Each year, Cultural Vistas’ interns and trainees visit New York public schools to speak to U.S. students about their home culture and customs. This event provides young Americans with an opportunity to interact with and learn about other cultures, while giving our international interns a chance to learn more about the educational system in the United States.
Participants from Argentina, Germany, Japan, Spain, and South Korea have discussed topics ranging from “Gangnam Style” to the street art of Berlin, to Japan’s recovery efforts following the tsunami in schools in Brooklyn, Queens, and White Plains, NY.
This event first started as a way for our participants to celebrate International Educational Week and has since expanded to presentations being held outside of this annual event. It gives participants the opportunity to engage with their local communities in a meaningful way. It is a unique opportunity for them to share their unique global perspectives beyond the bounds of their internships, and for young Americans to broaden their knowledge of the world around them.
This dialogue between American students and our international participants paves the way for increased understanding and respect between the people of the United States and nations abroad.
One participant from Argentina, Javier Unani, reflected: “I learned that although teaching might be hard work to do every day, these kinds of special classes help children to become enthusiastic about any culture and that in this way their understanding of the world increases.”