Global Voices Initiative

Global Voices Initiative

“The best way to bridge our differences is people to people.   That’s the beauty of Global Voices:   using the arts to connect young people throughout the world--not in a political way or through policy decision, but through simple human contact.”   - Bob Keith, US State Dept.

Introduction

Global Voices (GV) allows young people from around the world to directly connect and learn about each other, and this can be done cheaply on a large scale.  Economics is not a barrier for participation:  GV is working with rich and poor schools both here and abroad.  Global Voices helps build community.  Global Voices gives participants a shared purpose that becomes a vehicle for a dialogue with peers around the world that can last a lifetime.  

How Global Voices Works
The starting point for Global Voices is to match American language classes studying the native language of their international partners.  A Mandarin class in America may be partnered with an English class in Beijing or an English class in Casablanca with a French class in Chicago.  The music component of Global Voices has the ability to partner students who do not speak each others' languages at all.  Global Voices (GV) allows young people from around the world to directly connect and learn about each other

Theater and Music
Theater and music inspire and require cooperation, both within the classes and between the collaborating schools.  During the development stage, the partnered classes exchange their work, helping each other with proper language usage and possible music ideas. There is a middle period of exchange and development. Finally, the students share their plays or their music, and perform them for each other over an Internet video connection.  

FACTS

10 Countries
Morocco, Lebanon, Egypt, China, Mexico, Martinique, Columbia, South America, England, Jordan, United States 

5 Continents  
North America, Africa, Asia, Europe, South America

5 Languages
Arabic, English, French, Mandarin, Spanish

2750 students in 2011

12,000 student participants since 2004

29 participating schools

40 participating teachers

Sponsors & Supporters

The John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
U.S. Department of State 

U.S. Department of Education:

      Office of Innovation and Improvement
Chicago Public Schools

Francis W. Parker School

University of Chicago Laboratory Schools

Robert and Isabelle Bass Foundation, Inc.

Casablanca Committee of Chicago Sister Cities Intl.

Representative Jan Schakowsky (D - IL)

Chicago Area Schools

Schurz High School -- Casablanca, Morocco;

Lindblom High School --Amman, Jordan 

Kelly High School --  Birmingham, England;

Northside Prep --Beijing

Francis Parker --Casablanca, Morocco

Univ. of Chicago Lab School --Martinique;

Westinghouse College Prep  to Bogota, Columbia

Murphy Elementary School-- Mexico;

Passages Elementary -- Casablanca, Morocco

Rutledge Hall -- Beirut, Lebanon;

Evanston High School Casablanca, Morocco

Sullivan High School -- Casablanca, Morocco. 

Boston Area Schools

Buckingham, Browne & Nichols -- Casablanca, Morocco

Buckingham, Browne & Nichols -- Cairo, Egypt

Personnel
Arlene Crewdson, Founder & Executive Director 
Emilio Robles, Master Teacher of Theater 
Jane Hu, Artist Teacher 
Alice Wedoff, Artist Teacher, Director
Michael J. Miles, Music Director.

Board of Directors
Tom Adams, President
David Barr, Vice President
Nancy Levner, Secretary
Daniel Keane, Treasurer
Lorin Pritkin & Carole Wood, Board Members 

“Today young people are coming of age in a global community where geographic boundaries have been made insignificant by technology.   Learning to speak with our neighbors in their own language is an indispensable tool for understanding and collaboration across borders and cultures.  Global Voices does that.”
     - Arlene Crewdson, Director, Global Voices

Above: A slide show that illustrates how Global Voices works.

  Above: A brief video showing students in Casablanca and Chicago working together.