Winter edition of iEARN Impact

24 YEARS AND COUNTING

How iEARN is changing the way Pakistani students see themselves and the world

NEW!

iEARN-USA LAUNCHES COLLABORATION CENTER

IT’S HERE!

THE 2021-22 PROJECT BOOK

YES ALUMNI PUT PROJECT MANAGEMENT INTO PRACTICE

COVID, COMMUNITY & CULTURE

Alumni meet in person and virtually to collaborate on projects that benefit their home communities

NSLI-Y students resume travel to Korea for the summer 2021 program

W I N T E R 2 0 2 1 I SS U E

iEARN-PAKISTAN

24 YEARS AND COUNTING: HOW iEARN IS CHANGING THE WAY PAKISTANI STUDENTS SEE THEMSELVES AND THE WORLD Her enormous smile and shining eyes exude warmth, excitement, and energy, and her passion for what she does is positively contagious. Farah S. Kamal is the Executive Director of iEARN-Pakistan, and she is a force to be reckoned with.

We had the privilege of chatting with Farah about how iEARN has empowered students and teachers in Pakistan, though one conversation could hardly contain a fraction of what she has seen and experienced in her 20-plus years with iEARN. Farah’s story, both personally and professionally, is a profound example of the reach and impact our programs can have – not only on one talented person, but on an entire nation.

CREATING OPPORTUNITIES

Did You Know?

• Urdu and English are the official languages of Pakistan.

• Islamabad is the capital, while Karachi is the largest city in Pakistan.

• Pakistan has six designated UNESCO World Heritage sites.

• Pakistan is home to the second highest mountain in the world, K2.

• Pakistan’s literacy rate has grown by 250% in the past five years source: thefactfile.org

Farah discovered iEARN when she happened upon an article in an educational leadership magazine. In 1998, she was the head teacher of a school of 1600 students (though still in her twenties!) and was increasingly concerned that her students were not prepared adequately for the twenty-first century. The only computer at the school at that time was in the principal’s office and students had very little access to the world outside of Pakistan. Farah was amazed by the concept of project-based learning – a key element of iEARN’s programs – and signed up to receive more information and to participate in the online message boards.

There, she and her students began communicating with other students and educators across the globe...and she was hooked: We did our first few projects against all odds – we didn’t have computers, we didn’t have a lot of things. The teachers were against it, the management was against it. But that didn’t deter me; I was charged and energetic and focused on the students. I was working on a diploma in school management that talked about change, about innovation, about bringing twenty-first-century teaching strategies into the classroom. My students were so excited to have their work acknowledged and recognized by other students [in Australia] and kids that were labled “dumb” in the classroom were now motivated and having authentic language-learning experiences After that, there was no looking back.

OPENING DOORS Before long, Farah developed an iEARN network with local schools and a representative from the U.S. came to Pakistan to train the teachers in the network. The online collaboration projects were having a profound impact on Pakistani students. Now, having an audience with their international peers (and their teachers), students were writing their hearts out about things that really mattered to them and with more passion and skill than they ever had before. Students’ work was published regularly in Australian anthologies and magazines.

They vastly improved their writing skills and learned how to communicate effectively with people from other countries.

Soon, the YES (Youth Exchange Study) program was created, and once a student participated regularly in iEARN’s online projects, he or she became eligible to travel abroad as an exchange student. Since that time, many Pakistani students have taken part in the program, and many of them have spent a year here in the United States going to school, making friends, and building bonds with their host families.

BUILDING LONG-TERM IMPACT These relationships end up having a significant impact on students.

According to Farah, “The kids who participate in iEARN’s online projects develop a better understanding of international relations and understand that there is a whole world beyond their neighborhood and beyond their country.” She explains that these students are “the next critical mass of decision-makers” and their participation in global collaborative projects makes them better global citizens and better equipped to be global leaders.

Not only do the students’ international experiences shape their perspectives about cultures and traditions that are different from their own, but they also position them for opportunities they never might have had otherwise. One such example Farah shared is a young man who participated in both the online projects and the YES program and was later hired at a bank after graduation. Because of his prior experiences in iEARN, he was promoted after only 2 years to an international post – something Farah says is an extremely rare opportunity for someone so young. Other iEARN-Pakistan graduates have gone on to careers in medicine, science, and technology, both at home and abroad.

