We are very excited to announce that we have been awarded a Public Diplomacy Small Grant from the US Department of State!
The award is focused on expanding the Building Cultural Bridges (BCB) program within Namibia. The BCB program aims to connect American and Namibian students through video technology to foster cultural competency, build 21st-Century Skills, and strengthen ground-level relations between the U.S. and the Republic of Namibia. Currently, the BCB Program is implemented in six schools across five cities and towns within Namibia, impacting over 200 students. To facilitate the program’s expansion, Erie 2 Cattaraugus-Chautauqua BOCES (Board of Cooperative Education Services) partnered with Educators of America for their application to the New York State Education Department’s Learning Technology Grant, which was awarded in 2018.
The purpose of the U.S. Department of State’s Public Diplomacy Small Grants Program is for the enhancement of mutual understanding between the U.S. and Namibia. The U.S. Department of State funds projects that include a focus on Economic Growth, Education, English Teaching, Environment, Judiciary and Law Enforcement, Social Issues, and Social Entrepreneurship.
Educators of America is proud to work with the U.S. Department of State on this incredible opportunity to advance the Building Cultural Bridges program. This grant will allow for the strengthening of relationships between U.S. and Namibian citizens, the development of workforce skills in Namibian students, and the improvement of cultural awareness within students and teachers in both countries.
This week at EOA, we wanted to start focusing on 21st Century Skills; the skills that today’s students need in order to thrive in the modern world. These skills are apart of the Project-Based Learning approach, in which we educate others to use through our Building Cultural Bridges program.
This week’s skill is collaboration, and when we think about collaboration we think about teambuilding. Teambuilding exercises like the game “Shapes”, displayed below, are great ways to encourage teamwork in the classroom and lay a foundation for students to connect and work with others throughout their lives.
A question for all the educators out there, what team building activities do you use to increase participation and teamwork among your students?
We wanted to finish off this week’s 21st Century Skill of collaboration with a word from a Namibian teacher who took part in our Building Cultural Bridges program:
“Through the BCB program, I was able to see, firsthand, how willing my learners were to share ideas and work toward a common goal.”
Check out the BCB program for more information and reach out to us on social media or our contact page to find out how to get involved!
