I am so glad to be a part of GNG's network. Where else can you do live chat sessions with Iraqi students or see the church with rows of skulls due to genocide in the comfort of your own classroom? GNG brings an attractive package to classrooms. As an educator, you cannot ask for a better lesson than a thought-provoking one that students talk about and ask when the next one is going to be. - Suki Kim, Teacher, Buffalo, NY

In bridging the gap between nationalities and cultures via technology, GNG is providing students with the next best thing to actual travel to countries around the world. In doing so, it is helping to plant the seed of cultural knowledge and mutual understanding in the next generation of leaders and decision makers. - Paul Shay, President, AFS International

In December, 2001, I began my usual two-week unit dedicated to the Middle East. A t the end of the unit, my students participated in a Global Nomads Group videoconference with students from Amman, Jordan. At this time, my students began to think outside their intimate world of Tacoma, WA and they began to care about others who they no longer viewed as living a world away. Upon my students insistence, my two-week unit became a nine-week seminar in which we delved deeply into complex Arab/Israeli issues. From a teaching perspective, my job became easy; I had students who were eager to learn. - Steve Caley, teacher, Lakewood, WA

The video conference we did last year on the genocide was like it was yesterday. I have been showing the promos and Frontline video to my classes who were not part of the great life changing experience. The students that were part of it are still working hard in efforts in clothes relief and other fund raising efforts. I deem it necessary to teach students beyond the classroom, thanks for making all this possible - Nikol Boddie, Stivers School for the Arts, Teacher

I am a Pinelands High School guidance teacher and was involved in the preparation of the group of students that engaged with your young folk in Atlanta on Friday afternoon (or morning!). I would like to thank you for the opportunity given to our learners to interact with your children - they were thrilled to be involved in a project of that nature, in awe of the technology behind it, and came away feeling that they had forged real links with same-age people on the other side of the planet. There is such a need for that kind of engagement to enhance better understanding of each other, and this exercise engendered more respect and warmth than I would have thought possible. Thank you so much from us all. - Judith Baron, Guidance Teacher

The work of GNG is significant to education in the United States. Through a commitment to improve human conditions around he world, they are providing opportunities for collaboration, dialogue and changed thinking in middle and high school students. The use of technology for this endeavor gives students an avenue to look into the realities of students in other parts of the world and think past their everyday amenities. - Sherry Goodvin, Maize, Kansas, teacher

I have seen evidence of what one series can do in the lives of teenagers who believe nothing can change them. I have seen, firsthand, the results of what such an experience can do. One of our students, Paul, announced in an interview with a local newspaper that "this was the most important thing I have ever done." It can change ideologies and foster open communication across cultures, languages and borders. Through youth-centered videoconferencing endeavors like Rwanda Alive, we can do away with negative cultural bias, dispel myths about The Other, and leave the world a much better place than we found it. - Robin Gibbs, Teacher, Galloway School.

GNG, We've participated in two of your programs, both with stellar result.

Our ninth graders participated in Project Voice, viewing in real-time the interaction between American and Iraqi students. The students were gripped to the screen, stunned by the similarities between the two groups and the incredible command of English on the part of the Iraqi students. That is miracle alone: that 18 fifteen year olds sat rapt for an hour and a half. More remarkable still, as soon as the program was over, our students asked that we clear the curriculum for a few weeks. They wanted to understand the fomenting conflict, its roots, and its ramifications. The kids divided themselves up into groups and assigned themselves areas of interest: the role of the UN, previous UN sanctions against Saddam Hussein, weapons of mass destruction, Iraqi history/geography, etc. They then researched and posted their findings on their websites. The kids talked of little else, inside and outside of class. When the war broke out two weeks later, our kids found they could evaluate what the news told them with a well-informed background. All this magic, simply because of a GNG videoconference. For that experience, I can never thank you enough.

Our second videoconference involved some of our seniors and students from a school in Menasha, WI. A GNG moderator helped us share our ideas of the post-war state of Iraq and the US reconstruction efforts. When we began the project, my students found that while they had very strong opinions about Bush and the War (on both sides), they were largely parroting what their parents said and not what they believed based on investigation. The GNG guide helped us break down our research tasks, and we found that the Menasha group had much to add as well. After the videoconference, my students remarked on how the formal nature of the exchange turned them into greater self-critics, more aware of their roles as ambassadors of the school. Further, they were shocked to learn how little they knew about an event so prevalent in the news. From geography to America's history of such interactions, they learned a most valuable lesson: opinions mean little if they are not informed by an earnest attempt to get at fact.

For all of this, I heartily thank you. I wait in great hopes of future videoconferences, particularly those around India/Pakistan issues, Palestine/Israel, or any religious tension issues beyond these.

Many thanks for the work you do, and congratulations on the Carter and Douglas recognition.

Kelly Hammond
Cincinnati Country Day School
http://wwwf.countryday.net/facstf/us/hammondk

Hi, this is Monica. I was from Richland High School during the Rwanda Alive! Program. I just wanted to let you know that I have graduated from high school, and am now an active volunteer for my community and also the president of a foundation helping under privileged countries, like Rwanda. I just wanted to say thanks to the people who helped me become the person I am today. I hope someday I can the great and wonderful things that you and your crew have done. There is so much more I wish I could do with you guys. I hope your future projects open other students eyes as you have done for mine. Thank you again. I hope to stay in contact with you guys over time to see how things go. Good Luck, and take care!

Sincerely,
Monica
Richland High School Graduate 2004