Bridging the Divide: Using Technology to Grow Intercultural Competence

During the week of September 17th-21st, #IVECA International Virtual Schooling participated in Global Collaboration Week 2018 – an annual international conference that serves to connect students, teachers, and classrooms “to demonstrate global collaboration and bring awareness of the value of global education.”

This event, of which IVECA has been a partner for the past two years, is an effective way for educators and school faculty to learn about our work and our mission while catalyzing participants to become innovators and leaders in the field of global education. We held three separate Webinars over the course of the weeklong event and communicated a deeper understanding of IVECA’s commitment to sharing a vision of global education that is to foster intercultural competence.

IVECA’s specific contribution to #GCW 2018 comes in our unique approach to global education. Although this conference is open to organizations around the world, IVECA stands out for its long-standing dedication and contribution to the growth of intercultural competence, our role as an NGO in special consultative status with  #ECOSOC  and #UNDPI, and our commitment to supporting the #SustainableDevelopmentGoals.

IVECA staff Ms. Hind el Mimouni and Ms. Aline Wilbert, with support from Dr. Eunhee Jung, co-directed all three Webinars. During the conversation with educators and school faculty who tuned in from different time zones around the world, they demonstrated how IVECA’s specific mission and vision is available and achievable to all who are interested in making the world a more interconnected, understanding, just and peaceful place. Through a simple assessment, our Program Coordinators can identify how IVECA’s curriculum of intercultural competence can be seamlessly integrated into any school’s existing curricula. Instead of hampering or complicating a teacher’s lesson plan, IVECA’s synchronous and asynchronous programs bolster the ability of teachers and students to interact and learn through our Virtual Classroom.

Our Program Coordinators were able to connect teachers in Ecuador, Brasil, and Tunisia during the Global Collaboration Week 2018 to our #VirtualClassroom so that their schools can begin a dialogue with a partner school on the other side of the world. IVECA’s methodology proves that teachers and students, when given the opportunity to ask questions, share stories, and connect with people of different cultural and linguistic backgrounds, are able to develop a better understanding of #interculturalcompetence and our shared community as #globalcitizens.

Our goal at IVECA for #GCW2018 was to initiate a conversation with those that might not otherwise have heard about the successes and importance of our work. To that point, Global Collaboration Week was a triumph for IVECA and the advancement of #global  education, #global citizenship, #interculturalcompetence, and the #SDGs. We look forward to strengthening the bonds we made with students and educators last week and the opportunity to participate at #GCW for years to come.

[IVECA 2018 Global Youth Virtual Roundtable – Summer] YOUTH: Vital Actors in Multilateralism and EGC

On July 11, 2018, global youth leaders and TaeGwang High School students convened at the IVECA Global Youth Virtual Roundtable on Youth: Vital Actors in Multilateralism, Policymaking and Education for Global Citizenship. The session was moderated by Mr. Subhajit Saha, who serves as an NGO Youth Representative for the Dayemi Foundation. The panelists include Ms. Javita Nauth (Gather for Good, Inc.), Ms. Madison Ross (Mercado Global), Ms. Khady Gaye (United Nations Global Compact) and Ms. Upasana Chauhan (Man Up Campaign).

The session commenced with an intervention from TaeGwang High School students who defined what “multilateralism” means to them, in addition to, sharing their vision of a future Korea and the steps needed to achieve this. At such a young age, the Korean high school students were able to demonstrate excellence in education for global citizenship and multilateralism. The students rightly understood that “all cultures are precious and worthy of respect,” especially when unilateralism is flourishing across the world over fears of the “other.” Furthermore, the students recognized that multilateralism can only be achieved when “we recognize each other’s identity and cooperate through various languages, cultures, nations, and religions,” truly grasping the essence of multilateralism.

The panelists were truly surprised and proud when the students shared their visions of a future Korea. The students truly believed that the reunification would bring the united Korea a better future. Applying multilateralism in their multifaceted solutions, they express that both Koreas have something to offer, “North Korea’s resources and South Korea’s technology would expand the economy.” They also envision that a united Korea is one that can exert a positive influence on the world and provide international aid back to countries that need it the most. Most crucially, the students understand the importance of narrative and how it can impact reunification. The students want the Korean people to control the narrative and promote open-mindedness amongst citizens from both nations.

