Education Fast Forward Debate on July 10th

In our last newsletter, we put a call out for participants in the upcoming global youth debate hosted by Education Fast Forward: "From Learner Voice to Global Peace". The response was overwhelming! We received hundreds of applications from youth who wanted to make their voices heard, and we are pleased to announce that 26 youth from 13 countries around the world will be participating live on July 10th.

We will hear from two featured speakers to open the debate, Jeremy Gilley, founder of Peace One Day, and Michael Furdyk, co-founder of TakingITGlobal. The spotlight will turn to three featured youth debaters before the conversation is opened up to the larger group.

We encourage you to watch the debate live from your home or school on the Education Fast Forward website, and contribute to the conversation on Twitter with the hashtag #eff5. This event is sure to be a wonderful showcase of learner voices from around the world!

International Days

July 07,2012 - International Day of Cooperatives

The aim of the International Day of Cooperatives to increase corporative actions between businesses and countries, and commit to maintaining balance between profit-making and community wellbeing. Fair trade products are the result of cooperativeness. Encourage your students to become socially conscious consumers and challenge them to commit to educating others about fair trade products using the TIG's Commitment Tool.

July 11, 2012 - World Population Day

The world population will exceed to more than 7 billion this year. Have your students express their opinion on global issues related to population, such as gender equality, reproductive health and sustainable development using TIG Blogs!

July 18, 2012 - Nelson Mandela Day

Nelson Mendela Day is celebrated on his birthday to remember and honor his devotion to the service of humanity – as a human rights lawyer, an international peacemaker and the first democratically elected president of a free South Africa. Visit the official website for Mandela Day with your students to explore ways they can get involved.

July 28, 2012 - World Hepatitis Day

The aim of World Hepatitis Day is to increase global awareness about the spread of hepatitis B and C. Have your students learn about this day and the virus by visiting the World Hepatitis Day website. You and your students can learn more about global health issues in the Global Issues site section on TIG.

July 30, 2012 - International Day of Friendship

Make a new friend today on TIG! International Day of Friendship is celebrated to recognized and encourage friendship between people of culturally and geographically diverse backgrounds. Use TIG`s Community page to connect with individuals around the world and form long-lasting friendships founded on common interests and passions.

August 8,2012 - International Day of the World's Indigenous People

It is estimated that there are over 300 million indigenous people around the world. International Day of the World's Indigenous People is celebrated to bring awareness about the social injustice faced by indigenous community. Take advantage of the TIGed resources on Aboriginal Studies to find activities to bring into your classroom!

August 12, 2012 - International Youth Day

International Youth Day is a day dedicated to recognizing the inspiring initiatives taken by youth from around the world at all levels of communities.The theme for 2012 is "Change our World", which calls for continual, long lasting progress in areas of social development that concern youth. Explore TIG's Youth Movements page with your students to learn about actions taken by youth around the world, at the local, national and international level.

August 19, 2012 - World Humanitarian Day

World Humanitarian Day is celebrated to raise awareness about the individuals who have dedicated their lives to humanitarian work. On this day, take the opportunity to have your students explore TIG’s Organizations resource pages to learn about and connect with organizations committed to humanitarian work.

August 23,2012 - International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Its Abolition

International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Its Abolition is observed to memorialize the transatlantic slave trade. Visit the UNESCO Slave Route project web page to study the historic causes and consequences of slavery.

Participate in Challenge 20/20

We invite your school to participate in the 2012-2013 Challenge 20/20 program! Through this program, the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) partners schools in the U.S. with schools from other countries and together, the teacher-student teams work to identify local solutions to one of 20 global problems. Participation in this program allows students to develop cross-cultural competency and stronger communication, problem-solving and leadership skills. NAIS is now accepting applications for this free, online-based global education program and the deadline to apply is August 1, 2012. To learn more about Challenge 20/20, visit www.nais.org/go/challenge2020, or contact Ioana Suciu Wheeler at wheeler@nais.org.

Register Now for a Fall e-Course!

