Group : Management Committee

Program Coordinator/s: Management Committee

Contact Person: ????

Outline of Activities Involved
Volunteers will visit classrooms in the Elementary and Junior high schools and talk to students about their part of the world. This can be a talk on their community, city, province/state, country.

Training
Volunteers must have a strong knowledge / interest in their home area. The first few days will be spent developing a presentation about the participants area for use in the classroom.

Information Materials
Materials needed for presentations would be locally available. Materials such as books, videos about the volunteers area would have to be supplied by the speaker.

Dates of project activities.
Sept - Dec. 2003 or Feb - May 2003

With globalization Newfoundlanders and Labradorians need to be aquanited with the outside world, in order to realize the potential for exporting products and services. As well, people from around the world need to know about the tremendous tourism potential and the tremendous resource wealth of the province. The "Learning About the World" project will give ample opportunites for an exchange of ideas to occur.

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are not part of the of hyphenated cultures and races seen in most of North America.

The vast majority are descended from English and Irish settlers who came here between 1500 and 1830. The present population of about 530,000 persons is 99.00 %, English speaking, Protestant or Roman Catholic.

They are known for their friendly depositions, generosity to strangers and willingness to help others. In the 20th century a resources rich, but struggling, economy provides little incentive for in-migration, but plenty for out-migration of native born sons and daughters which new exporting industries could help to stop.

Schools do teach students about the diversify of the world but few get a chance to meet people from other countries and learn about cultures outside the skewed versions portrayed on the TV/ Movie screens. Having Newfoundland students meet people from other countries would help them appreciate their own culture while learning new ideas and attitudes that would enrich all involved.

Volunteers would visit students in Junior High and Elementary schools explaining the cultural traditions of their part of the world. These could be explanations about a town, city, province/state or whole country. Visitors could bring along music, art, skills that represent their homeland. The Newfoundland students will have to explain what makes up the cultural features of their province.