United Planet recently welcomed a group of Taiwanese students who traveled to Boston with the purpose of promoting an understanding of their country while working with local schools on joint youth projects.

“It was great to both share, and see how young people can interact across cultures and make a difference in the world,” said Theresa Higgs, vice-president of global operations at United Planet.

Supported by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Boston, the students shared information on their country with United Planet staff, who then talked about the mission and vision of United Planet.

“It was a great mutual learning experience and a pleasure to meet motivated counterparts from across the globe,” said the Executive Director of United Planet, Dave Santulli, of the exchange.

by Dave Santulli, founder and executive director of United Planet

This weekend, we observe a somber anniversary of an event the tore through our country and our world. Ten years later, we are still grieving, still healing, still trying to find a way to find peace and good will and understanding.  We send our deepest condolences to all those affected; and our best hopes for unity as a people in the years to come. 

This year also marks the origins of United Planet, and makes our mission more vital than ever. In the spring of 2001, the initiative began. The organization was officially established as a non-profit in November 2011. But it was on September 11, 2001 that the importance of United Planet’s programs became frighteningly clear.

In the aftermath of 9-11, there was a breakdown in our cross-cultural trust, especially towards Arab and Muslim communities.  Friends and neighbors became possible foes.  A thick paranoia and fear encrusted the hearts of many.  The prescient essay, “A Clash of Civilizations,” by Samuel Huntington — which predicted that cultural and religious identities would be the primary source of conflict in a post-Cold War world — seemed to take shape before our very eyes.

Watch the video about United Planet's efforts toward cross-cultural understanding in the aftermath of 9-11

As a young organization, United Planet acted swiftly to implement our budding programs.  In the month of September 2001, we launched the Cultural Awareness Project and brought Arab and Muslim Americans into classrooms to talk about their cultures and backgrounds. We needed to remind people of our common humanity and not let fears get the best of us. 

And it did make a difference.  Students and teachers developed new perspectives, not based on what they heard on TV or some fearful neighbors, but based on their dialogues and conversations with real people.

CNN picked up on the innovative nature of this program and followed our volunteer presenters into schools.  You can still watch the CNN report.

This month, we remember not only the horrors of 9-11, but we also celebrate the response by people all over the world to build more understanding, respectful, and supportive relationships together.  A decade later, United Planet continues on this journey with the belief that relationships are the building blocks of a more united and peaceful world.

Whether you volunteer abroad, share a cross-cultural presentation, start an Ambassador club, or take part in discussions with others around the world online — extend a hand,  reach out, and commit to building at least one new cross-cultural friendship this year. There is so much to learn and share from one another.  Your new relationship will enrich your life; when you only understand one culture, you miss out on the cultural heritage of so many others.  Your new relationship will also create one more essential thread within the fabric of a more peaceful world.

As we remember the lives of our friends and neighbors who were lost in 9-11, let us rekindle our desire to bring the world closer together. To honor those lost by giving as much as we can back to the world and to each other.

U.S. Department of State program for Emerging Youth Leaders and young journalists will bring Mongolian students to Boston and Washington, DC this fall.

Jean Charles, a seventeen-year-old senior at the John D. O’Bryant School of Math and Science in Roxbury, doesn’t remember his first trip on a plane — as a baby traveling from Haiti. He will never forget his second. In July, Jean flew over 30 hours to Mongolia via Washington D.C. and Beijing.  “I got very used to being in a plane,” he says. Many more unfamiliar experiences, however, were ahead for Jean.

Some of the group, ready to explore

Jean was one of 11 Boston Public School students and three teachers selected to join a three-week expedition to Mongolia as participants in the U.S. Department of State’s U.S.-Mongolia Emerging Youth Leaders Program. This October, Mongolian teenagers will travel to Boston to learn about journalism and the role of free expression in democratic society.

The program is supported by a grant from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and coordinated by United Planet, a Boston-based nonprofit that offers volunteer abroad programs; and iEARN, the world’s largest educational network for project-based learning.

Enrolled at Boston Latin, Quincy Upper, and Snowden School, as well as O’Bryant, the students represent the diversity and talent in Boston’s public schools.

They were each selected, says Caitlin Ferrarini, International Programs Manager at United Planet, because they were “involved in extracurricular activities, had an interest in journalism and free expression, were mature and independent, and were good students. We also tried to select kids who hadn’t had many opportunities to travel, especially internationally. A few kids were flying for the first time ever – it was really eye-opening!”

When they arrived in Mongolia, the students met their host families and visited schools, media outlets, an orphanage, historic sites, and nomadic herders in their ger tents (or yurts) in the desert.

