THE FRIENDSHIP THROUGH EDUCATION CONSORTIUM

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THE FRIENDSHIP THROUGH EDUCATION CONSORTIUM

• Stacey Chance, People to People International
• Yasmeen Hinedi, iEARN-USA

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FTE Consortium Description

• What FTE is
• How it began
• Why we need a program like FTE
• Funding sources
• Timeline and countries involved

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Description

• What FTE is
• The Friendship through Education Consortium
  (FTE) is comprised of the efforts of ten
  organizations. FTE employs an innovative use of
  educational technology, which will prepare and
  enable teachers in the United States including
  those in high-need communities, to engage in
  meaningful interaction with classrooms throughout
  the world. FTE focuses upon expanding links
  between U.S. classrooms and those in countries
  with predominantly Muslim populations.

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Description

• How FTE began
• September 11, 2001- the Catalyst
• One of the best ways to combat terror is to
  build strong and lasting relationships between
  American children and those from other countries
  and cultures.
• -Rod Paige, Secretary of Education
• Washington, D.C.

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Description

• Why we need a program like FTE
• Better understanding between the US and
  countries with predominantly Muslim populations.
• Interactive learning involving the use of
  technology proven to be an effective tool for
  teaching.

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Description

• Funding sources
• Funding for the FTE is provided by the Office of
  Technology of the U.S. Department of Education,
  as well as, private donations from individuals
  and corporations.
• 3-MILLION-DOLLAR SOFTWARE GRANT FROM FAIRFIELD
  LANGUAGE TECHNOLOGIES
• One Thousand U.S. Schools Set To Learn Elementary
  Arabic Through Friendship Through Education and
  Fairfield Language Technologies Collaboration

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Description

• Timeline and countries involved
• FTE was launched during October 2001.
• U.S. President George W. Bush made a public
  announcement of FTE on October 25, 2001.
• Students and Teachers from the US and Pakistan,
• Turkey, Egypt, Indonesia, Qatar, Bahrain, and
  Afghan refugees in camps in Pakistan.

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Goals

• To create and expand upon school-to-school
  interactions between the U.S. and FTE countries.
• To facilitate inter-organizational initiatives by
  Consortium organizations in order to expand
  cross-cultural awareness and educational
  interaction through collaborative programs.
• To create and maintain a web-based portal to
  facilitate interactions among students by
  directing educators towards opportunities
  provided by organizations within the Consortium.

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Consortium Organizations

• iEARN
• People to People International
• Sister Cities International
• NetAid
• ePals.com Classroom Exchange
• U.S. Fund for UNICEF
• United Nations Cyberschoolbus
• Global Schoolnet Foundation
• Schools Online
• Peace Corps Worldwise Schools

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Results achieved so far

• Physical exchanges of teachers
• Drastic increase in ePALS.com database
• Artwork, letters, email messages, and Comfort
  Quilts sent to children in Afghanistan
• Money raised for refugees
• Partnerships with software companies
• Widespread publicity and support for FTE

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Challenges

• Trying to breakdown cultural barriers and
  stereotypes
• Language issues
• Student exchanges and orientation

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Future Plans

• 10,000 children are expected to be reached by
  various forms of interactions
• A one-year meeting of the Consortium
  organizations in fall 2002 to discuss plans for
  FTE
• Look to Congress for long-term initiatives that
  will further FTEs reach

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Friendship Through Education

• Visit our website at
• www.FriendshipThroughEducation.org