EXPANDING OUR REACH Farah herself credits iEARN for opening up the world to her and enabling her to be the person she is today. “I am a direct product of iEARN’s mentorship,” she says. From the very beginning, iEARN-USA has actively partnered with iEARN-Pakistan to implement its projects and programs, and is a huge support to Farah and her team. Because of her work with iEARN, she received a research scholarship to pursue her Master’s Degree in Language and Literacy Education in British Columbia, where two of her major assignments were based on iEARN projects.

Upon returning to Pakistan, Farah realized that if she went back to working in a school context, she would only be benefiting students from that school alone. So, she founded a locally-based nonprofit, The Society for International Education, out of which came the Youth Exchange Study (YES) program, iEARN-Pakistan, and at least 15 other funded projects that run at any given time. Her work focuses on underserved, underrepresented students and seeks to e mpower the voices of women and girls all over the world.

Not surprisingly, Farah and her organization are well-known and respected in Pakistan, and iEARN’s projects are currently in use in a staggering 25,000 schools throughout the country.

FOCUSING ON THE FUTURE As impactful as iEARN’s projects and programs have been for the students, they have also been life-changing for many of the teachers and administrators. Farah says that everyone within the network helps one another whenever they can and sees themselves as a big, multinational family, united by education. They share resources, ideas, support, and camaraderie.

An avid traveler, Farah even stops into schools on vacation to encourage local teachers and offer her help and resources, casting the iEARN net wherever she goes.

Looking towards the future, Farah says she’s been working hard “cloning herself” – training young people to train more teachers, launch more programs, and run various aspects of the organization. Sustainability is always on her mind and in her plans. She also would love to hold an international iEARN conference in Pakistan but acknowledges that has been difficult because of her country’s bad press. Perhaps one day that will change as iEARN’s global-minded graduates and cohorts continue to break down barriers and heal divides, creating a more interconnected world.

YES ALUMNI PUT PROJECT MANAGEMENT INTO PRACTICE In collaboration with various partners and organizations, iEARN-USA helps implement programs that provide opportunities for young people to experience meaningful international exchanges. One such program is the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Program. The YES program, funded by the U.S. Department of State, provides scholarships for secondary school students from countries with significant Muslim populations to spend one academic year in the United States. Students live with host families, attend high school, engage in activities such as community service to learn about American society and values, acquire leadership skills, and help educate Americans about their countries and cultures.

KEEPING THEM CONNECTED Upon returning to their home countries, students in the YES program become part of the YES Alumni Network. They take on the role of young leaders by organizing projects that benefit their communities while also sharing their experiences in the YES program with their local community. The YES program is particularly focused on providing opportunities to students from low-income backgrounds; female students and students with disabilities are also highly encouraged to apply to the program.

In order to provide a platform for YES alumni who are passionate about project management and sustainability, iEARN-USA worked with iEARN branches in Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Mali to bring together forty YES alumni for the first ever iEARN YES Alumni hybrid workshop. The iEARN YES alumni attended the workshop, Project Management in Practice, from September 23-October 21, 2021. Participants of the hybrid workshop met in-person in their respective countries for four days in late September, and virtually reconvened bi-weekly for online sessions to attend project management trainings and seminars with keynote speakers. The workshop participants developed skills in project management, sustainability, teamwork, leadership, and project implementation, all under the greater theme of entrepreneurship.

TRAINING FOR THE FUTURE During the in-person session, participants got to know each other through icebreakers and leadership development activities. They also met virtually and in person with keynote speakers, including James Mulbah from Liberia, Bakary Sissoko from Mali, Javnyuy Joybert from Cameroon, and Amos Gordon from Sierra Leone. These speakers all have extensive experience in business and entrepreneurship and provided great advice for the participants about building a scalable business, creating a business mindset, and the principles of entrepreneurship.

Fatoumata Yaya Diarra (YES 2020-21 Mali virtual program) said, This workshop permitted me to acquire new knowledge about project management, entrepreneurship, and self-employment. Thanks to the workshop, I’ve met many amazing people. I learned new things and I’m very grateful to be a participant.

