GLOBAL CITIZENS IN ACTION 2013-2014

GLOBAL CITIZENS IN ACTION 2013 - 2014

Global Citizens in Action (GCA) is a civic engagement program that connects students and educators in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the US through a dynamic curriculum on cultural exchange, media literacy, and global citizenship. Run in partnership by Peace Education and Community Empowerment (PEACE) in Pakistan, Global Nomads Group in the US, and School of Leadership, Afghanistan (SOLA) in Afghanistan, GCA pairs classrooms in Pakistan with counterparts in the United States and Afghanistan for one year (2013-2014). GCA builds cultural awareness and global citizenship through investigation of the driving question, “How do we, as youth, engage our communities to create positive social change?”Throughout the program, students engage in intercultural dialogue, explore media bias, utilize technology, and learn how to communicate and share ideas across cultures. By equipping students with these critical 21st century learning skills, GCAfosters leadership and motivation for youth to take positive action in their local and global communities. The 2013-14 program is funded by the US Embassy in Islamabad.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The overall goal of GCA is to foster global citizenship and people-to-people ties between young people (ages 13-18) in Pakistan, the US, and Afghanistan. The project’s specific objectives are:

  • To foster constructive dialogue and mutual understanding between young people in Pakistan, the US, and Afghanistan through curriculum-based virtual exchanges, increasing their capacity to counter violent extremism in their communities and regions.
  • To increase participants’ knowledge and skills in using arts and media as tools for peacebuilding and global citizenship.
  • To promote a multi-national platform for youth engagement and youth-created arts and media projects that strengthens civil society and regional stability.

PROJECT ACTIVITIES:

PEACE requests the involvement of 8 Pakistani schools (4 Govt , 4 Private). Each school will be paired with a partner school in the US for the course of the program, to connect via videoconferencing and curriculum activities. School involvement specifics are as follows:

Project Duration:The GCA Project began in November 2013, with the 3-day training and will continue as outlined in below. All GCA school activities will be scheduled around the academic calendar of each participating school, ensuring not to interfere with holidays or exams.

November-December 2013 / January-June 2014 / August-September 2014
  • 3 educator professional development workshops
  • Student selection
  • Teacher/student pre-program surveys
  • Technology testing
/
  • 5 curriculum units
  • 5 videoconferences
  • Student participation in online platform activities
  • Creation of collaborative project
/
  • Completion of collaborative project
  • Teacher/student post-program surveys
  • Continued participation in online platform activities
  • Possible 5th curriculum unit and videoconference[1]

Educator and Student Participants:

  • Lead Educator –Each participating school will provide 1 educator to lead curriculum activities and coordinate student participation with PEACE.School management may also involve additional educators at each school.
  • Student Participants –Together, school management and participating educators will select 15-30 students at each school to participate in all curriculum activities and videoconferences with the partner school. The participating students must be the same group throughout the entire program.
  • School Management Involvement –PEACE requests the cooperation of school management, to coordinate student and family involvement, liaise with PEACE, and support the lead educator.

Program Activities:

  • Educator Professional Development –In Nov. 2013, educators participated in a 3-part training on integrating GCA’s project-based curriculum into the classroom and using collaborative technology. This workshop was held in Islamabad with educators from Sindh, Islamabad, and Kabul, Afghanistan.
  • Project-based Curriculum – A standards-based curriculum has been developed to guide student exploration of three broad modules: Cultural Exchange, Media and Society, and Global Citizenship. The curriculum is available in English, Urdu, and Dari, depending on the needs of each school. Inquiry-based activities have been designed to build student knowledge and skills to address the Driving Question with their partner group. The curriculum is further divided intofive supporting units, with in-class assignments, social networking, and progress towards a final collaborative project, which is showcased at the end of the program. An overview of the curriculum is provided.
  • Online Platform –A private Google+ social networking platform has been developed exclusively for GCA participants and is monitored and moderated by program staff. Students will use the platform to share curriculum assignments and views, which will serve as the basis for videoconference dialogue and allow for continued discussion. If computer/Internet access is not available, the PEACE Project Coordinator in Islamabad can post assignments for the students and facilitate conversation online.
  • Interactive Videoconferences (IVCs) – Each of the five curricular units will culminate in a corresponding IVC, to allow students at partner schools to engage in real-time, face-to-face dialogue and collaboration. These five 60-minute IVCs will take place beginning in January, and then regularly throughout the remainder of the school year, based on school calendars and scheduled not to interfere with exams, holidays, or other school activities.IVCs are conducted in English or with English-Urdu/Pashto/other real-time translation, depending on student needs.
  • Collaborative Project– All curricular activities will build towards the completion of a final collaborative arts or media project between partner schools, designed to positively influence their school and local communities. The project will be student-driven, relate to global citizenship, and raise awareness of issues that students discuss during their virtual exchanges.

Time Commitment: Educators and participating students can complete curriculum activities in 2-3 sessions per unit (5 units total). Videoconferences will occur once per unit, approximately 4-6 weeks apart. Curriculum activities can happen at any time in the school day or as an extracurricular. The 5 videoconferences will occur in the late afternoons and evenings (approximately 5 pm in January and February, and 4 pm between March and September, due to the time difference with the US. PEACE and partners understand this is a challenge, and are happy to meet with school management, parents, and students, and explore the option of providing transportation home for students after videoconferences.

