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GCE Youth Exchange Visit to USA: Bangladeshi Youth Leaders Learn about Civic Empowerment and Leaders |
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Three Bangladeshi GCE participants have just finished their three week long exchange visit to the USA. During the visit in July 2007, the students had opportunity to learn civic empowerment and youth leadership for community development. They participated in a series of leadership training programs which are expected to impact on their engagement in the development of their own community in particular and their country in general. The youth leaders have also gained first hand experience in multi cultural aspects of the USA and hope to share their knowledge with their peer and community back home. The youth students participated in a number of online projects with their peers in the USA before the traveled to the country. Besides online projects this physical visit by the GCE Bangladeshi students was an effort to make connections between online learning and the offline world.
Picture Gallery.
The exchange visit to the USA was a part of the Global Connections and Exchange Program Bangladesh which helps the leaders of tomorrow to develop the knowledge and the skills for an increasingly global world. Through technology and innovative online projects, GCEP participants gain an understanding of what it means to be a global citizen by working in partnership with their peers in other countries. GCE Bangladesh selected three youth under its student exchange program to travel to the U.S.A. in July 2007. This was a combined exchange involving students from Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The selected youth leaders have demonstrated a commitment to community service and social development and have creatively used technology to promote global citizenship. These students are active participants in GCEP online collaborative projects. The theme for the exchange was Youth Leadership and Civic Empowerment in Bangladesh, USA and Afghanistan.
The exchange program began with participation of the students in a number of training and workshops on government, democracy and civic engagement, leadership, civic involvement, community service and social entrepreneurship, communication strategies for leaders, global advocacy for peace and project planning which took place in Philadelphia. They also had opportunity to visit head quarter of Red Crescent, Amnesty International, Americorps, and Voice of America.
Bangladeshi students were interviewed by the Voice of America Bangla Service. The interview later was on air on NTV, a Bangladeshi popular TV channel which has partnered with the Voice of American to broadcast VOA programs in Bangladesh. The students also visited politically and historically significant places such as, Capital Hill, White house, Washington monument, Jefferson monument, Kennedy centre, US State Department, Bangladesh Embassy in the USA in Philadelphia, Washington DC and its neighborhood. |
