International Peace Quilt Update

The International Peach Quilt project began as an idea back in September 2008, the idea being to unite schools all around the world.  Many of the schools that have participated so far are international schools.  The quilt was inspired by the Summer Olympics in London 2012.  Just recently, the International Peace Quilt gave up update on their progress.  See their update letter below:

Dear All,

Since our last update The International Peace Quilt Project has received further drawings from Azerbaijan,Chad, Fiji, Ghana, Guam, Iran, Malta, Micronesia,Montenegro, Morocco,Nepal, Romania,Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Sweden,Thailand, United Arab Emirates, and Uruguay. This brings the total number of Countries with drawings submitted to 138.

From the list of Countries we wished to reach below, we now have made contact with schools from The British Virgin Islands,Grenada, Guam (who have submitted their drawing),Guatemala, Hong Kong,Mali,Nicaragua, Peru,Trinidad & Tobago,Swaziland, and Switzerland. We expect to receive 22 drawings/countries that have been promised previously  to be submitted in  the early part of 2012 from Algeria, Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Bhutan,Canada, Dominica,Estonia,Finland, Guinea,Honduras, Iraq,Kiribati, Kuwait,Liberia, Leichenstein, Mauritius,Panama, Papua New Guinea,Rwanda, Solomon Islands,and Tuvalu.

The non for profit organisation, The Haynes Foundation in The Carribean has also offered to coordinate the project in Barbados,Cuba, Puerto Rico, St.Kitts & Nevis,  St. Vincent & The Grenadines and The U.S. Virgin Islands for us. Therefore all going to plan that takes the number down to 29 Countries that we still wish to make an initial contact with.

Again thank you so much to all Directors,Principals/ Heads,Staff and Students. Without you all, this Project would not be where it is today. You can all be so proud of what you are creating here.This really is a Global message for Peace from children all over the World as a celebration of the Olympic Games and beyond.

Also a week ago we set up a group in Guisborough called the Friends of the International Peace Quilt. This group is made up of several of our quilters, a Director from the Towns magazine and a couple of other very interested people also from the town. The idea behind this group is that it will coordinate exhibitions/displays of the Quilt.The group will also help to keep on top of any quilting and help with promotion of the project. It was felt that now more heads were needed to help with everything around the project which can only be a good thing.

Just to remind you all again of the Olympic Educational Resource which is available if your school wishes to make use of it,

www.london2012.com/schoolsfromaroundtheworld

Looking to the future,

We see all 205 Countries who are participating in the Olympics, with drawings submitted and all joined together in the International Peace Quilt Project. We see this quilt being a very creative message from Children in every Country in the World for World Peace,all as a celebration of the Olympics 2012.

Best Wishes,

From The Guisborough Rotary Club, The Guisborough Neighbourhood Management Team,Friends of the International Peace Quilt,Our Quilters,Lucy and Trish.

http://peacequilt.wordpress.com/2011/12/

List of Countries still to be involved,

Andorra

Benin

Burundi

Central African REP

Comoros

Congo

Djibouti

Equatorial Guinea

Guinea-Bisseau

Kosovo

Kyrgyzstan

Maldives  A possible, through a contact to an M.P who sits on  The All Party Group for the Maldives.

Mauritania

Moldova

Myanmar

Nauru

Palua

American Samoa

San Marino

Sao Tome e Principe

Slovenia

Somalia

Syrian Arab Rep,waiting on a reply.

Tajikistan

Tunisia

Turkmenistan

Uzbekistan

Venezuela

Yemen

Many of the international schools that have participated in this project have profiles on International School Community.  Has your international school participated in this project?

Video Highlight – Rick Steves: The Value of Travel (TEDxRainier)

After spending 4 months a year for the last 30 years living out of a suitcase, Rick Steves reflects on the value of thoughtful travel. Sharing lessons learned from Iran to El Salvador and from India to Denmark, Steves tells why spending all that time and money away from home has broadened his perspective, enriched his life, and made it clear to him, as he says in his talk, “Fear is for people who don’t get out very much.”

Having only watched a few of Rick Steves travel videos, I wasn’t for sure about listening to his speech.  He does really explain very clearly and to the point his views on traveling and the value of it.

His speech inspired me to always make sure to find a way to interact with the locals somehow.  Am I really taking advantage of the time I am in a taxi cab going from one place in the city to another?  What could I do more to create an environment to initial a conversation in an authentic way?  I guess most of the instances when you get to talk with a local aren’t situations that are exactly planned.

How can you interact with the locals though in such a short time?  The great moments you might share with the locals might only be brief encounters, but they can be, in deed, lasting ones.  One can almost retell each individual encounter with a local when revisiting old photos they had taken from a trip.

What part of travel have you put value on?  Do you value other parts of traveling more than others?  Are international teachers more likely to have the necessary skills to interact with the locals or place that experience high on our list?

One of the reasons that I because a teacher was so that I could work with people that are different than me.  I learn so much from talk with the students from countries different than me.  I learn so much from what the parents share with me as well.

Our quest continues then in our attempt to understand the people in our world a little bit better, and I guess that means that more traveling is in order for our next vacation time….ahhh the life of an international teacher!

More International School Places Needed in Hong Kong

Hong Kong is struggling to meet the demand for places for children at its international schools even though the number of these schools has grown significantly in recent years.


Hong Kong

It is as a result of a surge by British and American expats to Hong Kong since 2010, fuelled by job opportunities in the banking sector, coupled with an increasing desire for local families to have their children educated at the international schools that is creating the huge demand. There are now over 15,000 British and almost 30,000 American expats living in Hong Kong and those with children are requiring places at the international schools there, many of which already have waiting lists for September 2012.

According to ISC Research, the organisation that researches and analyses data on international schools worldwide, in the year 2000 there were 70 schools in Hong Kong teaching 37,800 students. Today that number has increased to 164 international schools teaching 64,300 students.  On Hong Kong Island alone there are 74 schools, with another 37 in Kowloon, and 45 in the New Territories. 21 of these schools including Island School and the Chinese International School, both on Hong Kong Island, have an intake of well over 1000 students. 42% of all these international schools follow the English National Curriculum, 10% follow a US curriculum and 14% follow an international curriculum such as the International Baccalaureate; all popular choices not only for UK and American expats but for the local families too who see this as a route to better opportunities for their children in the worlds most respected universities.  It is the significant increase in the number of local students applying to the international schools, along with the surge in expats to the area that is driving this high demand.

Nicholas Brummitt, Managing Director of ISC Research Ltd says:  “There is an acute shortage of places in Hong Kong. The existing schools are responding by rapidly expanding existing facilities wherever they can, but demand is predicted to outstrip supply for a number of years. A great many new schools are opening over the next couple of years. These include more schools linked to prestigious parent schools in the UK such as the brand new, state of the art Harrow International School located in Tuen Mun in the New Territories and which will open in September 2012.”

But for expats, the situation currently looks tough and the word from schools is apply as soon as you can.

Highlighted article by ISC Reasearch.  ISC Research is the only organisation that supplies data and market analyses covering all the world’s English-medium international schools; data that it has been tracking for over twenty years. The latest market updates plus individual school information, news, statistical overviews, and country reports are all available from ISC Research www.iscresearch.com

Check out the latest comments and information about international school teachers submitted by numerous international schools from around the world at International School Community.

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