GLOBAL EDUCATION LEADERSHIP SYMPOSIUM

Nonviolence is a way of life for courageous people. In this session participants will look at nonviolence as a positive force for change. By looking specifically at the Six Principles of Kingian Nonviolence we will explore the philosophy of Dr. King in context of international conflict. This will be an interactive workshop.

Connie Blunden, Director, Global Initiatives, Greenwich Academy

With the revised Connecticut Social Studies Frameworks as a foundation, this session demonstrates ways to integrate Design Thinking and the inquiry process in order to empower students to communicate conclusions and take informed action in authentic and meaningful ways. Participants in this interactive session will develop a deeper understanding of the Frameworks, discuss and share resources and best practices, and come away with a variety of new ideas and strategies to make Design Thinking and inquiry an essential part of their lesson design and classroom culture.

David Bosso, 2012 Connecticut Teacher of the Year; President, Connecticut Council for the Social Studies

This session will explain how King School created a program that focuses on Leadership in Action on our campus. Hear how we implement the skills and traits of leadership into leadership projects that are bettering our school community. Workshop participants will experience a few of the activities that happen in this course as well as have the opportunity to collaborate with peers from other CT schools wishing to create their own student leadership development course. Participants will be able to leave with a plan of action to start or iterate on student leadership development in their settings.

Becky Rabassa, Director of Leadership Lab, King School

Explore innovative programs blending design thinking, global education and student leadership to development. King School and EF, Education First will share their work together around creating new global education programs that are preparing students to rise to the challenges of today and tomorrow. As part of these programs, they use the Design Thinking process merged with EF’s Global Student Leaders Summits to develop innovative solutions to our most pressing global issues.

George Stewart, EF Education First, Daniel Paccione, IB Coordinator, International Academy, and JD Hock, senior at King School

What is Ethical Leadership? How does it translate from the student experience to the faculty experience? How does your ethical leadership impact your work and programming both at home and abroad? What role does it shape in fostering positive change in your community? Participants will be asked to think about their own communities and the roles that they play as they work to move their community forward in a positive way.

Beth Yavenditti, Director of Global Studies, St. Luke’s School

Cross-cultural interactions occur daily, and we do not leave our cultural baggage at home, therefore often are not prepared for the differences we encounter. Different communication styles and ingrained cultural values influence how we behave, our expectations, and the interactions we have with others. How do we make sense of cross-cultural misunderstandings? How do we apply awareness of cultural values and communication differences, which can mitigate emotional reactions? Through brainstorming and experiential activities, we will work with one another to:

• Increase awareness of personal communication styles.
• Increase awareness of the complexity of communication.
• Understand how conflict is birthed through miscommunication.
• Gain some skills that can assist in more effective cross-cultural communication.

Together we will educate one another on navigating cultures in ways that can lead to deeper understandings and more successful interpersonal relations.

Keeniun Brumskill, Director of Diversity at King School, and student Leaders

This session explores cultural exchange and the benefits of immersive education. How do we engage meaningfully and sensitively as a visitor to a new community? What do we offer and gain in the process? How do we connect skills and knowledge to our experiences, both domestically and internationally? How do we continue our learning at home? As a model of this process, Susan Bennitt and students will discuss their experiences traveling to Leon, Nicaragua, and the explicit ways the program is designed, from orientation to the return home, to preserve the growth of a global mindset.

Susan Bennitt, and students, Hopkins School

This session presents how students can take leadership roles in finding solutions to critical issues of global concern. How does one work efficiently with a team and create a viable solution to a pressing global challenge? What is there to learn in working with others and in listening to others’ needs? How do we use our strengths, skills and knowledge to solve an issue or to tackle a challenge? Gilles Chosson, Frank Barros, Drew Schoudel and students will share their successful experiences at the Global Student Leaders Summit in Iceland and in the King’s Expeditionary Studies class (King School)

Gilles Chosson, Frank Barros, Drew Schoudel and students, King School

In this session, participants will explore what it means to engage in responsible volunteer travel abroad. Through experiential activities, discussion, and reflection, we will consider the importance of learning before helping and share our experiences with putting this concept into practice. We will dig into some big-picture ethical questions about service learning, and you will leave with a toolbox of activities and discussion prompts that can be used with groups in your school.

Alison Doernberg, Director of Public Purpose, Rye Country Day School

In this session students from the Women’s Varsity Lacrosse Team and the Independent Filmmakers of King will describe how they use their athletic abilities, cinematography and editing skills, leadership skills and caring personalities to make change locally and abroad.

Jenna Temple and students, King School

What is our moral and ethical approach to service? This workshop will explore a philosophy of service that challenges concepts of Charity and Solidarity and examines Social Contract Theory using real case scenarios and student anecdotes. How might power or privilege perpetuate the status quo and expose hidden dangers in a “No Bless Oblige” practice in our society and in our schools? Components include a careful reflection of how traditional community service has the potential to exploit rather than empower. The presenter will share video clips from a “service research” trip to Port-au-Prince, Haiti eight months after the horrific 2008 earthquake and domestic service related examples to illustrate Best Practices when in engaging in authentic service relationships. Expect to receive practical instruments to introduce to your organization to move beyond short-lived responses to societal needs. Participants will also explore how the role of media and cultural messages inform our habits of mind and often marginalize people of color when depicted on the receiving end of service efforts. Open discussion and healthy discourse will lead to the exploration of how to employ mutually beneficial relationships found in the emerging language of service learning.

Lynn Sullivan, Director of Community Development and Inclusion, New Canaan Country Day School

Engage in several exercises that help communities make connections between local experiences and global issues. Topics such as: is it more important to focus on poverty outside of the US or should we first just take care of our own will be explored and ultimately, participants will leave with some ways to make connections between what they are doing at home with what's going on in the world.