Minnie Hand Grants

It’s a small world after all. Global Connection and Exchange schools in Bangladesh were awarded three Disney MinnieHand Awards this year. Minnie Hand Grants are funded by the Disney Corporation and are distributed by Youth Service of the schools that submitted proposals for these awards, as only fifty-seven were given globally this year. The award for the schools in Comilla is particularly interesting, as it involves youth from several schools and community groups. Comilla: the Chowara Girls School and the Yusup Multipurpose Technical School, as well as three satellite schools, the Chowara Islamia Senior Fazil Madrassa, the Chowara Boys High School, and the Adventist International Mission School will cooperate to rebuild and beautify the run-down Dharmashagar public park in Comilla. They will paint the fence, plant flowers, make a sign showing the park hours, and pick up litter. They will also repair a rusting slide, and fix swings missing seats, as well as adding a see-saw, merry-go-round and monkey bars. The project will be supervised on-site by Peace Corps volunteer Lauren Alweis. Young adults from a Bangladesh Department of Youth Development youth club in Comilla will also help direct and implement the activity. Gazipur: Children in the 8th, 9th and 10th classes at Rani Bilashmoni Government Highschool will participate in a field trip to the nearby National Park in Gazipur. The visit will revolve around the importance of the Park to the surrounding community and nation. Park Officials will give a talk about the Park’s history and ecology, and about conservation efforts in Bangladesh. Following the lecture, they will have a chance to explore the National Park along marked trails. Upon returning to school, the students will choose amongst several community activities related to lessons learned in the visit. One group will create an awareness campaign to promote protection of Bangladesh’s Forests. Another group will digitally document the park’s plant life, identify the plants via the internet, and create a guide poster for the park. Later in the year, these students will spearhead the Global Connectivity lesson on Environmentalism and Forestry. Tongi: Students at the Safiuddin Sarker Academy and College will create and perform a series of short dramas that address issues of Gender Discrimination in Bangladesh. Local Peace Corps Volunteers will discuss themes of gender discrimination and help the students brainstorm ideas. A student group, led by Peace Corps and Global Connectivity staff at the school, will write scripts addressing issues that the school identified in this year’s GYSD project, for example: the dowry system, acid throwing, and early marriage age. Performances will be delivered in both the school’s auditorium and in the field at a neighboring slum and bazaar area. The intention of the project is to create a youth theater group that will continue to address social issues through dramatic presentations.