World Learning Notes on the World (NOW) blog is now found at http://blogs.worldlearning.org/now/

World Learning Notes on the World (NOW) blog has moved to http://blogs.worldlearning.org/now. We are thrilled to move to a new self-hosted location. Please visit us at our new location frequently…and stay tuned for new program-specific blogs hosted on the blogs.worldlearning.org site.

If you were subscribed to receive our blog posts via email, please be sure to re-subscribe at our new location. And, please continue to post your thoughts, comments and ideas. We look forward to a continued online conversation with you!

Visit us frequently at http://blogs.worldlearning.org/now.

Experimenters in Ulm, Germany, during the summer of 1960

The summer of 1960:  Ten American college girls, all of us 20 years old and going to Europe for the first time, meet each other and our leader, Nancy Wintsch, shortly before we board the Experiment ship “Irpinia” in Quebec.  On board we become friends and learn a great deal about each other and about Europe, Germany, and living in a foreign culture.  Nancy encourages us “to keep an open mind and to try everything.”  After ten days on board, continual talking, and a stop at the Rock of Gibraltar, we debark in Genua. Due to missed trains, we all stay overnight with Nancy’s Swiss relatives – our first experience with overwhelming European hospitality!

We arrive in Ulm with butterflies in our stomachs. Our adventures for the summer begin by meeting our host families and traveling home with them. We climb the cathedral tower- the highest in Europe- visit schools, a displaced persons’ camp, adult education projects, various theater events, attend a reception at the City Hall, row on the Danube River and drink coffee and eat cake with neighbors and friends. We search for German words in pocket dictionaries while trying to understand the Swabian dialect at the outdoor famers’ market, and, always, “Grüss’ Gott” and “Sprechen Sie bitte langsamer”.

After two weeks “on the road” with our host brothers and sisters, via Munich to Berchtesgaden and the magnificent Königssee, the Rhine Falls, Lake Constance, our first mountain, lots of rain and mud along with the sun, and much good communication among friends. Then back to Ulm for a tearful farewell to our families. Eventually, we all returned home but, before we left Ulm, we agreed to start a “round robin letter” to keep in touch.

This round robin letter has now made its rounds for half a century. We give this letter the credit for helping us to keep in touch.  But more important, we all credit our Experiment summer for helping us to comprehend the increasing globalization of our world, to remain tolerant toward other points of views and ways of life, and to keep our eyes and ears open to the world around us.  In other words, as we learned during our summer in Ulm, we gain the most if we “remain open-minded and try everything.” 

Each of us has experienced this in various ways:  one of us married a Norwegian, another married a Lebanese; and two married Germans.  All of us have traveled extensively since our summer abroad, and almost all have returned to Europe. After that summer, one woman spent a college year abroad. Another joined the Peace Corps and later lived in Africa and Germany. Another spent time in Japan and had a Fulbright teaching fellowship in Istanbul for a year. Another has relatives-in-law in France and visits often. And another woman has lived in Germany for decades and has traveled all over Europe.  Over the years several of us have also kept in touch with our host families.

Experiment Reunion, 2010

We had a reunion of the entire group after 20 and after 40 years. In between we had various mini-reunions when only a few of us could be present.  But with our 50^th anniversary approaching, we all decided that we should celebrate this milestone together – and everyone came!  Not only were all 11 of the original group members there, but also eight husbands and two of the original host brothers!  One of the members now lives on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and she rented two neighboring houses for the week where we were all able to stay.  We had a wonderful week together, mostly with a lot of talking!   It very quickly became apparent that we were still just as compatible as we had been during that long-ago summer.  And it was also quite obvious that we still believe in the appropriateness of “keeping an open mind and trying everything.” 

World Learning congratulates SIT Study Abroad alum Jessica Posner and her friend Kennedy Odede, whose efforts to educate girls in a Kenyan slum has earned them a 2010 Echoing Green Fellowship. Their project beat out those of more than 1,000 applicants for the fellowship, which supports the work of emerging social entrepreneurs who respond to the world’s most pressing challenges.

Posner, a Wesleyan University student and 2007 participant of SIT Study Abroad’s Kenya: Health and Development Program, was so moved by her experiences in Kenya that she teamed up with Odede, a native of Nairobi, to establish the Kibera School for Girls. Now in its second year, the school uses an innovative approach that provides education as well as essential health and economic services to the community, with a special focus on young women and girls.

As Echoing Green Fellows, Posner and Odede will receive up to $90,000 in seed money over the next two years that will allow them to increase school enrollment and improve quality. Watch a video of Posner and Odede discuss the impact of the Kibera School for Girls.

SIT Study Abroad students watch World Cup in South Africa. AP Photo/Hussein Malla.

The chance to view a world-class soccer match and experience a home stay in a Zulu township are what makes the 2010 FIFA World Cup experience different for SIT Study Abroad students. Several students on the South Africa: Globalization, Sports, and Development program have recently been featured in their local newspapers describing their unique view of South Africa and it’s hosting of the world’s largest sporting event. Read the articles.

“Participants experience the first World Cup in Africa while learning about the intertwined relationship between globalization, mega-sports and development,” said Imraan Buccus, the program’s academic director.

Sixteen years after the end of apartheid, the choice of South Africa to host the World Cup is seen as a major milestone. It also marks the first time an African country has hosted the event. South Africa’s role as host could influence the global dialogue on development theory, interracial relations, and nation building. However, questions remain as to how the event will impact South African institutions and citizens, who grapple with challenges like poverty and crime.

Based in the city of Durban, the six-week study abroad program is giving participants an opportunity to study these important issues.

