Tag Archives: international education

Do We Need Educators with a Global Perspective?

Is globalization shrinking the world, or is the growing global population expanding beyond the world’s capacity to support it? Are doors opening, or are walls being built?  With these complex global questions increasingly defining our world, it is clear that we have a critical need for educators whose vision stretches beyond borders. The laws of physics, chemistry and biology are uniform, and recognized universally. However, rules associated with the social sciences are (happily) diverse, and messy. At Cultural Vistas, we are honored to support and advance global education through a variety of initiatives.

8 Stories to Celebrate the International Day of Friendship

When traveling abroad, one of the most fulfilling experiences is developing friendships. But the friendships you form abroad can look different from what you expect. In 2011, the United Nations proclaimed July 30th as “International Day of Friendship.” The resolution emphasizes the involvement of young people as leaders to help promote friendships between countries, people, and individuals as a means to “inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities.” That sounds a lot like our work at Cultural Vistas… In honor of the five-year anniversary of this resolution, I sought out stories of friendship from our own exchange program alumni. Below are…

Read more of “8 Stories to Celebrate the International Day of Friendship”

What We’re Reading in International Education (February)

Our understanding of the world informs all things small and large. This month we’re reading about how international education and understanding can do anything, from inspiring creative thinking to learning how to be a cowboy. P.S. If you already saw these in our monthly newsletter, we’ve included some extra pieces related to international education and exchanges below.

A Summer to Remember: Mickey Glantz, IAESTE alumnus (1961)

“Why would a ‘rich’ kid from America want to travel to Europe just to spend time working in a dangerous, decades-old steel making foundry?” When it comes to professional exchange programs, we’ve been at this quite a long time. In 1961, Mickey Glantz spent a summer interning at a steel mill in a small town in France through the IAESTE program with us. Last year, 55 years later, he returned to the same town and was shocked by what he found. Here is his story:   In December 2015, I was invited to give a lecture at the Université de Savoie (Chambery,…

Read more of “A Summer to Remember: Mickey Glantz, IAESTE alumnus (1961)”

Why and How to Volunteer While Abroad

It’s true: Americans love helping people! Whether it was serving Thanksgiving dinner to families in need, tutoring inner-city students, planting trees in public parks, or taking care of the elderly, nearly 63 million of us volunteered our time and 79% helped a stranger last year. As we get set to honor the legacy of the great civil rights leader Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on January 18, I believe it is important to extend this spirit of service by volunteering. Even if you are studying, working, or traveling abroad, it is easy and rewarding to make a positive impact…

Read more of “Why and How to Volunteer While Abroad”