3rd General Body Meeting

UNICEF-Georgetown will be holding its third meeting of this semester on Wednesday night at 9pm in ICC 206B. We hope to see you there!

2nd General Body Meeting

UNICEF-Georgetown will be holding its second meeting of the semester this upcoming Tuesday night at 9pm in WGR 206, during which the documentary "To Educate a Girl" will be shown. Framed by the United Nations global initiative to provide equal access to education for girls by 2015, the film takes a ground-up and visually stunning view of what it takes to educate a girl through the eyes of girls out of school, starting school or fighting against the odds to stay in school.

1st General Body Meeting

UNICEF-Georgetown will be holding its first General Body Meeting of the year this coming Tuesday, Sept. 13th at 9pm in ICC 103. We will be discussing our agenda for the fall semester, as well as give a brief introduction to UNICEF's work and all the different committees you can get involved with here on campus.

Letter Campaign

The UNICEF-Georgetown Advocacy Committee is doing an electronic letter campaign to support the passing of UNICEF's budget and will be tabling in Red Square on Wednesday and Thursday. Please endorse the letter online individually by following the link:

https://secure.unicefusa.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=183

International Mine Awareness Day Reception

We partnered with the HALO Trust last Monday, April 4th, to host a reception and photo exhibit for International Mine Awareness Day. The speakers and photos helped highlight the impact that landmine removal can have on communities rebuilding after violent conflict. We would like to thank everyone who attended, as well as the HALO Trust and the African Studies Program for helping to make this event possible! Below are several photos from the event.

TeachUNICEF Visit on April 1st

Some TeachUNICEF committee members visited the Peace Room at the Perry School on Friday, April 1^st and continued the unit on disability awareness. This time the members had an older group of children.

Sita: We arrived at the Perry School a bit early, and did some more preparation with our lesson plan for the day. Our plan was to teach the kids about Japan and the tsunami, the different types of disabilities and the Ethiopian case study. We had other topics planned, but would probably concentrate on the three listed as we did not have much time.

Ms MJ moved the group of about 10 kids from the Peace Room to a classroom because she said the kids were a bit agitated and had not been very cooperative earlier. She warned us that this was their group of the hardest kids, which made me a bit nervous. Once we got inside the room we sat around a circle and all introduced ourselves and what made/broke our peace.

While it was rather difficult at the beginning to get some of the kids’ attention, as the class progressed they started to become more interactive. There were some kids, Jordan especially, who did not want to participate but at the end of the class he came up to me and showed me where he was from on the map! Overall, I think we did a good job even though it was not an easy experience because we were all dedicated to getting something across.

Nadia: I was slightly nervous about our visit this Friday, as right away it seemed like the kids wouldn't be at their most attentive that afternoon--and on top of that, the disability issue might prove to be a tricky subject to present. However, with much appreciated help from the other volunteers there, I think we had an overall pretty successful lesson--we tried to keep it interactive with questions and pictures, which definitely helped. I think it may be a worthwhile idea, for future lessons, to try to incorporate some aspect of role-playing into the lesson, as this would get the students even more involved in their learning rather than feeling lectured at. Great job, TeachUNICEF!

Jordan: Our visit to the Peace Room Friday 4/1/11 was challenging but still worthwhile. The boys were rowdy and full of energy but we persevered and delivered our message. Even though they often acted as if they did not care about what we had to say, in actuality they found it quite interesting and were enthusiastic during the interactive portions. We did our best to stress treating children with disabilities with respect because they are children first. I think the boys were able to grasp this concept and I hope they will stay true to it. Overall, I think our visit was a success.

