In October 2021, alumni of teacher exchanges were invited to apply for Global Teacher Grants to support education-based projects in their communities. After receiving more than 150 proposals, we are excited to announce the 14 winning projects representing 13 countries!
Global Teacher Grants offer Teacher Exchange Alumni an opportunity to demonstrate teacher leadership, develop themselves professionally, and enhance their role as change agents in their schools and communities. Recipients of the Global Teacher Grant use the funding, in addition to resources, skills, and networks that they acquired during their fellowships, to benefit their students, colleagues, administrators, and community. Global Teacher Grants allow for a maximum of $2,000 in funding per individual award. This year’s winning projects include media literacy workshops, environmental sustainability efforts, and plans to support more inclusive educational systems. They will be implemented in communities worldwide between January – July 2022.
Global Teacher Grants are sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs with funding provided by the U.S. Government and administered by IREX.
2021 – 2022 Global Teacher Grant Projects
BOLIVIA
Training Workshop on Psychological First Aid Techniques and Emotional Regulation to Promote a Culture of Peace – This project will provide teachers with training on psychological first aid techniques and emotional regulation to promote a culture of peace in the community. Teachers will learn the importance of emotional first aid and emotional regulation. School administrators and staff will also learn to use these techniques to support students.
CAMEROON
Schools for Everyone: A Pathway to Inclusive Education – The goal of this project is to recruit and train fifty lead educators to raise awareness and enhance inclusive practices in their secondary schools. Additionally, this project will instill the desire to promote inclusive education amongst educators, school leaders, parents, students, and other stakeholders of the secondary schools involved.
Combatting Sexual Violence Against Female Students and Teachers in Secondary Schools – The aim of this project is to combat sexual violence against female students and teachers in secondary schools through education outreach, campaigns, information technology tools as well as teaching self-defense.
INDIA
Making Indian Schools Accessible to Children with Special Needs – This project aims to educate and bring awareness to primary teachers in rural and semi-urban areas about existing Indian policies on inclusive education and to promote a rights-based approach to inclusion. The project will also encourage collaboration to enhance learning opportunities for children with disabilities.
INDONESIA
Workshop on Eco-Enzymes to Conserve Domestic Environment – The goal of this project is to educate teachers, parents, and other members of the community on how to process the materials of organic wastes and recycle plastic containers to produce eco-enzymes. As a result, more living places will be free of floods, air odors, and pollution and families will spend less on chemical cleansing products at home.
KYRGYZSTAN
Village Girls Voice – The purpose of this project is to raise awareness regarding women's rights, healthy lifestyles, and the importance of education. Sixty girls from different villages will attend a five-day training session. Training topics will include nutrition, menstruation, mental health, and more. The training will bring wellness specialists, successful women in various fields, and volunteers from various organizations together to share their expertise with the girls.
MOLDOVA
Basketball to Unite, Educate, and Inspire – The purpose of this project is to use basketball to build mutual respect, understanding, trust, and decrease bullying in teenagers. Besides the health benefits of playing basketball, it also develops critical thinking skills and leadership skills in its players. To achieve these objectives, the project will train PE teachers to master basketball fundamentals. Additionally, it will mentor students who will disseminate their knowledge to other young people in the community.
MOROCCO
Language Skills Development Center – This project targets forty high school students from rural areas whose linguistic and communication skills have been negatively affected by distance learning. The project will train students in hands on-IT skills that will allow them to enter the digital world. These forty students will then be ambassadors to classmates who are struggling academically.
PHILIPPINES
Bridging School and Home: A Seminar-Workshop on Improving Parental Involvement in Learners’ Education – The goal of this project is to bridge school and home through improving parental involvement in learners’ education. To achieve this goal, this project will train parents on essential leadership and time management skills, empower them to be partners with teachers, and raise awareness among caregivers and other stakeholders on creating a culture of parent-friendly schools.
ROMANIA
Let’s Speak Media Literacy – The goal of this project is to provide twenty teachers of English as a Foreign Language with ten training sessions on integrating media literacy skills in their regular classes. The training will increase the media literacy knowledge of these teachers and their students, improve their critical thinking abilities about media, and improve teachers' pedagogical methods and techniques.
TANZANIA
Creating Awareness of Harmful Practices of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) Among Parents of Adolescent Girls – The goal of this project is to improve the performance and self-esteem of adolescent girls through training parents and students in the school. The training will cover topics such as promoting an FGM-free society at large, the benefits of not performing FGM and other associated harmful traditional practices, and various strategies to overcome FGM in the community.
TURKEY
Empowering Media Literacy in Content Areas – The main goal of the project is to provide twelve teachers of various content areas with training on improving students’ media literacy skills which will result in them becoming wiser consumers and responsible creators of media. The project will also promote the importance of being and raising media-literate individuals in the 21st century.
UNITED STATES
Cultural Artists in Residence – The goal of the project is to enhance the “maker space” experience for junior high school students. Students will create cultural snapshot projects that center on fiber arts. The projects will feature cultures from many countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, India, Pakistan, and Nomadic tribes. These projects will be self-paced and allow students to work collaboratively. Final products will be displayed in their newly renovated school library.
ZIMBABWE
Reading Comprehension and Summary – The goal of this project is to instill a reading culture amongst learners from different subject areas. The survey, question, read, recite and review reading strategy (SQ3r) will not only increase interest in readers, but will also result in an increase of comprehension and summary skills.