Service+Learning


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An ambitious program from Appleby college in Canada (12/21/07):

=Twenty-Nine Appleby College Students Embark on International Service Projects this Month= OAKVILLE, ONTARIO--Almost 30 Appleby College students are involved with international service projects this month. From improving living conditions in the slums of Peru to rural village improvement in India, these dedicated students are helping make a difference.

In 2007, about 150 Appleby College students and faculty participated in service projects-an incredible number. Since 1992, Appleby College has been involved with Round Square, a worldwide association of almost 60 schools that helps students become compassionate, globally aware leaders through hands-on experiences. Participating in international service projects exposes students to the realities and hardships that other people face, and gives them a stronger perspective of the need for their involvement.

In response to the growing number of participating students, Appleby College created its own international service projects, offering an even wider breadth of opportunities for students. Once students complete their project, they share their experiences with the wider Appleby community through school assemblies, publications and the International Service Project Fair.

The December destinations are:

- Belize - An environmentally focused service project in the rainforest region of Belize. This group will be working with a rural primary school to make improvements, as well as participate in environmental conservation and education programs in this area of rich Mayan heritage.

- Peru - Six students and two faculty members will continue the work done by previous Appleby College groups. They will spend close to a week in the slums of Lima, improving living conditions for children there as well as doing some earthquake-response work. Their second week will include travelling to the northern Andean mountains to build cooking stoves and participate in environmental conservation work.

- Rajasthan, India - The group will be completing classrooms in a village school which will open educational opportunities for girls in this region. Their efforts, on the edge of the Rajasthani desert, will complete work that was started by an Appleby group last March.

- Uttaranchal, India - This group will continue with the next stage of a comprehensive rural village improvement scheme for a population of displaced tribal families. Work will include completion of a community centre and the initial building stages for a new home for one of the village's families.

- South Africa - Not only will this group compete in the annual Adventure Challenge for Schools-the only North American school to do so-they will also engage in a cultural service project in the Waterberg Biosphere reserve of South Africa, assisting in a soup kitchen in Vaalwater, and helping to improve conditions at a rural primary school for underprivileged school children. Adventure Challenge for Schools is a seven-day, multi-discipline event that leads teams through a 300-km route of South African rural terrain. The team is expected to mountain bike, hike, rock climb, kayak, raft and orienteer.

For more information, visit [|www.appleby.on.ca].

//**A recent exchange from the NAIS global education listserv:**//

We have also looked into carbon offsets but have not instituted them for the reasons mentioned. We stress traveling lightly, we bring one camera per group and the students take turns as the photographer (and on most trips we bring one computer for uploading and sending journal entries home in a blog for families), we do not allow any personal electronics whatsoever -- they can even survive a plane ride without them!

Director of Global Programs Lakeside School 14050 1st Ave NE Seattle WA 98125 (206) 440-2713

-Original Message- From: Meenan-Waugh, Kate [mailto:Meenan-Waugh@wis.edu] Sent: Tuesday, December 11, 2007 7:06 AM To: NAIS Global Education Listserve Subject: RE: [global] Carbon Offsets for Student Travel

There has been a lot of discussion of how "green" carbon offsets really are (see the Wikipedia summary of the debate). Travel groups can be urged to travel green by bringing their own, refillable water bottle, minimizing their packing (you always end up wearing the same couple of items anyway!), etc. The electronics issue is part of the pre-education process of going on a trip: what impression do you want to make and leave with the people you meet? Electronics are great for the plane ride, but offer distraction and needless added attention on a trip. Even think of assigning just one or two of the group as official photographers, rotating to share the duties. The less is more approach actually makes for a richer trip!

Kate Meenan-Waugh Director of Global Initiatives and Service Learning Washington International School 3100 Macomb Street, NW, Washington, DC 20016 Tel: 202 243 1884 FAX: 202 243 1806 www.wis.edu

-Original Message- From: Catherine Barnhart [mailto:Catherine_Barnhart@aw.org] Sent: Monday, December 10, 2007 8:39 PM To: NAIS Global Education Listserve Subject: RE: [global] Carbon Offsets for Student Travel

Dear Steve,

This is a very interesting question; I would also like to hear from others who have taken steps toward reducing the carbon footprint for student travel, including minimizing use of throwaway materials while on the road, looking for "green" accommodations, advising students on packing to avoid too many glitzy travel products, limiting use of electronic devices, working with student travel companies committed to greener travel, etc.

I am hoping to develop "greener" practices for incoming groups as well as students we send overseas.

Catherine

Catherine Barnhart Coordinator of International Programming Annie Wright School 827 North Tacoma Avenue Tacoma, Washington (WA) 98403 USA Tel. +1 (253) 284-4148 Fax +1 (253) 572-3616 catherine_barnhart@aw.org

-Original Message- From: Steve Taffee [mailto:Steve_Taffee@castilleja.org] Sent: Monday, December 10, 2007 11:39 AM To: NAIS Global Education Listserve Subject: [global] Carbon Offsets for Student Travel

Hello everyone -

For those of you who sponsor student travel, I would like to know if the travel expense includes purchasing carbon offsets for the air, rail, bus, or auto travel that's involved.

Thanks.