July 10: Return Home

It was a long trip back home because we had delays due to mechanical issues and weather related problems.

Now is time to apply all what was learned.

July 9th: Museums

Adrienne and I took the train to Amsterdan. We went to the Van Gough Museum first. Then we went to the Anna Frank Museum. Here I started to think about "doors" as a possible service project, Doors as pathways to understanding differences.

July 8: Connections with Brussels and Spanish Educators

Morning with Spanish Educator: Roser Batlle Suner. Roser has contacts in Peru and Argentina. She will e-mail those contacts to make sure our global education programs get to a good start in Peru. As we reflected on the conference, we went to the Tin Tin museum. There I was introduced to a character similar to Flat Stanley who travels around the world, despite the fact that its creator never left Brussels. I bought the Peruvian book to market the global education trip to Peru.

Afternoon and Evening with Brussels Educator" Yoland Iliano. Adrienne and I realized that Yolanda is an amazing service-learning educator even though she has not been calling her "experiential education" service-learning. Yolanda spent great number of minutes with Ankita because she was interested in her hunger project. Yolanda hopes to come to OKC in November with a group of students and teachers. Her goal is to observe and learn. I think we have a lot of learn from her and her students. She is very involved in projects that promote peace and respect for our differences.

July 7th: Conference ends

7:30-8:30 Breakfast: Another great time to network with teachers from Brussels, Spain, Japan, and South Africa.
8:30-10:00 The Next Thing to Being There: Service-Learning and Global Connections This presentation by Teddi Fishman of Clemson University was very helpful. She made us think about the implications of starting Global connections via Internet. She will send her PP and sources of funding for technology for needy areas of the world.

10-10:45 Home Group discussion-Reflection: Too many things were going on at the same time, but Mrs. Kaye brought us into our group and provided books for all the International participants. I will get the book in the mail soon.

12:30-14:00 Key Note Speaker: Education, Globalization and Democracy. A well documented inspiration speech by Dr. Edward Zlotkowski of Bentley College in Boston and Senior Faculty Fellow, Campus Compact

July 6th: Connections

7:30-8:30 a.m. Breakfast: The conference breakfast provided a networking opportunity. I met Dr. Libby Ethridge, Assistant Professor Early Childhood Education. It was nice to see the University of Oklahoma represented among the college presents. Libby works at an OU branch in Tulsa.

9:00-10:30 a.m. Local Actions, Global Connections: Developing a Service-Learning World View. This workshop by Cathryn Berger Kaye was excellent. She had as an ice breaker several drawings of a 'global student." As participants entered, they left their idea in words and drawings of their definition of a global citizen. It was amazing to have our own ideas validated by people from many different continents. One of the ideas that is still on my mind is that in best practices of service learning, at the global or local level, one should not know who is providing the service and who is receiving it. The issue of reciprocity was great here. Mrs. Kaye recommended two books, A Life like Mine, which we already have in our library and a a Faith Like Mine, which is a new book. The presentation ended with a call to join a project called "My Village" in which students learn and share their communities with other students. I hope to receive more information from Mrs. Kaye to inspire our students to join this project. Another project she talked about was a portrait project. Someone took pictures of children. Those pictures were then sent to art classes in the USA. Teens made portraits of the photographs and send them to the children who otherwise could not have had a portrait made. In return, the US kids learned about a different land and provided a sustainable memory of their interaction with needy children from far away places.

For the inmediate future I want to buy her new book on homelessness and hunger to add to our library of resources.