It isn't every day one can "plank" in the Gobi Desert

They wrote newspaper articles and explored the meaning of free speech with their Mongolian peers. They learned to play games with goat anklebones and taught their hosts the latest Hip Hop dance moves. They heard harmonic throat singing, rode camels, and drank fermented mare’s milk. The American fad of planking – in which players compete to “plank” or lie like a board on top of unusual locations – may have found its champions when the Boston students planked on sand dunes in the Gobi desert.

Jean brought home a new sense that “the world is a lot smaller than I thought it would be.” He was struck that “as far away as they live, a lot of Mongolians we met spoke English really well – along with Russian and Mongolian – when Americans struggle to speak a second, or even one. Now I want to learn more languages myself.”

As a member of the Boston Student Advisory Council, Jean was impressed with the schools in Mongolia. “All the parents, teachers and students there are involved in the schools. I hope I can emphasize the importance of being involved in your school through my work on the Council.”

A boy and his goat

The American and Mongolian students are now staying in touch through Facebook, and can’t wait to see each other again when the Mongolians visit Boston this fall. “I’m saving up to take my host brother to the Galleria and shop for sneakers,” says Jean. “I’d love it if he could go to a Red Sox or a Patriots game.”

The Mongolian students will spend two weeks in Boston, visiting and learning; they will tour the Emerson College radio station, visit the BU Center for Investigative Journalism, interview homeless people, drop by the MIT Center for Future Civic Media, and more. The third week, they will be in Washington, DC, where they will tour Capitol Hill and the Supreme Court, visit the Smithsonian, and more.

About Mongolia

The whole happy group of travelers!

Mongolia, a landlocked country in East and Central Asia, is bordered by Russia and the People’s Republic of China. Mongolia’s political system is now a parliamentary republic; during the last century, its politics were similar to those in the USSR, until a democratic revolution in 1990 led to a multi-party system, a new constitution in 1992, and transition to a market economy. Since 2006, the media environment has been improving with the government debating a new Freedom of Information Act, and the removal of any affiliation of media outlets with the government. Market reforms have led to an increasing number of people working in the media, along with students at journalism schools.

The project is a program of the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. It is being managed and implemented by United Planet (based in Boston, MA) and iEARN (International Education and Resource Network).

About iEARN

iEARN was launched in 1988 as a pilot project between the US and former USSR to demonstrate that students could use emerging new technologies to work together on meaningful educational projects that enhance the quality of life on the planet. It is iEARN’s vision that if students start working together globally from the earliest ages (5-19), they will learn better through experiential interaction with peers in other countries and learn that the world’s issues can be resolved by collaborative solutions. iEARN has grown to become the world’s largest educational network for project-based learning, with programs in more than 130 countries.

iEARN-USA was awarded the 2003 Goldman Sachs Foundation Prize for Excellence in International Education and is a 2004 Tech Museum Laureate winner for “technology benefiting humanity.” Please visit www.iearn.org andwww.us.iearn.org or e-mail: iearn@us.iearn.org iEARN-USA is based in New York City.

About MEA

The Mongolian Education Alliance is an independent non-governmental organization established in July 2004 as a successor to the education program or the former Mongolian Foundation for Open Society. Th mission of MEA is to strengthen and sustain the network of local and international partners that contribute to open society values such as transparency, accountability, participation, equal access in the Mongolian education sector; identify underserved areas of educational reform; and initiate projects supporting reform in teacher development, student center learning, and community involvement. MEA is the officially designated iEARN representative for Mongolia

About ECA

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the U.S. Department of State fosters mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries to promote friendly, and peaceful relations, as mandated by the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961.

ECA accomplishes its mission through a range of programs based on the benefits of mutual understanding, international educational and cultural exchange, and leadership development. We engage youth, students, educators, artists, athletes, and rising leaders in many fields in the United States and more than 160 countries through academic, cultural, sports, and professional exchanges. Striving to reflect the diversity of the United States and global society, ECA programs, funding, and other activities encourage the involvement of American and international participants from traditionally underrepresented groups, including women, racial and ethnic minorities, and people with disabilities.

ECA exchange program alumni encompass over 1 million people around the world, including more than 50 Nobel Laureates and over 350 current and former heads of state and government.

Elizabeth Mellen just returned from her six-month Quest in Ecuador, where she had a wonderful experience teaching, living with a family, meeting international volunteers from all over the world. Read more about her adventures in the local paper in Danville, IL.

A couple lines from the piece:

“In Ecuador, she was amazed at the diverse ecological system — from the mountains to the beaches and the islands. In the town of Mindo, she could do hiking, zip lining and swimming in the waterfalls.”

“On weekends, she did a lot of traveling, and especially fell in love with the gorgeous beaches. She also visited the Galapagos Islands, and saw sharks and a huge sea turtle while snorkeling, sea lions and odd birds such as the blue-footed boobies.”

United Planet Long-term Quests last 6 or 12 months. They offer a significant opportunity to get to know a community, a family, a class full of kids, a culture, a language.  You can choose any of 30 countries in Asia, Latin America, Europe, Africa.

