chinese, asking questions, making comments, and even cracking jokes. In just eight short months, the students had made incredible language gains and seemed so at ease conversing in Chinese! That day, we enjoyed a lunch of delicious dumplings with the students at their favorite dumpling place near Wenzao.
Later that evening, I had the privilege of visiting one of our students and her host family. The host mom was incredibly gracious and exemplified true Taiwanese hospitality, taking us on a tour of their house and preparing tea for us, then sitting down with us and chatting. Even though the student and her host mom were speaking with each other in Chinese, and I could not understand the words, the bond between them was undeniable, as they smiled and laughed and linked arms together. It made me realize just how special the NSLI-Y host family and student relationship can be and how much richer it can make both students’ and host families’ experiences.
Our colleagues made sure that we saw some of the most beautiful spots in Kaohsiung before we left. We were kindly driven up a hill to a viewpoint at sunset where you could see the whole of Kaohsiung – with the moon hanging and dusk setting, it was truly magical. We were also taken to a very special artisans’ center, where they craft gorgeous Taiwanese pottery and offer classes.
After being given a tour by the owner and learning that Taiwan’s residing and first female president, Tsai Ing-wen, was served tea in a handcrafted mug made at the center, our partners surprised us with a very thoughtful and touching gesture: beautiful handcrafted mugs of our own with our names engraved on them, in which the owners served us tea. That afternoon, our partners took us for a walk around Chengcing Lake, a beautiful and peaceful lake where locals come to exercise and find some tranquility.
Our visit was rounded out with many wonderful meals shared with our colleagues, who kindly took us to all of their local favorites. These meals included handmade soup dumplings and shaved ice desserts, which consisted of shaved ice flavored with the fruit that it is topped with, fresh local fruits (the mango was so sweet, juicy and exquisite!) and sometimes other toppings, such as red bean, peanuts and barley.
We are so grateful for the opportunity to have traveled to Taiwan, for all of the valuable time we had with our partners and the students, for all of the memorable experiences we had, and for the kind and generous hospitality of our colleagues who demonstrated the true iEARN spirit!
