CURRENTS ’07 success crowned by videoconference with
Archbishop Desmond Tutu

In a strategic alliance with Semester At Sea (SAS), the GNG crew escorted students on a virtual tour around the world this spring in pursuit of dialogue about religion and its relationship to culture. Team members Mark von Sponeck, Joanna Cyprys, and Ben Wu boarded the SAS ship as it circumnavigated the planet, stopping along the way to conduct videoconferences in six cities using the Polycom Mobile Responder.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu spoke in the final videoconference, inspiring students on the importance of raising awareness for world issues. He answered questions about apartheid in South Africa and the challenges that still face a nation recovering from institutionalized racism. Five classes participated and several others observed as the Archbishop discussed the role of young people in effecting positive global change.


“I take my hat off to young people.
They actually believe the world can become a better place.
I’m just glad there are young people in the world.”
-Archbishop Desmond Tutu

“I take my hat off to young people,” Archbishop Tutu said. “They actually believe the world can become a better place. I’m just glad there are young people in the world.”

Throughout CURRENTS, students seized the opportunity to discuss key cultural similarities and differences with their peers from around the world. They discussed Islam in Malaysia and the diverse ways it is practiced throughout the world, stereotypes about Africans, the war in Iraq, and more hot-button issues with their international counterparts.


In a recent survey to teachers:

More than 90% of respondents said they would recommend GNG programs to other teachers.

All felt that GNG videoconferences w ere a valuable learning experience (77% strongly agree, 23% agree).

More than 80% of respondents strongly agreed that GNG programs generated in-class discussion afterwards.

Be a part of GNG’s upcoming Encyclopedia of Misconceptions
What are your misconceptions, misperceptions, and misunderstandings?
GNG, with the help of Publicis, an advertising firm, is developing
The Encyclopedia of Misconceptions, a collection of mistaken beliefs about people around the world.

We need your submissions. They can be a misperception or a refutation of it, from anyone or about any country or experience in your life: anything that demonstrates
that misconceptions do exist.

To learn more and submit an entry, please visit www.gng.org.


GNG to release Darfur in Pieces
documentary
Darfur in Pieces, a documentary about one family’s difficulties living in Sudan, will become the newest addition to GNG’s film archive.

The story follows Zach, a teenager who fled with his family from his hometown in Darfur to a refugee camp in Chad. In the camp, we see the hardships faced by the exploding number of refugees and by humanitarians providing aid. We hope this documentary will help raise students’ awareness of the ongoing crisis in Darfur.

Check our website in the early fall for information on how to order.


GNG to donate three videoconference units
We now have three videoconferencing units to give to schools in need, courtesy of Bristol- Myers Squibb. If you’d like to request a unit, please write to lisa@gng.org and briefly explain your financial situation and what you plan to do with the donated equipment.
 
Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4