Facing History and Ourselves Announces Students in Boston and Hudson to Participate in Exchange with Rwanda
BROOKLINE - The Brookline-based international education non-profit Facing History and Ourselves has been awarded a prestigious grant from the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). This grant will allow Facing History and Ourselves to create a two-year cultural and educational exchange program between high school students in Massachusetts and Rwanda.
"These fortunate students will gain 21st century skills by studying together and walking in each others' shoes. This special grant from the State Department will allow Facing History to build a global partnership that mirrors the work we do in classrooms locally and around the world," said Margot Strom, president and executive director of Facing History and Ourselves. Strom further said, "We are particularly appreciative of the support of members of the Massachusetts Congressional delegation, specifically Congressman Barney Frank and Senators Edward M. Kennedy and John Kerry."
Facing History and Ourselves has identified, through a rigorous process, two local high schools, TechBoston Academy and Hudson High School, to participate in the partnership with high school students from Rwanda's College Sainte André and College Christ Roi. The Massachusetts students will travel to Rwanda for three weeks in July 2009 and the Rwandan students will travel to the United States in March 2010.
During the visits, the students will study together, travel, and meet with community leaders and peers. In the United States, the students will visit Washington, DC to brief Congressional leaders about their experience and to present videos on community service projects they will undertake together. The student videos will be created under the guidance of the Pearson Foundation's Digital Arts Alliance. In addition, the Ministry of Education in Rwanda will be a key partner on this project.
The students' preparation for the exchange begins immediately. The Facing History and Ourselves staff is working with teachers from the participating schools to develop a program of study based on Facing History's core program. The academically rigorous Facing History and Ourselves approach includes studying the historical steps that led to the Holocaust and other examples of genocide and collective violence so that students make essential connections between history and the moral choices they confront in their own lives. Critical outcomes include deepening students' historical understanding and cultivating 21st century skills including critical thinking and building connections with people from different backgrounds.
This global partnership/exchange initiative, which was awarded under the State Department's Emerging Youth Leaders program, will allow Facing History and Ourselves to build on its extensive experience to facilitate cross-cultural learning and provide professional development to secondary school teachers.
"We are excited about the tremendous experience our students will have in this program," said Dr. Carol R. Johnson, Superintendent of the Boston Public Schools. "Our school system has long partnered with Facing History, and our students have benefited beyond words. Facing History has the ability to open minds and change hearts."
"This is an opportunity of a lifetime for Hudson High students," said Stephen Dlott, Superintendent of Schools, Hudson Public Schools. "By actually visiting Rwanda for three weeks, our students will gain a unique world perspective that is beyond the reach of most Americans. We thank Facing History and Ourselves and the U.S. Department of State for providing this program to us."
Facing History and Ourselves is an international educational organization that
engages students of diverse backgrounds in an examination of racism, prejudice,
and antisemitism in order to promote the development of a more humane and
informed citizenry. Facing History and
Ourselves reaches 1.8 million students worldwide each year and many
thousands more through our on-line presence. In 2007, the
Facing History and Ourselves website
received more than 500,000 visits from people in 205 countries. Learn more at www.facinghistory.org.
The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the U.S. Department of State has the mission to foster mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries around the world. ECA carries out a wide range of academic, cultural and professional exchange programs to promote cross-cultural respect and understanding, educational exchange, and leadership development for participants with diverse backgrounds and specialties. Learn more at www.exchanges.state.gov.
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