CREATING PROGRAMS FOR CHANGE Participants also developed a collaborative project plan that focuses on sustainability and community impact. Using the skills they learned during the workshop, alumni in Cameroon are implementing a project to educate girls and young women on feminine hygiene to help them develop the skills to produce soap, essential oils, and reusable sanitary pads. Alumni in Liberia are leading a skills training for young high school dropouts and people with disabilities which will focus on soap making and baking. In addition, alumni in Mali are running a soap- and body lotion-making workshop for women from a rural community in Mali. Lastly, alumni in Sierra Leone are developing a project to improve technology access and digital literacy for young people.

The alumni from each country will implement the projects this year.

Darius Nyuntee Gbaa (YES 2018-19 Liberia, placed by PAX in Veneta, OR) said, At first, I thought that writing a project proposal was so huge and I couldn’t do it. Now, for me it’s so easy. I’m working with my alumni colleagues to implement a project in November. Many thanks to the U.S. Department of State and the YES family for the opportunity. I am so glad to be part of this workshop.

RAISING UP LEADERS Two alumni from each of the four participating countries were selected to be alumni leaders for the Project Management in Practice Workshop. They secured the keynote speakers from their country, led the in-person portion of the workshop and are overseeing their country’s project design and implementation.

The alumni leaders were invaluable in making the workshop a great experience for all participants.

During the virtual sessions, participants continued developing their project plans through sessions on strategic communications, budgeting, reporting, and monitoring and evaluation.

Djiade Nike (YES 2016-17 Cameroon, hosted by ASSE in Glendive, MT) says, What I can say about the Project Management in Practice Workshop is that this is a life-changing experience as far as it concerned the realization of impactful projects that we as YES alumni can do and the acquiring of entrepreneurship skills.

COVID, COMMUNITY, AND CULTURE:

NSLI-Y STUDENTS RESUME TRAVEL TO KOREA FOR THE SUMMER 2021 PROGRAM This past summer, NSLI-Y (National Security Language Initiative for Youth) sent a team of 36 excited teenagers to Korea after a two-year-long hiatus due to the pandemic. The team convened in San Francisco in June for a quick pre-departure orientation, and then they were off. But what it took to get them to that point was unlike any other trip iEARN has organized.

In addition to coordinating activities, host families, travel arrangements, and other logistics, our staff needed to tackle the unique challenges brought about by COVID-19. According to Kyle Sandmann, iEARN’s coordinator for NSLI-Y, safety was always the first priority: A lot of the prep work that goes into bringing an in-person program back involves contingency planning. It’s coordinating with our partners in Korea to assess conditions on the ground, booking quarantine hotels for all the students, making sure we have staff in and outside the hotel to address any needs that arise, and making sure the students are as safe as possible during travel, given the unique conditions during a pandemic.

PLANNING FOR THE UNPLANNED

Did You Know?

In addition to planning contingencies for program specifics, iEARN also needed to preemptively address the students’ mental health during the trip.

Each student would be quarantined alone in a hotel room for two weeks, so iEARN implemented plans to engage them every day. Group projects, dedicated hang-out time, and even yoga classes were planned to get them moving while still in their rooms. Once they were with their host families, program coordinators checked in with the students regularly, especially when plans suddenly changed due to in-country restrictions.

NSLI-Y is an intensive, overseas immersion language program for teens who receive a merit-based scholarship. Along with American Councils and American Field Services, iEARN-USA oversees the NSLI-Y program and specifically implements the NSLI-Y Arabic, Hindi, Chinese and Korean programs.

We spoke with two team members who were certainly up for the challenges they faced. Greta Cortez and Angela Li both said they prepared themselves as best they could for what they might face. Deciding to have a positive attitude no matter what and learning to be flexible served them well during their 8-week stay. They embraced every experience and saw each challenge as an opportunity to learn and grow.

MORE THAN JUST LANGUAGE LEARNING

Once the quarantine was over, the students were eager to get on with the program, make new friends, and practice their Korean. But the experience was so much more than that. Greta explains, At first I thought it was just going to be a language program, but oh my goodness, no – it ended up changing everything about me – my mindset, my whole perspective. Just like NSLI-Y says, it taught me how to be a better global citizen.

