American Corner Nicaragua

NOVEMBER 2009 Volumen 11

INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION WEEK

Most Americans look forward to sharing a Thanksgiving Day meal with family and

friends, but many also make a special effort to volunteer at shelters, churches, food banks and other charitable organizations. Many grocery stores and individuals

contribute turkeys, potatoes, pumpkin pie and other traditional Thanksgiving items to food banks and soup kitchens, and volunteers spend the day cooking the meal

and serving hundreds of people. “As we gather once again among loved ones, let us also reach out to our neighbors

and fellow citizens in need of a helping hand,” President Obama said in his

Thanksgiving proclamation.

Thanksgiving Day a Time for Reflection, Gratitude, Sharing

American tradition rooted in 1621 New England harvest celebration

Thanksgiving Day in the United States is possibly the premier U.S. family celebration — typically celebrated at home or in a

community setting and marked with a substantial feast. Thanksgiving provides an occasion for reunions of friends and families,

and it affords Americans a shared opportunity to express gratitude for the freedoms they enjoy as well as food, shelter and other

good things.

Many Americans also take time to prepare and serve meals to the needy at soup kitchens, churches and homeless shelters.

Others donate to food drives or participate in charity fundraisers; in fact, hundreds of nonprofit groups throughout the country

hold Thanksgiving Day charity races called “Turkey Trots.”

And on a more worldly note, Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the “holiday

season” that continues through New Year’s Day. The Friday after Thanksgiving is one

of the busiest shopping days of the year.

Every year, the president issues a proclamation designating the fourth Thursday in

November (November 26 this year) a National Day of Thanksgiving. It is an official

federal holiday, and virtually all government offices and schools — and most

businesses — are closed.

“As Americans, we hail from every part of the world,” President Obama says in his

proclamation. “While we observe traditions from every culture, Thanksgiving Day is a

unique national tradition we all share. Its spirit binds us together as one people, each of

us thankful for our common blessings.”

Read more: http://www.america.gov/st/pubs-english/2005November/20051108163712jmnamdeirf0.3664057.html#ixzz0ZhdelPbT

Thanksgiving Day an American Holiday

American Corner

at the Lincoln

International

Academy

School Fair

American Corner and EdUSA adviser participated

on the annual school fair held at the Lincoln Inter-

national Academy. More than 200 students, teach-

ers and parents visited the stand to obtain informa-

tion about studies in the USA, American Corner

services and resources available about US culture,

society, policies and government.

BNC and American Corner grants certificates of participation to 15 TESLs who had attended consecutive workshops

for professional development for English teachers at the American Corner in 2009

INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION WEEK

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INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION WEEK

On November 19th, Alumni Juan Rostrán shared his experience in the

Fulbright master program with a group of 15 TESL from local high

schools. Mr. Rostran just returned to his home country at the com-

pletion of his master program and obtained a master degree in TE-

SOL in 2009. Alumni Franklin Tellez, who participated on the SETI

program in the spring 2009 shared his own experience with fellow

English teachers. EducationUSA Adviser gave information about aca-

demic opportunities to study in the USA such as Opportunity Grant,

Fulbright scholarships and other exchange opportunities for for-

eigners. Participants received copies of the latest FORUM Magazine

issue.

Guest Speaker: Juan Rostran and Franklin Tellez, 2009 Alumni

Audience reached: 15 TESL (3 Female, 12 Male).

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ALUMNI provides tutoring for schoolchildren State Alumni Eimeel Castillo and Jorge Zelaya, continue providing English

tutoring classes to schoolchildren and ESL students at the American Corner

every week. This is part of their volunteer work to share their exchange ex-

perience and encourage his fellow student to apply to the new State Youth Ex-

change Programas administered by the US Embassy in Nicaragua.

A group of Youth Ambassadors' visited the American Corner for an

orientation about Studies in the USA with PAS staffer Shany Perez.

All participants have been part of the Youth Ambassador program in

previous years. They have expressed interest in the new exchange pro-

grams for youth. The students received information about the current

opportunities available to Nicaraguan students: English Intensive

summer camp 2009, Youth Programs, SUSI Leaders, UGRAD. They

also receive complimentary information about the American Corner

services and resources.

Participants also registered on the State Alumni website during their

visit to the American Corner.

Exchange Programs Orientation for Alumni –Youth Ambassador Program

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INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION WEEK

EducationUSA Adviser and American Corner Coordinator visited Calasanz High School. An audience of 150 stu-

dents (10th and 11th grades) and teachers attended the program. American Corner Coordinator talked about AC li-

brary materials available for students and the resources, reference services available at the America Corner. The Edu-

cationUSA Adviser gave an orientation about the opportunities to pursue undergraduate studies in the USA, and the

State Department’s exchange and scholarship programs for youth currently available to Nicaraguan students

The goal of this activity was to provide information about the requirements to apply for scholarships and the differ-

ent exchange opportunities available to study in the USA.

