PROJECT HARMONY HOSTS STATE DEPARTMENT SPOSORED ONLINE SOCIAL JUSTICE PROJECT FOR SCHOOLS IN AMERICA, AZERBAIJAN AND ARMENIA
Project Harmony hosts an online educational project for American schools to work with schools in the Former Soviet Republics of Armenia or Azerbaijan. The schools in Armenia and Azerbaijan belong to Project HarmonyÂ’s School Connectivity Programs. The School Connectivity Programs are dedicated to promoting the educational use of the Internet in a manner that will strengthen democracy, support civil society and promote cultural understanding in the Republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan. The School Connectivity Programs are programs of the United States Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by Project Harmony. The Armenia Connectivity 2000 and Azerbaijan School Connectivity Program together have more than one hundred schools participating in activities with hundreds of schools in the United States. The website for the projects is: http://www. projectharmony. org/ac2k/rec2002.html
(PRWEB) April 9, 2003
WAITSFIELD, VT—April 4, 2003—Project Harmony hosts an online educational project for American schools to work with schools in the Former Soviet Republics of Armenia or Azerbaijan. The schools in Armenia and Azerbaijan belong to Project Harmony’s School Connectivity Programs. The School Connectivity Programs are dedicated to promoting the educational use of the Internet in a manner that will strengthen democracy, support civil society and promote cultural understanding in the Republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan. The School Connectivity Programs are programs of the United States Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by Project Harmony. The Armenia Connectivity 2000 and Azerbaijan School Connectivity Program together have more than one hundred schools participating in activities with hundreds of schools in the United States. The website for the projects is: http://www. projectharmony. org/ac2k/rec2002.html (http://www. projectharmony. org/ac2k/rec2002.html)
Four different projects have operated throughout the school year. The current and final project is Social Justice and Change for the Future. In the projects students explore topics, form opinions and respond with their counterparts in other countries, analyze opinions of their fellow students and exercise practical actions through in-class activities that help shape decision-making in their everyday lives. The activities consist of in-class curriculum packets, followed by two weeks of online discussions with other students and educators concluding with a chat session. Multiple US schools participate with multiple schools in Armenia or Azerbaijan.
In this specific project students learn about respect for human rights. This topic allows students to think about their future and the future of their community. All of the students discuss on the online forums their feelings about social justice, change and views of the future. American, Armenian and Azerbaijani students share details about the future of their own lives as well. After receiving responses from the other schools, students explore ways to promote social justice in their own futures. The online project curriculum packets have been designed by Connected Minds to promote multi-cultural awareness, knowledge and perspective. Connected Minds utilizes the UNICEF three-step global learning methodology, consisting of exploration, responding and action.
According to Program Coordinator Katy Pearce, “These projects allow American students to learn that people across the world share basic values and beliefs and through that initial understanding can arise wonderful opportunities for cross-cultural interaction,” and “in our current political environment, it is all the more important for young people to learn about the rest of the world.”
Project HarmonyÂ’s mission is to empower individuals to create healthier communities through international training and exchange programs. Project Harmony was founded in Vermont in 1985 as a grass-roots exchange organization for Soviet and American high schools. Today, Project Harmony has 17 offices world-wide and staff of more than 100 employees. In its 18-year history, Project Harmony has facilitated educational, professional, cultural and community-based programs involving hundreds of families and individuals. Project HarmonyÂ’s programs are sponsored and funded by the U. S. Department of State. Please visit our web site: www. projectharmony. org.
