Newsletter February 2003

 

Global Education Initiative:

AUD Becomes a Hub in Washington D.C.

 

A life long educator, AUD Board Member Wayne Jacoby founded Global Education Motivators (GEM) in 1981 and is currently serving as President and CEO of the organization, which he has done since its inception. Wayne began his career in education as a high school social studies teacher from suburban Philadelphia. Today he manages GEM’s programs from Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia.

 

In our last issue of “UNITE!” we were anticipating close collaboration with Global Education Motivators (GEM), an educational organization focusing on developing global education programs for both schools and the local community while “bringing the world into the classroom” by means of the videoconferencing technology. Not only will AUD provide GEM with support from our new office space at the Hall of States, but we will also be working with them in offering distance learning undergraduate classes on topics related to international integration and federalism under Philadelphia’s Chestnut Hill College’s new Global Studies Institute.

 

Furthermore, GEM has expressed interest and will be participating in our Prague conference, which will involve young people from different countries, giving them the opportunity to communicate directly with world leaders through videoconferencing and on-site interactions.

 

Today, in addition to its partnership with GEM, AUD has joined the Global Education Tele-community Initiative (GEI) in becoming their hub in Washington, D.C.

 

The GEI is a joint venture of leading educators and business executives initiated in 2000 by the John C. Ford Program, Drexel University’s Math Forum, and UN affiliate GEM. GEI’s mission is to end the educational and gender divides for youth and adults in economically disadvantaged communities while increasing communication, cooperation and understanding among persons from different cultures.

 

Implemented in 2003 through 8 International HUBs including AUD, the Global Education Initiative presents an international model project, using innovative educational programs with a new protocol for teaching, enhanced by multimedia technology to connect youth and adults from diverse communities worldwide with one another and with the best instructors from leading educational institutions, science museums, and other organizations. Each hub will be able to select the educational programs that best serve their particular needs; AUD will therefore be able to focus on peace issues, democracy, or international integration. Educational programs will also include global programs in partnership with the United Nations on topics such as the environment, security, and human rights. The GEI project will coordinate the scheduling and interactivity between and among the HUBs, the students, parents, and teachers.

 

The project uses videoconferencing technology capable of connecting 18 sites concurrently and web-casting technology capable of connecting 60 sites concurrently. Not only will AUD be able to use this technology as part of the GEI, but it will also be able to use it independently for its own specific programs.