SIT students. From The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Program participants engage municipal officials, community activists, and faculty from the University of KwaZulu Natal as part of the full-credit seminar. They are now applying what they have learned through various field activities including interning with a youth organization that uses soccer to teach HIV/AIDS prevention and working on sports development initiatives with community organizations and university faculty. Participants also live with a Zulu-speaking homestay family in Cato Manor and a family in rural eMacambini.

Read the article in The Boston Herald, The Indy Star, The Daily Herald, and The Chronicle of Higher Education.

World Learning President and CEO Adam Weinberg introduces Janet Kerly, an analyst for the Peace Corps.

President and CEO of World Learning Adam Weinberg moderated a panel discussion at the Brookings Institution June 23 that revealed research findings on the impact of international volunteering on American diplomacy. The panel was part of a forum hosted by Brookings and Washington University’s Center for Social Development.

The panel featured Susan Jenkins and Janet Kerly, analysts for the Peace Corps who evaluate and measure the program’s effectiveness, and Amanda Moore McBride, a research director for the Center for Social Development and assistant professor at the School of Social Work at Washington University. Weinberg introduced the panelists and gave opening remarks.

The panel found that international service programs like the Peace Corps serve as an effective diplomatic tool to build bridges to other nations and cultures. Research data indicates that Americans who volunteer overseas improve US public image abroad and tend to positively influence host country perceptions of Americans. International volunteering and service initiatives promote US interests abroad while also furthering national security goals, according to the panel.

Click here to listen to the full panel discussion.

Dr. Kunchok, Image from The Huffington Post article

SIT Graduate Institute alum Dr. Kunchok Gyaltsen, founder of The Tibetan Healing Fund, dedicates his life to improving the health conditions of women and children in Tibet. He was recently featured in an article on The Huffington Post.

The article begins by saying “In a remote corner of the world, one man is making a difference.”

As a Tibetan Buddhist monk, he upholds a high standard of ethics and values including a commitment to live a compassionate and altruistic life that is dedicated to relieving the suffering of others. In fact, he says that the principles and philosophies of Public Health are completely in alignment with his spiritual commitment to work for the common good of all people. With energy and enthusiasm he exclaims “I love Public Health!”

Read the entire Huffington Post article, or read more about Dr. Kunchok on the World Learning website.

Over the past 14 years, nearly 1,500 people from the United States and 60 countries around the world have traveled to Brattleboro to participate in the Conflict Transformation Across Cultures (CONTACT) program, a three-week summer course conducted at SIT Graduate Institute.

“They come because of the chaos and turmoil in their countries in the hopes they can find non-violent solutions to the problem of differences in approaches and needs and to establish more equal systems in their countries,” said Paula Green, a professor at SIT and the founder and director of CONTACT.

Read the whole article here.

Read more about Mastora Bakhiet and the cross-cultural picnic in the Journal Gazette, the News-Sentinel, and at the Darfur Women’s Network website.

Emily Lubell on program excursion to Pueblo de Putre

What types of hands on experiences did you have while studying in Chile that advanced your understanding of challenges and opportunities in the field of public health?

During a visit to Nueva Imperial Intercultural Hospital in Temuco, Chile. The hospital integrates modern and traditional medicine.

We learned about the Chilean public health system in the classroom and in the field. We visited many of the health facilities in person and got a true sense of how the Chilean health system operates. The Chilean health system is completely different than the U.S. health system, and it is very difficult to fathom how it works without seeing it in person. Doing so allowed us to discriminate between what sounds good in theory and what works well in reality. It was interesting to see how a health system works in another country.

 What was your Independent Study Project (ISP) in Chile? Is your ISP research connected to the work you will be doing in Chile on your Fulbright?  

My ISP research focused on potable water quality in Arica. Originally I was interested in determining which health risks may be associated with the potable water. If I found related health risks, I was then planning on determining what pattern emerged by socio-economic status.

When starting my research, I realized that no work had ever been done on Arica’s potable water with relation to human health. During my study I found that water quality may be a risk factor of urinary stones, which are rumored to be very high among the Ariqueño population.

 I consider the work I will do for my Fulbright scholarship an extension of the work I did for my independent study with SIT.  I will look at the distribution of urinary stones by socioeconomic status and will then determine if the pattern of urinary stones among the Ariqueño community correlates with the city’s potable water sources. I will also look for other factors which may explain the patterns I find.  I would not have been able to propose this study if I had not first yet learned how the Chilean public health system worked. The SIT Chile public health program provided me with that background knowledge.

What role did the SIT staff play in your experience during the semester? Have you been in touch with the staff since?

The director of the program, Rosanna Testa, put me in touch with the right people for me to carry out my project. I

Emily with ISP research advisors, Gustavo Meza (right) and Regina Copa (left)

could not have done my research project successfully without her guidance. Since leaving the trip I have stayed in close contact with Rosanna and she has undoubtedly played a major role in the application process of my Fulbright scholarship. I plan to be in touch with her about my research when I return to Arica as well.

How has SIT Study Abroad shaped the way you look at the world?

The experience that I had studying abroad exposed me to a completely different way of life than I am used to here in the United States. It bothered me that having good quality water was not a right- as it feels in the U.S. – but a privilege only for those people who can afford to buy it. 

Is there anything else you would like to share?

I encourage all students to consider going abroad to study a field that interests them. My experience studying in Chile gave me both a global perspective and in-depth knowledge about the different aspects of public health. This program also deepened my cultural understanding and enabled me to learn more about myself. When starting this program I knew I was interested in public health, but studying it abroad in a hands-on manner allowed me to dig deeper and discover which specific aspects of public health I am most passionate about.  

  The independent study component of SIT gave me the opportunity to explore a topic I was truly curious about – why some people in Arica avoided drinking tap water. The opportunity to study something I was genuinely interested in was the most rewarding part of the program.