The International Education Week 2008 workshop, themed 'New World, New Minds', was held at the Embassy of Singapore to promote global perspectives in education. Sponsored by the GS Graduate School and the Fulbright Association, the event included discussions on incorporating global issues into school curricula and featured speakers like journalist Jimmie Briggs and WAMU news director Jim Asendio. The workshop concluded with certificates of participation and opportunities to engage with educational programming designed for diverse learning environments.

1. International Education Week 2008
Workshop and Reception
New World, New Minds:
Preparing Children with Global Perspectives through Education and Media
Sponsored by the GS Graduate School and the National Capital Area Chapter (NCAC) of the Fulbright Association and
funded through the Outreach, Mentoring, and Enrichment Grant of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State

2. International Education Week is a special opportunity to celebrate
the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide. The
week represents a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the
U.S. Department of Education to promote opportunities that prepare
Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from
abroad to study, learn, and exchange experiences in the United States.
Throughout International Education Week, educational institutions,
embassies and communities are encouraged to hold activities of their
own choosing that celebrate international education and diversity.
The Fulbright program staff at the GS Graduate School and the
National Capital Area Chapter (NCAC) of the Fulbright
Association teamed up for a third year to hold a November workshop
event in honor of International Education Week.
The event, held November 20, 2008 at the
Embassy of Singapore, explored how sensitive
global issues can be brought into school
curriculum in order to better expose U.S. students
to world affairs.

3. One hundred and thirty guests took part in the
workshop including representatives of Washington,
DC, Baltimore, and Annapolis area schools,
Fulbright alumni from the east coast, as well as
current international Fulbright grantees on
exchange from a variety of countries.

4. Jennifer Nupp, exchange program administrator at
the GS Graduate School and former Fulbright
grantee to Germany, and Keisuke Nakagawa,
president of the Fulbright Association’s National
Capital Area Chapter and former Fulbrighter to
Bangladesh, welcomed participants and introduced
honored guests. They both emphasized
opportunities for teaching abroad through a variety
of publicly and privately-sponsored programs. Mr.
Alvin Lim, Deputy Chief of Mission, himself a former
Fulbright grantee, welcomed workshop participants
to the Embassy of Singapore.
Jennifer Nupp
Keisuke Nakagawa
Alvin Lim

5. The initial thematic speaker of the
evening was noted author and
journalist Jimmie Briggs, the first
African American to be appointed a
Goodwill Ambassador and Special
Envoy for Children and Armed
Conflict by WAFUNIF at the United
Nations. The personal mission of
Mr. Briggs’ career as a journalist
has been to share the voices and
stories of the disenfranchised and
voiceless, which he has done in his
book Innocents Lost: When Child
Soldiers go to War. Mr. Briggs
described his extensive travels to
Africa and the findings of his
investigation into why children are
used to fight in the area’s conflicts.
As part of his presentation, he
handed out and discussed a
curriculum based on his book and
explained how schools could make
use of it in the classroom to raise
global awareness.

6. Mr. Briggs was followed by Jim Asendio, news director at WAMU 88.5
radio. He highlighted different ways that public radio works to expose
young people to educational programming and creating special
programs that can be used by schools. Mr. Asendio has reported
during his career on major international events, presidential
campaigns, national political conventions, and major natural disasters.
He noted during his presentation that some of his proudest career
moments also involved mentoring young journalists, many of whom
are now working at major newspapers and broadcast news operations.

7. Following the
workshop event,
certificates of
participation were
awarded by the GS
Graduate School and
Mr. Briggs signed
copies of his book for
program participants.

8. For more information about this event:
Jennifer Nupp, Exchange Coordinator
International Institute, GS Graduate School
Phone: 202.314.3521
Email: Jennifer_Nupp@grad.usda.gov
http://www.graduateschool.edu