10:45-12:15 Global Perspectives on Service-Learning Research and Practice: Implications for Teacher Education by Andy Furco. I learned that there are 6 purposes/intentions for Service-Learning around the globe.
1. Academic: USA and 8 other countries: Content centered knowledge with knowledge applications-academic standards based.
2. Personal (Intrapersonal): Development of skills
3. Social (Intrapersonal): Peer and Intergenerational teamwork Argentina, Brasil, England, South Africa
4. Civic and Citizenship: Ethic of service, involvement on political affairs and knowledge of community issues All countries
5. Moral, Character and Values: Ethics, character traits Australia, England, USA

As a conclusion of this presentation, I have a growing need to do an statistical analysis of the reflective components of our program.
6. Vocational, carrer, professional: carreer awareness, development of technical skills- Chile and Mexico

12:30 Lunch: Keynote Speaker: Jeffrey Anderson
It was sad to see how lunch could interfere with a speech and how technology just does not cooperate sometimes. Lunch was another opportunity to network. Bart Dankaeris introduced himself as someone who had attended a Cyclone presentation and had kept in touch with one of the presentaters, Carrie'04.

13:30-15:00 Cross Cultural panel
My goal was to see how global programs were structured and what type of funding and liability issues were address. It was sad how hurried the presenters were. One had to go to all three
Effects of S-L participation on Pre-Service Bilingual/ESL Teacher efficacy. Aileen Hale from Boise State University gave us a quick overview. The research demonstrated that teachers engaged in s-l go more for social justice through understanding of cultural differences.
Maine to Honduras: Global Spanish
It was a project that seem like a mission trip with a language component. This project made me realized the importance of "intentional reciprocity."
Service-Learning Overseas and on an American Indian Reservation, University of Indiana Bloomington
This university gave great informational material on where to start a global and local education service projects. I have a lot of reading to do and questions to ask before August 15.
15:45-17;15 If CAS (Creativity, Action, Service) is the Internatinal Vaccalaurate Organization's model of service-learning, How is it presented and applied This presentation by the International School of Luxembourg gave clarity to my understanding of the CAS program. Since I hope to work with IBS schools in Peru, this presentation was priceless. It was interesting that CAS provide similar credit than we do, with the difference that if a student is in the Arts, a student cannot use the arts for service projects.
17:15-18:45 Transforming Service, It Takes a Global Village. Ankita presented to a small number of participants. The great result is that we have a 9th grade teacher interested in reading High Noon with his students at the International School in Brussels and we have an elementary school teacher from Brussels interested in coming to the USA to investigate service-learning in our private and public schools. Adrienne made some great connections with Clemson University professors who are interested in our hunger banquets.

July 5th: Conference Begins

Chocolate Reception and World Cafe: Brussels amazing chocolate was everywhere. The room was divided in groups in round tables. A person could choose anytable and discuss the questions the facilitators were providing.

The participants were so interested in learning about each other's programs that the process was not followed at all tables. It was a good way to start. I noted that this could be a great way to allow people to discuss and learn about different aspects of service learning. We could have parents, teachers, and students learning about service-learning in a fun and delicious way. Chocolate, coffe, and tea!!!!

I was placed on the global education group facilitated by Cathryn Berger Kaye. We had people from Spain, Japan, and South Africa in the group. Chiaki, from Japan asked what was the difference between patriotism and global citizenship. I was interested in global education programs, funding and liabiliy issues, others were interested in sustainability of projects. This home group gave us the opportunity to be a family within the conference. We met to share, reflect, and evaluate. I think YAC could have a home group project based.



The Openning Plenary had Rischard as a main speaker. He gave an explanation of his book High Noon and called for teachers to begin discussions of global issues similar to the ones started at the International schools and the NAIS Challenge 20/20. Rischard commended our efforts and asked to be invited to our project with Peru. He wants to follow our progress.

June 4: Arrival-Meeting presentation partner

I left at noon on June 3rd and arrived to Brussels early in the morning. Upon arrival to the Meridien hotel, I met Adrienne Marshall, Assistant Director of the Community Service Office at Phillips Andover Academy. We had dinner together and discussed our presentation as well as showed each elements of the presentation which we prepared on our own.

In the evening, Adrienne explained her service projects and gave some advise on how to enhance YAC participation.

First International Conference in Brussels Overall reflection

This conference was organized by Clemson University. The conference lacked participants and the logistical aspect could have used more attention to detail.