If you’re thinking about a break — from school, career, life — think about a great chance to live and learn and have a real adventure.

“I had an amazing time volunteering in Tibet. The people were extremely warm, kind, and welcoming, always ensuring that I was content with my experience. I really felt like I was a Tibetan! I got to hang out with monks, ride motorcycles, cook Tibetan food, walk freely around the town, and even spoke a little Tibetan to local townspeople. It felt great to know that I was able to help a community in need and also have an experience that I will remember for the rest of my life.”

–Ethan Barhydt, Short-Term Volunteer, Tibet

Sarah M. reflects on her 6 month United Planet Quest to Indonesia after returning to her home in Canada at the end of July.  We hope you will enjoy reading about her adventure as much as we all did, what a wonderful example of building cross-cultural understanding. Thanks, Sarah, and thanks to all volunteers!

I will never forget my first morning in Indonesia...

Sarah posing with some of the teachers at the boarding school.

Just as the sun was about to peek over the horizon, I was jolted awake by a strange sound. In a matter of seconds, the dark and silent city was hit by waves of high pitched cries, enveloping the sleeping houses and hills beyond.

It took a few heart-pounding moments for me to remember I was in Semarang, Central Java, and recognize that these loud, eery voices echoing out of the darkness were the Islamic calls to prayer.

Closing my eyes and listening to these rhythmic, haunting sounds gave me goosebumps.

It hit me for the first time that I was thousands of miles and worlds away from everything I knew.

Teacher Sarah!

I couldn’t wait to start my journey.

For six incredible months I lived and assisted teaching English at a Pondok Pesantren, an Islamic boarding school in Indonesia led by an expert of Islam called a Kyai.

It was a bumpy 15 minute drive from the nearest main road through steamy forest and scattered villages.

Eventually, a large sign welcomes you to the school, a collection of small buildings.

In the centre of the clearing, surrounded by natural mango trees and flowering bushes, was the home I shared with the family of the Kyai, my host family.

Some students and Sarah in the home where she stayed.

To the left were the student dormitories housing approximately 1,000 students and to the right, the classrooms.

A typical day for the students starts at 4:00 am when they arise to pray and read the Koran.

Standard curriculum classes, such as math, history, and English, start promptly at 7:00 am and last until 3:00 pm. After that, school activities are focused around religious studies and reading the Koran. Sometimes they continue until 10:00 or 11:00 at night!

I was always amazed at how everyone could get through the day with so little sleep. They liked to tease me by saying, “selamat siang” (good afternoon) if I woke up at 6:00 am!

My favourite time was late at night when the students finished their activities and I would relax and chat with them in their dormitory. Mixing English and Indonesian, we talked about everything.

Sarah with some of her happy students.

It was amazing living at a boarding school because I was was not only a teacher, but became a close friend to many of the students as well.

On my teaching days, I would walk from my home to the classrooms wearing my long, batik patterned skirt and brightly coloured hijab covering my hair, which I wore out of respect for the culture.

“Assalamu alaikum!” I would greet my class in Arabic and they would enthusiastically reply in unison, “Wa alaikum salam!”

The classrooms were often very crowded and I had little more than a whiteboard and marker to teach with, but we always had a great time.

Some more students at her school.

The children were so full of energy and every day we would practice our English through songs, acting or games.

Whatever we did, I was usually exhausted by the end of class but always walked out smiling. It was fulfilling to see the students respond so energetically to the lesson plans I worked hard to make for them.

I think the most important thing I took home from my journey was the cross-cultural experiences and exchanging of ideas and knowledge.

It’s now clearer to me than ever that to create a better world we need to foster respect, understanding and acceptance between people of different cultures, different ethnicities and different backgrounds.

I find it troubling how easily western societies associate Islam with terrorism. I can say from first hand experience that generalizing about a group of people like this is completely unjustified and wrong.

Beautiful view from the balcony at Sarah's project.

For the people I lived and worked with in my Islamic school, as well as those I met traveling around this predominately Islamic country, the primary values in life were taking care of family, helping those less fortunate and keeping their religious and cultural traditions alive. These people are some of the kindest and gentlest people I have ever known.

I feel extremely lucky to have experienced a Quest with United Planet in Indonesia. It allowed me to   immerse myself in life in another part of our world.

When I arrived I found a culture that at times left me feeling bewildered and confused. By the time I left six months later I had learned so much that Indonesia felt like my second home.

Sarah loved staying at the boarding school where she met some amazing students and teachers.

My mind has been opened more than I imagined it could be and the way I see the world, myself, and those I know will be forever changed.

I would like to continue working with people from all walks of life and continue fostering relationships and building cross-cultural b

ridges that are essential to make our world a better place for everyone.

This certainly will not be my last Quest!

Click here for more information about becoming a United Planet Volunteer in Indonesia!