Lotus: During our visits to the Perry School, we had always worked with the youngest group of children, but this time we had an older group. We began with some info on the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and what kind of relief response there had been, using pictures to help the children visualize both the destruction and the relief efforts. We then moved on to giving brief descriptions of the different types of disabilities, then began discussion on the Ethiopian case study, going over the case study write-up with the children and discussing what was being done to prevent disabilities and help children with disabilities. Ms. MJ then brought over a map, and we pointed out where Japan and Ethiopia are, and then just to mix things up and have some fun, identified where some of us committee members are from, and asked the children to point out where they are from. We made much more use of visuals this time around – showing pictures and writing things on poster boards – which perhaps made it easier for the children to understand what we were trying to convey. Despite the initial difficulties we ran into while trying to teach, as the lesson progressed, the children grew more interested in what we had to say, and my team members kept up their energy and positivity. I truly appreciate their perseverance, the children’s engagement, the volunteers’ assistance, and Ms. MJ’s guidance and support during this visit. All of your cooperation combined is what makes the TeachUNICEF Committee’s work possible. Thank you!

TeachUNICEF Visit on Mar. 14th

On March 14^th, some TeachUNICEF members made the committee’s third visit of the semester. This time, we went to the Perry School, and since this group of children was different from the group at the Beacon House, we again gave an introductory lesson on disability awareness, focusing on the fact that children with disabilities are children first and should not be defined by their disabilities, the different types of disabilities, and the story of a girl, Nodira, who couldn’t go to school because she had spina bifida and couldn’t walk. Here is what the members have to say about their teaching experience this time around:

Ally: I really enjoyed my second trip to the Perry School. I feel like we really made progress even though it was only our second trip. I feel like I am getting to know the kids and understanding what kind of attention/teaching styles certain individuals need. I think our use of videos and then asking the kids about what they saw/heard was the most effective tool we used. I think we should keep trying out new methods while sticking to the ones we find work best. I would like to try and design a game that incorporates an aspect of the lesson so the kids can be more active while learning because they have so much energy!

Berk: I believe that there was a significant improvement during my second visit to the Perry School. The group was around the same age that we had during our first visit; it was not surprising to see that getting the initial attention tend to be tough. However, I believe we made a good beginning with exercise. Since we were four at the Perry School, it was useful to sort of divide the group among ourselves in order focus on different points and be able to draw everyone’s attention to the topic. I believe that although our main topic was disability, it was a very good idea to start with the earthquake incident in Japan. Kids were very interested about the topic and they did participate by telling their stories related to that. We were able to convey the main ideas on disability and I was confident that they all got something from it. As always, I guess the most important and necessary tool to maintain efficiency in these sessions is the amount of audiovisual and interactive material we use. Therefore it would be even better to elaborate and improve that area of our presentations. Discussion was very productive, and the developing leadership among the kinds themselves was one of the memorable moments for me. I think seeing them involving in discussion and leaving the Peace Room with something about disability in mind shows our success in taking our ideas into action.

Charlotte: I absolutely loved visiting the Perry School this past Monday! Because I said the children were amazing after my last visit, I can't even begin to think how to describe them now! When we first arrived, they were pretty frisky - as to be expected on a Monday. But within 15 minutes, the effect of our presence was obvious. Having seen us before, the children seemed to have found a sense of comfort and security in us, which was apparent in their behavior. Whereas last time they were easily distracted during our lesson, on Monday they listened whole-heartedly to us. Not only did they seem focused and concerned, but they also interacted with us. Our account of Japan's recent catastrophes resonated with them, as they were asked us several detailed questions. They had no trouble grasping the misfortunes of the opposite side of the world - a challenging feat for many children. Likewise, they seemed to grasp the concept of "children with disabilities" quite quickly. After this visit, I can say with 100% confidence that we have expanded their mindsets. I'm beginning to think they look forward to our visits just as much as we do. That being said, I cannot wait to go spend more time with them!

Lotus: I believe the four of us walked into Monday’s lesson mindful of what occurred during our last visit to the Peace Room and what worked and what didn’t. It was heartening to see how the children were so eager to participate in the discussions, and how some of them were starting to assume leadership roles. At the same time, I’m immensely proud of my team – they too showed commendable leadership skills as well as an incredible amount of patience during our lesson. The children took away from the lesson some knowledge of what disabilities can do to a person and the awareness that those with disabilities deserve as much respect as those without disabilities. We came away from the lesson with the knowledge that we had helped carry out TeachUNICEF’s mission.