Technology Needs:Ideally, schools need Internet and a computer on which to run the videoconferences. Videoconferencing software is provided at no cost to schools. However, if a computer and Internet are not available, videoconferences may be run from the GCA Islamabad Coordinator’s laptop and Internet stick while visiting the school, or at tech facilities at another site, if available. Additional solutions may include provision of Internet sticks to the school for videoconferencing, to be determined individually with each school. All curriculum activities can happen offline at school; assignments can be shared online by PEACE staff or from home (by educator or students, if available).

OVERVIEW OF INVOLVED ORGANIZATIONS

Peace Education and Community Empowerment (PEACE): PEACE is non-political, non-sectarian social welfare organization based in Sindh, registered with the Pakistani government. The mission of PEACE is to work for interfaith harmony, the betterment of education, community empowerment, and development of sustainable peace in Pakistan. PEACE’s partners include over 50 government and private schools across Pakistan, local and national Pakistani government offices, and international organizations. PEACE designs and implements youth and community programs that foster global youth dialogue and women’s rights, empowering individuals and communities to promote a more just society.

Global Nomads Group (GNG): Established in 1998, GNG is an international NGO that develops and implements virtual exchange programs for young people (primarily secondary school students) worldwide, using education and media, including: project-based learning curriculum, interactive videoconferencing,webcasting, social networking, gaming, documentaries, and participatory filmmaking. Since its founding, GNG has offered programs in more than 45 countries, on all seven continents, and reached more than one million young people. GNG operates at the intersection of international and peace education, striving to serve as a vehicle for awareness, bridging the boundaries of cultural misconceptions, and instilling in our audience a heightened appreciation and comprehension of the world in which they live.

School of Leadership, Afghanistan (SOLA):Founded in 2008, SOLA is a people-to-people, non-profit dedicated to furtheringeducational and leadership opportunities for the new generation of Afghan women.SOLA's2013–14 student body represents14provinces, with 40 students preparing for global education opportunities in Kabul and 36 SOLA scholars enrolled in schools in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Canada, Jordan, the UK, and the US. By providing educational opportunity in Kabul and internationally, SOLA works to create young Afghan leaders who possess the skills and sense of service to their people needed to lead Afghanistan’s private and public sectors. Since 2011, SOLA and GNG have collaborated to run a US-Afghan youth virtual exchange program similar to GCA, impactingalmost 400 students.

PEACE and PARTNER ORGANIZATION RESPONSIBILIITIES

PEACE staff, in collaboration with GNG and SOLA, commits to the following responsibilities:

  • Provision of educator professional development, student and educator curriculum, and ongoing educator support;
  • Scheduling, coordination, and live facilitation of student videoconferences;
  • Support in implementing student curriculum activities (in-person if needed);
  • Provision of English-Urdu/Pashto/other translation, if needed, of student materials and videoconference dialogue;
  • Set-up, monitoring, and moderation of student online platform, in addition to provision of online platform tutorials for students and educators;
  • Coordination with government officials for program needs;
  • Technology support, to be determined with each school, including free videoconferencing software;
  • Liaising with GNG, SOLA, and partner schools in US, for scheduling, logistics, and student support;
  • Support the sharing of the student collaborative project among PEACE, GNG, and SOLA networks.

lobal Citizens in Action Curriculum: Scope and Sequence

MODULE 1: CULTURAL EXCHANGE / MODULE 2:MEDIA & SOCIETY / MODULE 3:GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP
Driving Question / “How do we, as youth, engage our communities to create positive social change?”
Guiding Question / How does cross-cultural dialogue enhance our global awareness? / How do our news sources and information resources shape our perceptions about people and places worldwide? / How can we be active global citizens?
Enduring Understanding / Dialogue enables mutual understanding and collaboration within our global community. / Critical consumption of media and information shapes well-informed perspectives. / Global citizens harness cross-cultural understanding and well-informed perspectives to positively engage communities.
Module Units / Unit 1
Understanding our Worldviews / Unit 2
Connecting Our Worldviews / Unit 3
Building Multiple Perspectives / Unit 4
Investigating Current Global Issues / Unit 5
Engaging our Communities
Timeframe / January 2014 / February 2014 / April 2014 / May 2014 / June or September 2014
LEARN / Windows Exercise
KHW Chart / Exploring Media Perspectives
Global Timelines and Me / Conflict Tree / Debate Activity / Activism Case Studies
ACT / Community Lens / Milestone 1: Project Launch / Milestone 2: Outline & Content / Milestone 3:
Rough Draft / Milestone 4:
Final Product
IVC #1 / IVC #2 / IVC #3 / IVC #4 / IVC #5
REFLECT / Reflect & Connect / Reflect & Connect / Reflect & Connect / Reflect & Connect / Reflect & Connect
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[1]Student videoconferences and activities may conclude in June, or continue after the summer break in August or September 2014, based on school schedule and mutual school agreement.