Global Problem-Solving in Action: NAIS’s Challenge 20/20 Program Ioana Simona Suciu Wheeler NAIS Associate Director of Global Initiatives wheeler@nais.org For titles and subtitles each word capitalized except articles and prepositions and conjunctions for four or fewer letters. Title and subtitle text appears black on clear/white backgrounds.

NAIS Global Initiatives At NAIS, we believe that in order to survive in the 21st Century, schools must be sustainable in five key areas: 1. financial 2. environmental 3. global 4. programmatic 5. demographic The mission of the Global Initiatives team is: To assist NAIS member schools in their quest for a more global future for their students, NAIS will nurture partnerships and provide resources within an international framework.

Challenge 20/20: International education program Internet-based program with no cost and no travel required Cross-cultural partnerships Open to public and private schools, elementary and secondary

One Book: High Noon: 20 Global Problems, 20 Years to Solve Them

Sharing our planet: Issues involving the global community Global warming Biodiversity and ecosystem losses Fisheries depletion Deforestation Water deficits Maritime safety and pollution

Sharing our humanity: Issues requiring a global commitment Massive step-up in the fight against poverty Peacekeeping, conflict prevention, combating terrorism Education for all Global infectious diseases Digital divide Natural disaster prevention and mitigation

Sharing our rule book: Issues needing a global regulatory approach Reinventing taxation for the twenty-first century Biotechnology rules Global financial architecture Illegal drugs Trade, investment, and competition rules Intellectual property rights E-commerce rules International labor and migration rules

Goals Creative problem-solving Collaboration Communication with students from a different country and culture Community service, service learning Learning different perspectives

Partnerships together (sister schools etc). Some schools are already working together (sister schools etc). Others are paired by NAIS based on grade level topic of interest preferred partner school and/or location when they want to start (1st or 2nd term) 2-3 school partnerships

Structure and Program Details Relatively unstructured: no benchmarks or performance standards Paperwork: registration process; reports Flexible Free of cost (purchase book) No travel is required Online collaboration (wikis, Skype, Facebook, Ning, Moodle, Second Life, videoconferencing, teleconferencing) We accept all schools: elementary and secondary, public and private Schools can find their own partners or ask NAIS to partner them Southern and Northern Hemisphere schools

Challenge 20/20 Stats as of 2009-2010 Sixth year; program developed in 2005-06 300-500 schools participate every year 2 to 4 schools within a partnership Over 1,050 schools in the US and 724 schools in other countries have participated in 656 partnerships since 2005-2006 99 countries represented and 47 U.S. states

Participants 2005: 75 schools from 26 US States and 30 countries 2007: More than 400 schools from 39 US States and 56 countries 2008: More than 500 schools from 41 US States and 61 countries 2009: 397 schools from 43 US States and 48 countries

Examples of Challenge 20/20 Projects: Mosquito Nets designed for small children in Africa (CO) Supplying a village in India with a nurse/medical facility (PA) Supplying hand sanitizers to hospitals in Mexico and Honduras (TX) Rebuilding a school in Tanzania (CA) Public service announcements regarding water deficits (OK)

Examples Mount Saint Joseph Academy, Flourtown, PA, and St. Joseph's Convent Girls' Senior Secondary School, Jabalpur, India  Global problem: Infectious Diseases 9-12 Students launched a charitable partnership with two impoverished towns in India.

Examples St. Mary’s Episcopal School, Memphis Tennessee and Steigerwald Landschulheim Gymnasium Wiesentheid Germany 9-12 Global Infectious Diseases Schools decided to concentrate on hygiene Created The Helping Hands Program Sanitizers and educational tools put in to the Hospital Benjamin Bloom in El Salvador, working with an NGO there

Examples Elementary School Partnership PK-5 Bright School, Chattanooga, TN, partnered with Colegio Cristobal Colon, Lomas Verdes, Naucalpan de Juarez, Mexico. Global Problem:  Water Deficits Students are running informational campaigns including public service TV spots they created, to encourage water conservation.

Joining the Challenge 20/20 Program: Apply Now to Join Hundreds of Schools Solving the World’s Problems Submit your application from March to August! Select Term One (September to January) or Term Two (January to May). Partnerships made by September. Submit an Agreement for Participation in September or whenever you make contact with your partner school/s. Contact your partner school/s to begin your collaboration. At the end of each Term, submit an online team report as well as photographs, testimonials and supplemental materials. Apply online at: http://www.nais.org/go/challenge2020.

More Information Available at: www.nais.org/go/challenge2020

Challenge 20/20 Video: Enjoy a short video about Challenge 20/20!