2020 Winners

Excellence In Education Awardees:

Truike Boekholt – UNIS (United Nations International School) New York, USA
Project Title: UNIS Peacekeepers – Elementary

Mehdi Rezgui – Tunisia
Project Title:   Tea Talk – High School Level

Eleanor Skolnick – Adelphi University, Garden City, USA
Project Title: The Road to Tolerance and Peace

TEA TALK
Mehdi Rezgui – Tunisia

Tea Talk aims at providing a safe and comfortable space for students to foster their ability to think critically about polarizing issues such as the war phenomenon, refugees’ crisis, climate change, and other regional or global challenges. Students will be engaged in dialogues that strengthen their ability to read and understand the global context while cultivating cross-cultural awareness and empathy. The Tea Talk is divided into three main sections: the first one is the introduction of the topic, and this can take the form of video screening or other materials that are selected by the facilitator and are subsequently described by students. The second section is the discussion in which the facilitator’s talking time is reduced significantly, and students are expected to speak freely without the constraints of formal language. This section involves both problem-analysis and problem-solving. Students will find Tea available for them throughout the talk. The idea is to make students go over polarizing issues with lucidity. The third part of the Tea Talk is project-based, as students are provided the space and materials to either come up with an artistic work to mobilize against the problem or with an idea of a project to act against it. the Tea Talk format makes the learning experience holistic, as it incorporates the cognitive, emotional, and practical learning. Indeed, Tea Talk stimulates students to brainstorm, learn facts, and problem-solve especially in the discussion section. It also encourages students to get emotionally connected and to practice through group work and artistic creation alongside providing them the opportunity to turn ideas into action. Whether though creative activism or through civic initiatives, students will be aware of their responsibility as ‘peace ambassadors’ and their ability to stimulate change by virtue of empathetic dialogue and cross-cultural understanding.

UNIS PEACEKEEPERS:
Truike Boekholt, United Nations International School, NY

What we do:

• Promote the Peace Tables in Junior School and make our own Peacekeeper book for each table. Make up our own Peace song. Learn techniques for building Peace within ourselves and others through yoga and meditation.
• Take a leadership role with promoting peace in the classrooms and at school events like UN day.
• Represent UNIS as peacemakers, promote Peace in the UNIS community and the world.
• Make a connection with Children of the Ganges (a non-profit school in India) for underprivileged children in the Yoga Capital of the world.

What do you need to become a Peacekeeper?

• Have a passion for peacemaking
• Be a good listener or willing to train in ‘active listening’.
• Want to promote peace in the Junior School and the world!
• Be willing to commit time and energy.
• Be flexible and ready to be there for others.
• Take a leadership role in UN day activities or International day of Peace

When do we meet?

• We meet every Tuesday from 8:10 to 8:40 am in the music room 252
• Each J3 and J4 class has 2 representatives.
• You are committed for 2 semesters: From October to June
• To become a member you need to prepare a short speech or presentation (perhaps a poster) explaining why you would like to be a Peacekeeper. Your homeroom teacher will hold an election.

What we have done for example:

• We made the Mandala outside in the courtyard.
• We made up our own PeaceKeeper Song.
• We had the Peace Pole planting ceremony in the courtyard.
• We made our own Peace Tables book and distributed it.
• We did yoga and meditation.
• Participated in The Great Kindness Challenge by doing random “Acts of Kindness”
• We made a certificate of Inspiration  and presented to UN Peacekeeper at the UN
• We presented at a JS assembly and demonstrated the correct use of the classroom Peacetables
  
  

WORKSHOPS FOR FACULTY
Eleanor Skolnick – Adelphi University

After retiring from the New York City School System, I became and Adjunct at Adelphi University. There I have had the opportunity to supervise the student teaching of international graduate students. After receiving their degrees, they will return to their representative countries to teach English.

University administration has sponsored many symposiums for faculty because working with a new, diverse student population has been challenging. In addition, a Diversity Certificate Program has been instituted for staff, faculty and students. Some of which have included:

Diversity and Cultural Competence in Higher Education

Addressing Racism

Confronting Implicit Bias and Micro-aggressions

Gender Bias

White Privilege

These workshops have reinforced my goal as an educator to create an environment where students connect and are at ease with themselves and their colleagues.