UNICEF Campus Challenge

Please join UNICEF-Georgetown in helping us reach our fundraising goal of $1,250 as part of the Campus Challenge! Lend support by joining the team and donating at:

http://inside.unicefusa.org/site/TR/Events/General?pg=team&fr_id=1280&team_id=2100

TeachUNICEF Visit on Feb. 25th

On Friday, February 25th, some TeachUNICEF Committee members – Daria, Jordan, and Sita – made a visit to the Beacon House, another “after-school school” in D.C. also supervised by Ms. MJ, the lady who runs the Peace Room at the Perry School. This is the first time we have sent volunteers to the Beacon House. The topic was disability awareness. Here is what the members had to say about their visit:

Daria: Jordan, Sita and I had a great visit to the Beacon House! The kids were so welcoming and eager to sit down and learn about the issues we had to talk about. We sat in a circle with around ten young girls, ages six to ten. We wanted to talk about children with disabilities and the work that UNICEF does around the world to facilitate and better life for these children. We first introduced the notion that there are different kinds of disabilities and that some are more pronounced than others. The girls took well to the subjects we were talking about; they especially had a lot to say about people in their lives who had certain disabilities. We asked them to reflect about the things in their lives that would be different if they were themselves affected with a disability and we had them write these down on a poster board. All of them were quite vocal in expressing their favorite activities, be it sports or any other extracurricular, and how much they would miss participating in these activities if they were affected with a disability. I feel that this was the most direct response to what we were teaching because it seemed to resonate on a personal level with all the girls. We then read out quotes from children around the world with disabilities and how they’ve been affected by this change in their lives. Jordan also presented a video on a young girl named Nodira, living in Uzbekistan, and her struggle with her disability. The girls listened attentively to the video and seemed to better understand the issues we had been talking about. We spoke about learning to treat everyone as equals, and not having pity on but rather approaching a child with disabilities with respect, compassion and love. In the end, Mrs. MJ taught us a special Peace pledge which we all recited and we answered any further questions that any of the girls had regarding children with disabilities, UNICEF’s work or our own involvement with this cause. It was a great experience and a fun afternoon with lively kids willing to learn about the plight of different children around the world.

Jordan: I think that our visit to the Beacon House went very well. We presented the topic of children with disabilities as clearly as possible. I believe that the girls were able to understand the main concepts, but we made sure to stress the point about treating children with disabilities with respect and love. They enjoyed the activities and were really enthusiastic during the Q&A portions. I think that showing videos during our presentations is very effective because it settles the children down, and visual teaching techniques make it easier for them to create a picture of what we are teaching them. Overall, I believe the visit was a success.

Sita: At the Beacon House, Daria, Jordan and I taught about 20 girls about children with disabilities. While on the way there we discussed how we were going to divide the lesson plan. Daria started off by introducing the topic and how one should define disabilities. The introduction activity went very well as the children were very interactive and although they were not able to completely grasp the understanding of disabilities, they gave many examples of children with disabilities. However, I found that they often confused the term disabilities with being temporarily hurt.

After Daria’s introduction activity, I asked the children to express what they would not be able to do if they had certain disabilities. We divided them into two groups and I asked them to draw/write what they love to do but might not be able to do. They seemed to really enjoy the drawing activity, as it was interactive.

We continued with the video, which Jordan loaded for the children. He explained the videos to the girls, which they seemed to respond well to. Finally, we read off the quotes from children with disabilities. They all wanted to participate and asked if they could read them too.

I had a wonderful first experience with TeachUNICEF Georgetown at the Beacon House. Though they kids argued at times, they overall got along very well with each other and seemed to understand the main point of the lesion. They understand that they should not be disrespectful or discriminate against other kids who are different.

