David Donaldson is the Director of Education at the U.S. Fund for UNICEF.
Learning about global issues, understanding interdependence, embracing perspectives, and taking action is not limited to the formal K-12 school day. In fact, there is a growing trend of afterschool (out-of-school time) programs exploring these critical skills in their programming in an effort to create global citizens.
The earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan is beyond comprehension and the images saturating the media are heart wrenching. As a former teacher I know that these tragic events and profound images are not limited to adults. Children and youth, rightfully so, have questions and concerns. To support parents and teachers our colleagues from UNICEF Australia have developed a comprehensive Natural Disaster Education Kit. In the kit you will find:
A guide for parents and teachers;
¢A Japan Earthquake and Tsunami factsheet; and
¢Classroom activities and ideas for taking action.
We have highlighted these resources on TeachUNICEF.org and will continue to bring additional materials to support you in discussing and teaching about global issues.
The U.S. Fund for UNICEF’s Education Department is proud to announce its partnership with May Howard Elementary School located in Savannah, Georgia
October is an exciting time of year. In many parts of the U.S. autumn’s cool temperatures arrive and the colors of fall shine through, the World Series, football, and of course Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF. Although these are all exciting symbols of autumn, we cannot forget October 5, World Teachers Day.
The U.S. Fund for UNICEF’s Education Department would like to wish teachers and students the best of luck this academic year. We hope to be a vital part of the school year as you explore international issues that UNICEF and its partners address.
The U.S. Fund for UNICEF provides a variety of tools for teachers and students to learn about global issues and to take action.
How do you bring global themes into your classroom?
Who better to ask this question to than teachers? And last week, we did just that. This was one of many questions that New York City educators explored during a workshop hosted by the U.S. Fund for UNICEF (USF) and facilitated by the New York State Spanish Bilingual Education Technical Assistance Center (SBETAC) and the USF’s Education Department.
Some of the many answers to this question were:
This particular workshop allowed educators, who work with English Language Learners, to share and see strategies and explore TeachUNICEF resources for classroom implementation. We look forward to our next workshop and continued dialogue throughout the year.
What does a child need to be safe, healthy, and to develop to his or her full potential?
This is not an easy question to answer, but who better to ask than children?
Dr. Sara Young (an instructor from UMass) and I spoke last week with elementary students from the Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Public Charter School in Hadley, MA. We introduced them to UNICEF, its work with children around the world, and how they can take action through Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF and other opportunities.
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This week we launched our newest youth report, Maternal and Newborn Health: A Global Challenge, drawn from the real life stories and data in the 2009 State of the World’s Children report. This is the second youth report we’ve developed in a continuing series devoted to the global challenges UNICEF is addressing every day.
The report’s author did an excellent job extracting the core components of the State of the World’s Children report–highlighting the scope of the problem, the countries that are most affected, the main causes, and what can be done. We’re really excited about this report!
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“We are not only the citizens of the U.S., we are citizens of the world and global issues affect our fellow citizens. The youth have the power to galvanize and change the future.”
When I heard this statement I knew I wanted to share it with a larger audience, so I decided to write this post.
In my eyes this helps to convey what our education department here at the U.S. Fund for UNICEF is trying to do. We too believe that we are all citizens of the world and that we can make a difference. We do it by providing free classroom resources through TeachUNICEF to educators so students can learn and discuss the global issues that are impacting their peers around the world.
What makes this statement even more profound is that it was written by a high school student! Last week, at the invitation of Global Kids, I spoke to 30 NYC youth about UNICEF. We not only discussed the foundational elements of UNICEF, but also had a larger discussion about the importance of supporting our global community.
Student responses, like the one above, allowed for thoughtful discussion and debate. I think this is a clear sign that students, when given the opportunity, can add to the discourse of how we can better support our global peers.
In response to President Obama’s ‘United We Serve‘ call to community service, cabinet member Susan E. Rice, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and representatives from the US Fund for UNICEF hosted an interactive classroom at the Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ) on June 22nd. The Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ) is a nationally recognized non-profit organization, which provides a unique, holistic network of support in Harlem for 10,000 children – from birth through college – including public charter schools, as well as after-school, pre-kindergarten, social-service and health programs.
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Child Survival
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