All the participants received brochures from AC and EducationUSA. The Adviser made questions about American

history and culture, and students who responded correctly received free books and pencils with the Estamos Unidos

logo. Father Oscar Garcìa received a book donation: admission to Colleges and Universities, How to get money for

College, and other publications from the advising office for the school library.

American Corner Info Stand at

PEACE CORPS Volunteer Fair

On November 24th, AC Nicaragua, IRC Managua and Ed USA adviser

participated on the 2009 PCV fair to provide information's about the AC resources and services available to

all TESL and ESL and the general public.

AC distributed a handout with links and useful information about USG resources on the field of

education, English teaching, US culture, government and distributed copies of EJournals.

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International Education Week

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs is at the forefront of U.S. government-sponsored ex-

change programs.

http://www.exchanges.state.gov/

• EducationUSA is a guide to higher education in the United States.

http://educationusa.state.gov/

• The Fulbright Program is one of the oldest and most widely known U.S. government exchange programs.

http://fulbright.state.gov/

U.S. Government

Smithsonian Institution, Office of International Relations

The Office of International Relations supports Smithsonian research and programs abroad, serving as the

Smithsonian’s liaison with institutions and international organizations and assisting with the logisti-

cal details of international exchanges.

http://www.si.edu/intrel/default.htm

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education

The Office of Postsecondary Education formulates postsecondary education policy and administers pro-

grams that increase access to quality postsecondary education.

http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/index.html

U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Student and Exchange Visitor

Information System (SEVIS)

SEVIS is an Internet-based system that collects and maintains information on foreign participants in

exchange programs.

http://www.ice.gov/sevis

Nongovernmental

American Council on Education, Center for International Initiatives

The American Council on Education represents the presidents and chancellors of all types of U.S. higher

education institutions. This center offers programs and services that enhance internationalization on

U.S. campuses.

http://www.acenet.edu//AM/Template.cfm?Section=cii

Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE)

The Council on International Educational Exchange creates and administers programs that allow secondary

school and university students and educators to study and teach abroad.

http://www.ciee.org/

Global Engineering Education Exchange

The Global E³ Program is a study-abroad exchange program for engineers. Undergraduate and graduate en-

gineering students at member universities in the United States and abroad can undertake course work and

professional internships at member universities worldwide. http://www.globale3.org/

LASPAU: Academic and Professional Programs for the Americas

A nonprofit organization affiliated with Harvard University, LASPAU designs, develops, and

implements academic and professional programs to benefit the Americas.

http://www.laspau.harvard.edu/ International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX)

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IREX is an international nonprofit organi-

zation working to improve the quality of

education, strengthen independent media,

and foster pluralistic civil society de-

velopment.

http://www.irex.org/programs/grants.asp

National Association of Foreign Student

Affairs (NAFSA)

NAFSA is an organization promoting inter-

national education and providing profes-

sional development opportunities to the

field

http://www.nafsa.org/

State University of New York (SUNY), New

Paltz

This SUNY Web site features a series of

study-abroad blogs written by students in

various programs.

http://Abroadblogs.newpaltz.edu/

SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS

Boren Awards for International Study

Boren scholarships and fellowships provide

funding opportunities for U.S. undergradu-

ate and graduate students to add an inter-

national and language component to their

educations.

http://www.borenawards.org/

Fulbright Scholarship Program

The flagship international study program

of the U.S. government, the Fulbright

Scholarship Program each year supports the

scholarship of up to 1,000 American stu-

dents in a foreign country and 1,500 for-

eign students in the United States.

http://www.fulbright.state.gov

Gates Cambridge Scholarship

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation cre-

ated this scholarship program to enable

outstanding graduate students from outside

the United Kingdom to study at the Univer-

sity of Cambridge.

http://www.gatesscholar.org/

Gilman International Scholarship Program

The Benjamin A. Gilman International

Scholarship program, sponsored by the Bu-

reau of Educational and Cultural Affairs

of the U.S. Department of State, supports

designated U.S. undergraduate students in

study-abroad programs worldwide.

www.iie.org/gilman

International Scholarships Online

This Web site is a resource on financial

aid and scholarships for students wishing

to study abroad.

http://www.internationalscholarships.com

Marshall Scholarships

Scholarships sponsored by the British gov-

ernment to honor George C. Marshall, who

oversaw the economic recovery program to

rebuild Europe after World War II. The

Marshall Scholarships allow two years of

study at any British university for young

Americans.

www.marshallscholarship.org

Rhodes Fellowships

The Rhodes is one of the oldest and most

prestigious scholarship programs support-

ing 32 American students for study at Cam-

bridge University in the United Kingdom.

http://www.rhodesscholar.org/info

Scholarship News

This site provides links to scholarships,

grants, fellowships, and internships for

students.

http://www.free-4u.com