Fulbright is excited to announce that seven alumni of teacher exchange programs have been selected to receive grants through the 2022 Citizen Diplomacy Action Fund (CDAF)!
CDAF was launched in 2019 to empower U.S. citizen alumni of U.S. government sponsored exchange programs (ExchangeAlumni) to support their communities and build on their exchange program skills. To date, 189 teams of U.S. citizen ExchangeAlumni have been granted over $1.5 million to build on their exchange programs skills and address the needs of their communities. The 2022 competition was the most competitive to date, with 39 winning teams selected out of 72 applications. You can read more about the 39 teams of grant winners and their projects in this press release from the United States Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Congratulations to this year’s recipients!
The winning projects from Fulbright Teachers include:
Building Community through Language and Art in Malta is a three-week summer class series designed for and with local and migrant women. During the program, arts-based activities will be woven into English language classes and culminate in weekly events co-produced with local organizations to emphasize the importance of community engagement and initiate and nurture relationships across differences. Alumni Team: Diana Zamudio (Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Program for International Teachers 2017, Mexico to United States) and Abbie Hebein (Fulbright U.S. Student Program)
Localizing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: Palapye SDG Champions will create a cohort of “SDG Champions" in the Serowe/Palapye district of Botswana. Through two online sessions and a five day, in-person workshop, 30 unemployed or underemployed youth participants will have the opportunity to increase their awareness and understanding of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and how they can be supported at the local level. Youth will receive training, support, and mentoring in community engagement, job seeking and employability skills, and create personal action plans. Youth will also be connected to local and global educational, funding, networking, and employment opportunities to support the implementation of their action plans. The project aims to create a replicable model of youth outreach such that all Botswanan youth may become “SDG Champions.” Alumni Team: Sara Damon (Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Research Program 2019, United States to Botswana) and Tebatso Jokonya (YALI Regional Leadership Center)
Parents Mobile Academy (PMA) is a community project that will provide activities for 100 parents from underserved communities in Bacolod and Manilla, Philippines, to upskill, learn about relevant issues affecting children and families, and engage in community building. The training program includes a focus on the media’s impact on families, family planning, children’s health and wellness, and parent-child communication at home. The training will also benefit participants financially by providing them with hands-on experience in small-medium enterprise training such as baking and dessert preparation. Alumni Team: Stephany Anderson (Teachers for Global Classrooms Program 2013-2014, United States to the Philippines) and Donah Banaticla (International Leaders in Education Program 2013, Philippines to United States)
Reading to Learn is a peer tutoring reading program that will empower students to improve comprehension of texts and hopefully develop a pleasure for reading using two research-based strategies: teacher modeling and peer tutoring. U.S. preservice education students will serve as teacher-tutors to senior secondary (high school) students in Botswana. The project aims to simultaneously help students build global community and reading comprehension. Alumni Team: Nichole G. (Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Short-Term Program 2019, United States to Botswana) and Shermy M. (Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Program for International Teachers 2020, Botswana to United States)
Teachers' Writing: Creating Community and Connection Across Cultures is a partnership between the Manchester School District in New Hampshire and the Hato Mayor District in the Dominican Republic. Teacher-leaders from the two communities will participate in a two-week institute focused on the teaching of writing in a second or other language. Teachers will create an implementation plan to put into practice what they have learned in their classrooms and share their learning with other district teachers. Alumni Team: Luis Silvestre (Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program 2018, Dominican Republic to United States) and Meg Petersen (Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program)
CDAF is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and Office of Alumni Affairs and implemented by Partners of the Americas, a non-profit, non-partisan organization. Learn more about CDAF.