After the intervention from TaeGwang students, the panelists went over what multilateralism means to them. Subhajit emphasized that multilateralism needs to be practiced at home to be truly grasped for application at intergovernmental processes. Madison and Upasana iterated that this is a team effort, while Khady believes that it is the eradication of selfish motivations. The panelists unanimously agreed that multilateralism and education for global citizenship can be achieved if we remain curious, ask questions and experience each other’s culture. Youth are perfect agents of change as they comprise 65% of the world’s population and are innately curious. With this curiosity and respect for other cultures, youth will lead the way to multilateralism and universal education for global citizenship.

At the end of the session, the success of IVECA’s methodology became evident with the transformation of Mr. J. H. Yang, a student at TaeGwang High School. During the beginning of the session, he was shy and did not make eye contact with the panelists. However, by the end, he was giving virtual hugs to the panelists and performed the closing remarks on behalf of the class. The panelists are very confident that Mr. Won Jang’s class is full of world leaders who will lead the reunification efforts in Korea with education for global citizenship and multilateralism.

Organizer & Sponsor: IVECA International Virtual Schooling Co-sponsor: Legion of Good Will – USA

#IVECA, #Ed4GlobalCitizenship, #InterculturalCompetence, #LegionofGoodWill, #Multilateralism, #PeaceEducation, #YouthEmpowerment

Youth Designs Local Tourism for Global Attractions

These days, people tend to visit countries and places that offer cultural experiences, traditional value and historical stories. On June 11 and 12, high school students from Noeun in Korea partnered with Zhenjiang Vocational College in China and those from Jeonmin in Korea with International School of Tunis in Tunisia had virtual live classes to present their tour industry design to boost cultural tourism in their regions. The virtual meetings created a unique opportunity in that all four schools commonly shared rich culture from the long history of their country; however, their partnerships from the same continent (East Asia) and different continents (East Asia and North Africa) reflected interesting comparisons in perspectives.

Most students commonly emphasized the importance of the spiritual/religious aspect of cultural tourism. Korean students from Noeun High School, for instance, narrated the history of Bulguksa Temple and Wongaksaji Pagoda. They see Bulguksa Temple and Wongaksaji Pagodas “a symbolic embody of the teachings of the Buddha.” This narrative along with their visual presentations enabled Chinese students to appreciate many similarities and relatively slight differences of the temple’s construction and spiritual inheritance between China and Korea—A Chinese student was excited to identify a Jinhan Temple similar to Korea’s Bulguksa Temple. Likewise, Tunisian students introduced the history of ancient Mosques, Islamic calligraphy and arts in the city of Sousse. Korean students from Jeonmin High School were fascinated by the beauty of Tunisian arts that have not been very familiar to them and such great difference also made them desire to visit Mousse one day.

While analyzing their existing tour industry and receiving partners’ feedback on their design of new attractions, students realized tourism impacts on natural environments and learned how global cultural tourists contribute to local economy. They also saw cultural tourism as a global education for peace since it fosters the appreciation for their own and other cultures and builds friendships with local people. A Tunisian student commented, “During this semester, we were all honored to get to know you, make new friendships and learn more about the tourism in South Korea. We were also proud to present to you all a part of Tunisia’s touristic sites, which is our very own prideful heritage”.

Along with the presentations, exchanges of the cultural performances such as K-pop dancing and singing, and traditional music performances escalated magical bonds among the students of the partnered schools. Each school expressed their joy of learning the new cultural attractions by mutually inviting the partners to their country and promising to visit the other. The principal of Zhenjiang school in China shared his hope on this global learning, “China and Korean have a friendship with a long-time history. Our two countries have similar cultural backgrounds. It is hoped that the teachers and students of both countries will learn from each other, communicate with each other, make progress together, and contribute to the globalization of education”.

#Ed4GlobalCitizenship, #InterculturalCompetence, #IVECA, #TourismEducation, #PeaceEducation