TeachUNICEF Visit on Feb. 14th

It's a new semester and UNICEF-Georgetown's TeachUNICEF Committee has hit the ground running! We intend to continue visiting the Peace Room at the Perry School, and are also working to expand our work into other schools in D.C. On Monday the 14th, four committee members and I visited the Peace Room to give a lesson on poverty. The unit we based our lesson plan on included a story about Himal, a boy from Nepal who was living in poverty and who had to give up school in order to work. Below are some thoughts from the members who made the visit:

Ally: I really enjoyed my first TeachUNICEF experience and am really looking forward to my next. Although it was sad at times, I really thought it was a worthwhile experience. I learnt first hand the difficulties involved in getting the children to focus and actually take away something from our lesson plan. However, I did feel that I was able to make some progress with the little girl I was working with when we talked about and drew pictures of the differences between rich and poor.

Charlotte: Overall, I had an amazing time visiting the Perry School. The children were amazing -- so energetic but still so much fun! While it was quite an adventure, my experience reminded me how much young children deserve attention. Even though we weren't able to follow our lesson plan as well as we had hoped, I feel like our visit still made quite an impact on the kids. To me, it seemed like our mere presence at their school demonstrated to them how much we care. I think we can help make a big difference in their lives. While we weren't able to teach them too much about poverty, even introducing that word to some of them helped open their minds up. Pointing out Nepal on a map expanded their sense of being in this world -- we helped them see there are other people across the world that struggle with the same things many people here do. I just hope they enjoyed our visit as much as I know I did!

Katie: It was my first visit to the Peace Room, so I did not know what to expect. However, after meeting Ms. MJ and listening to her brief introduction about the school and its students immediately made me feel comfortable! Also, the Peace Room itself was relaxing. When the kids came in, I wouldn't say I was not quite surprised to see how excited they were. However, I thought it was a lot better than dealing with kids who would be afraid or prefer not to interact with us. The kids were very friendly, and after the big group was divided into two, they settled in. I first had a hard time trying to engage the student to our discussion about Himal and Nepal, but she got excited about the drawing activity, and eventually showed interest in our activity. I hope she understood a little more about poverty, children, and life in Nepal after Monday's visit. Overall, it was a very meaningful time for me and I would like to keep visiting the school and get to know the kids more. I thank our committee chair Lotus and Ms. MJ for this opportunity!

Berk: It was my first time going to a school with TeachUNICEF and I think that the Perry School is a great school to start with. First, I really liked the idea of a “Peace room” in which children decide on their rules, have material to express themselves, be reminded of the importance of international peace, and welcome guests like us. Considering the grade-level of the children we worked with, it was a tough beginning to draw their attention. However, I believe that as we became more familiar to them, and continue to try to follow our lesson schedule, they actually got engaged by the second half of our time there. I believe that we did a good job in taking Himal’s story out of the paper, and relate it to the children’s real lives. I think it would be beneficial to use much more audio-visual components when we try to engage with this age group. Although they seemed not to be interested in our topic when we first came in, they liked the idea of drawing what they hear and see about Himal. This can be supported by a short video that will both draw attention and avoid being monotonous. The children were obviously very active, and regarding what Ms. MJ told about their family backgrounds, I saw their ‘active’ behavior normal. By the end, we found different things that each child was interested about and they showed that they can learn much about Himal this way. Zakiya, the girl I worked with, was able to derive reasons and consequences from Himal’s story and she found it interesting to relate the story to the daily life in her community. Overall, I believe that our first trip has been a success and we can even improve it by holding more opportunities for involvement by the kids.

Lotus: The children were a very energetic bunch this time! We split them into two smaller groups, and it took some time for us to capture their attention and interest, but once we did, they were very engaged. Ms. MJ's group had a good discussion on the difference in life quality between the rich and the poor, and my group went through Himal's story and also a little bit of percentages - one of the children was completely fascinated by percentages, what they mean, and how to calculate them. These percentages dealt with the proportion of children in the world who lack certain resources, such as access to clean water and adequate nutrition. I think the girl I was working with was better able to grasp the magnitude of these deprivations through working with actual numbers. It was a joy to teach and interact with the children at the Perry School. There was room for improvement on our part - next time we could provide visual aids to spark more interest in the children - but overall, Ms. MJ, the volunteers, my committee members, and the children came together to make the committee's first visit of the semester a great learning experience for everyone.