More than 1,500 Houston students are expected to participate in the Teach Africa™ Youth Forum on Monday, May 11. The event is sponsored by The Africa Society of the National Summit on Africa, Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership, and the World Affairs Council of Houston with funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Teach Africa™ Youth Forum
George R. Brown Convention Center
1001 Avenida de las Americas
Monday, May 11, 2009
8:00 a.m.
The Africa immersion program will open with a panel of ambassadors, scholars, and policy makers giving students a chance to learn about US-Africa Relations, Energy in Africa, Democracy & Government, and Culture in Africa.
Featured speakers include:
- Ambassador Josefina Diakite of the Republic of Angola
- The Honorable Robert Houdek , Former U.S. Ambassador to Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Uganda
- Fernando de Castro Paiva, Esq., Manager Policy, Government and Public Affairs at Chevron Global Upstream & Gas
- Shara Fryer, Chairman of the World Affairs Council of Houston
- Bernadette Paolo, President & CEO of The Africa Society
- Dr. Chinwe Effiong, Program Director of Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership
- Luddy Hayden, President of Luddy Hayden & Associates, LLC
More than 20 middle and high schools have registered students for the Youth Forum. These include Bellaire High School, Madison High School, Welch Middle School, & Pin Oak Middle School.
Students will participate in workshops led by Africa experts, debate policy and experience the vibrancy of Africa. The program, intended for young people and educators, addresses the lack of Africa education in American curricula by providing both groups with a better understanding and a greater appreciation of Africa and its role in the global community.
Students will receive innovative learning materials and will also see the film Africa Today produced by the Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership in collaboration with The Africa Society and with funding from USAID. This compelling film which was directed by Africans in Africa, chronicles the eye-opening cultural and intellectual exchange between Ugandan and American teachers and students. It also shows Africa's geography, diverse cultures and stories - seen from an African perspective.
Launched in Houston last June, Teach Africa™ is a multiphase program designed to provide educators with the background and tools needed to raise student interest in Africa. It uses a multidisciplinary approach. Texas State Senator Rodney Ellis, Congolese Ambassador Faida Mitifu, and others discussed the importance of bringing Africa into Houston classrooms at the first phase of this initiative. More than 230 Houston educators received new materials and methodologies for teaching about Africa at the second phase of Teach Africa™: a professional development workshop held at Texas Southern University in October, 2008.
To date, Teach Africa™ has been implemented in Washington D.C., San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Portland, Houston, Los Angeles and Atlanta, orienting more than 1,400 superintendants and principals, training more than 1,700 teachers and educating over 5,000 students.
USAID is an independent federal government agency that receives overall foreign policy guidance from the Secretary of State. The Agency supports long-term and equitable economic growth and advances U.S. foreign policy objectives by supporting economic growth, agriculture and trade; global health; democracy, conflict prevention and humanitarian assistance in Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and the Near East, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Europe and Eurasia.
Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership is a nonprofit organization committed to using the positive power of video to provide information and support community development in under-resourced schools and communities around the world.
The Africa Society of the National Summit on Africa is a non-profit organizstion that engages and educates Americans about Africa and creates, through partnerships, a better understanding of its peoples, diverse cultures, histories, and economies. For more information visit www.africasummit.org.
The World Affairs Council of Houston offers a non-partisan platform for the discussion of international affairs. We seek to educate and inform, fostering a broad understanding of the international events affecting our lives. We are an independent organization with over 7,000 members. For more information visit www.wachouston.org.
Contacts: Kirsten Davis
World Affairs Council/Houston,