What better way to kick off a new school year than with one of our three professional development e-courses? Each e-course is 5 weeks long, and is facilitated online by an experienced global educator. Check out "Project-based Learning for Global Citizenship" with Jennifer Klein; "Education for Environmental Stewardship" with Deanna Del Vecchio; and "Empowering Student Voice in Education" with Mandeep Atwal. There will be two cohorts of each course this Fall. For details about the course schedule, and to reserve your spot today, visit our PD webpage!

Register for Ride to Learn!

Kristina Stoney and Nic Arney are now in Central Asia, and you can follow their world cycling expedition online through the Ride To Learn TIGed virtual classroom! Teachers around the world, are you looking for an online learning adventure to share with your students this school year? Are you interested in collaborating on solution-focussed projects inspired by Kristina and Nic's journey? Come ride with us! Register at worldbycycle.tiged.org/ridetolearn with registration code WBC/RideToLearn! Want to discuss how to integrate Ride To Learn into your regular class schedule? Have any other questions? E-mail christina@ismotion.info.

Register Your School for Global Dignity Day!

On October 17th, 2012, classrooms all around the world will once again be celebrating Global Dignity Day. Last year, 22 schools and over 3,400 students in schools across Canada joined together to honour the intrinsic value and interconnectedness of each individual. As a participating school partner of Global Dignity Day, your commitment would involve organizing a schoolwide event that includes an inspirational speaker during a morning school-wide assembly, facilitated learning activities within classrooms and a follow-up plenary where students come together in order to share their dignity stories. Here is an online presentation which provides an interactive overview about Global Dignity Day, and here is an online registration form where you can sign-up your school for the 2012 celebrations. Finally, please stay tuned for a new Global Dignity Day (Canada) website to be launched early this fall!

TIG Featured in Getting Smart

June, 2012

Read about the need to bridge formal and informal learning with the youth of today in this article by TIG co-founder, Michael Furdyk. TIG's informal learning community for youth aged 13-30 is framed as a response to the trends of the rising youth force and the ubiquitousness of information communication technology, and the TIG theory of change directed towards fostering global citizenship is explained. The article closes with the inspiring impact that TIG has affected. Check it out!

Eco-warriors put Global Focus on Deforestation

As life-changing experiences go, spending 100 days in a Borneo forest rescuing orangutans ranks pretty high for Liza Heavener, a former political lobbyist from Washington before she joined DeforestACTION. Check out this article highlighting the work being done by the Eco Warriors in Borneo, and the role educational technology programs like Earthwatchers has played in supporting efforts on the ground.

PGL12 Conference

June 29-30, New York, NY

The TIGed Team had a great time attending PGL12 in New York for the first time this month! We hosted a workshop and a booth, and attended many other presentations put on by inspiring educators and practitioners. Check out the Twitter feed from the event here to read about how it went!

ISTE Conference

June 24-27, San Diego, CA

Wow, what a whirlwind of a conference! ISTE this year in San Diego was wonderful. TIG hosted a partner booth, 4 poster sessions, a workshop, a panel presentation with educators in our programs, and was part of the DeforestACTION closing keynote! Phew! Extra special thanks is due to the following people for helping to make our experience so positive: Dennis Martinus, JC Santos, Mali Bickley, Jim Carleton, Chris Gauthier, Liza Heavener, Jennifer Klein, and Dr. Willie Smits. Thanks also to all the great people we met/reconnected with! See you next year!

18th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers

August 28-31st, 2012

The 18th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (18CCEM) will take place in Port Louis, Mauritius focusing on 'Education in the Commonwealth: bridging the gap as we accelerate towards achieving internationally agreed goals'. TIGed's Sara Hassan will be there to support the parallel Youth Forum, where she will speak on a panel on the topic of "Engaging Student Voices in Education" and facilitate student breakout sessions. The Youth Forum will culminate in a set of recommendations to share with Commonwealth Minsters of Education. What a wonderful opportunity to have students from around the Commonwealth share their visions on the future of education. We can't wait to participate!