Angela Li (right) with her Korean language partner

NSLI-Y isn’t only a language immersion program, it’s also a cultural immersion program that helps students see beyond their own cultural contexts and worldviews.

Angela says she noticed one important cultural difference when she was in Korea: We saw a lot of collectivism there.

Everyone thinks in terms of what’s good for their community and how their actions may affect them, while in America we are more about individualism. This was especially true in how they viewed and responded to the pandemic, and because of it, we were always aware of that mindset.

Both Angela and Greta felt their exposure to that way of thinking caused them to be more global-minded and compassionate towards others. And of all their experiences in Korea, staying with their host families was what impacted them the most. They were treated like family members themselves, participating in family game nights, watching movies together, and sharing stories. Both girls were able to share not only their American culture with their host families, but also their respective cultural heritages. Greta introduced Mexican food to her hosts, while Angela was able to help her hosts’ friends who were studying Chinese.

LONG-TERM IMPACT

Greta Cortez, in a traditional Korean hanbok

The NSLI-Y Korea program has had a tremendous impact on these students. Though the trip itself is only eight short weeks, it is the culmination of months of preparation, learning, and adapting. Much of what they learned – along with some of the friendships forged there – will be carried into adulthood and not only shape who they become, but what they will do. As leaders of the next generation, they will be better prepared to solve global problems and build bridges between nations.

Greta and her host sister

Angela, her host sisters, and NSLI-Y housemate

GIVING THANKS FOR With the support of 52 amazing donors, we raised $11,046 on Giving Tuesday. While we fell just short of our $15,000 goal, we exceeded last year’s fundraising total by over $4,000! We would like to extend a special thank you to the Posner Wallace Foundation who matched funds throughout Giving Tuesday. iEARN empowers students and teachers to make a positive change in the world through global collaboration and learning. Whether students are spending a year studying abroad or using technology to connect with students around the globe through iEARN’s virtual exchange programs, they are all building cross-cultural connections, fostering mutual understanding and respect, and improving their ability to communicate with one another. These are all skills we believe are desperately needed today.

We are honored to have received so much support through donations and sharing our social content! Thank you to all who played a part in helping us connect the world through education.

NEW COLLABORATION CENTRE LAUNCH In September we launched our new iEARN Collaboration Centre! From conception to launch, our team worked for nearly a year to develop this enhanced platform that will allow for better interactivity among teachers and students as they work together on projects.

We are excited for this new intuitive tool that allows our community to engage in robust learning opportunities and have more meaningful interactions. Some features of the new Collaboration Centre include the ability to record video within a chat, embed external websites and tools, video conference inside the system, and even do interactive polls among project participants.

The new Collaboration Centre is designed to be a safe social environment where participants can easily engage in meaningful interactions without needing to leave the platform to download external documents or tools. We are excited to watch our community members become more interconnected thanks to this technology upgrade!

2021-22 PROJECT BOOK RELEASED Through the collaboration with facilitators from around the world, we released the annual Project Book in early September. This publication, which contains information about nearly 100 projects, provides an overview of each of the meaningful cross-cultural projects supported by iEARN. For potential members of the iEARN network, the Project Book provides a spotlight of each project and an idea of the value of membership.The project book also serves as a useful resource for our existing member educators to pinpoint the right projects for their students based on their description and categorization.

We are proud of this publication which showcases the project-based learning that we feel is important in today’s educational environment, one that truly allows students to “learn with the world, not just about it”.

WILL YOU SUPPORT US? Can you imagine a world where everyone is treated equally – a world where we embrace our diversity and break down the barriers that divide us? iEARN-USA believes in that world and is striving to build it. By leveraging technology to create a global virtual hub, we are connecting young people and classrooms across the world to remove socio-economic and cultural barriers, while educating the change-makers of tomorrow.

We couldn’t do the work we do without the help of generous people like you.

Our organization earned a 2021 Gold Seal of Transparency! Now, everyone can view our financial details and learn about the people at our organization. Check out our updated profile on Candid.

© 2021 International Education and Resource Network.All rights reserved.