Project Harmony Armenia Connectivity Civic Education Training Initiative Exchange

Project Harmony Armenia Connectivity Program is hosting 4 American civics educators to give workshops to Armenian educators; as a part of a larger State Department funded technology in schools program.

PRESS RELEASE
PROJECT HARMONY
School Connectivity Programs
Contact: Katy Pearce, Program Coordinator
Tel: 802-496-4545
Fax: 802-496-4548
E-mail: katy@projectharmony.org
Web: http://www.projectharmony.am/
     http://www.projectharmony.org/

Armenia Connectivity 2000 Third Phase Summer Exchange - Civic
Education Training Initiative (CETI) July 18-30, 2002, Yerevan,
Armenia

From July 18-30, 2002 Project Harmony will host four American
educators for the Civic Education Training Initiative (CETI), as
the third exchange component of the Armenia Connectivity 2000
program (AC2K), which is made possible through a grant from the
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department
of State.

The Armenia Connectivity 2000 program is facilitated by Project
Harmony, a non-profit organization based in Vermont with 16 years
of experience working throughout the Former Soviet Union.

The Armenia Connectivity 2000 Program is dedicated to promoting the
educational use of the Internet in a manner that will strengthen
democracy, support civil society and promote cultural understanding
throughout Armenia. The AC2K program has already connected over
seventy Armenian schools by putting computer labs in schools,
connecting both these labs and other schools, which already have
computers to the Internet.

A large portion of AC2K activity relates to computer training for
Internet Computer Center staff, educators, administrators and
community members. One aspect of training is exchange programs, two
of which have already occurred: one group of American social
studies trainers went to Armenia in July 2001 and a group of
Armenian educational representatives came to the United States in
January 2002. The CETI program is the third exchange.

The participants include David Naylor, Professor of Education,
University of Cincinnati; Joseph Julian, Chair, The Joint Eastern
Europe Center for Democratic Education and Governance, Syracuse
University; Tracy Hinson, teacher at Andrew J. Ferrell Middle
School of Technology in Tampa, Florida; and Darcy Vetro, teacher at
Hillsborough High School in Tampa, Florida.

Some of the workshops that will be given include: Democratic Values
and Responsible Citizens, What Makes Democracy Work?,
Non-threatening Techniques for Getting Students Actively Involved
in Civic Lessons, Using Technology to Maximize Student Learning,
Deliberative Democracy: Giving Citizens a Public Voice, Teaching
About Human Rights, Fostering Decision-Making Skills in Civic
Programs, Teaching About Human Rights in a Global Context, and
Lesson Planning.

These and other workshops will take place in Yerevan and in four
different regions of Armenia: Goris, Jermuk, Vanadzor, and Gyumri
and will conclude with a conference to provide select civics
educators with support in creating technology-based activities for
use in civics lessons. Over 450 participants will attend these
sessions. Beside secondary teachers of history, civics education,
social studies, languages and other subjects, representatives from
the U.S. Embassy in Armenia, the Ministry of Education and Science
of the Republic of Armenia, the Center for Education Reforms,
Junior Achievement Yerevan and Regional Representatives and faculty
members from institutions of higher education will also attend the
Americans workshops.

Overall goals:
*   To provide opportunities for professional and personal
interaction between Armenian and American educators.

*   To expose Armenian educators to American educational and
civic systems, methods and practices through professional
development activities

*   To expose American educators to Armenian culture and
lifestyle through homestay experiences.

*   To develop new opportunities for enhancing international
initiatives and to establish sustainable linkages between Armenia
and the United States.

Specific program goals:

*   To support American and Armenian educators in exchanging
strategies, methods and ideas in regard to the field of civic
education

*   To provide opportunities for Armenian educators to engage
in civic education activities to strength professional development
for teachers of civic education and related fields and as a result
improve the civic education experience for both teachers and
students

*   To enhance the role of technology to aid effective teaching
of civic education: as a resource, as a force of change, and as a
tool.

Project Harmony's mission is to empower individuals to create
healthier communities through international training and exchange
programs. Project Harmony was founded in Vermont in 1985 as a
grass-roots exchange organization for Soviet and American high
schools. Today, Project Harmony has 20 offices world-wide and a
staff of more than 100 employees. In its 15-year history, Project
Harmony has facilitated educational, professional, cultural and
community-based programs involving hundreds of families and
individuals. Please visit our web site: www.projectharmony.org.
The Armenia-specific web site is: U.S.: www.projectharmony.org/am
and Armenia: http://www.projectharmony.am and http://www.ac2k.am.