The Legal Socialization in Moldovan Schools Program (MLSP) aims to strengthen the rule of law, support Moldovan communities in preventing juvenile delinquency, and develop a positive relationship between juveniles and law enforcement authorities. It will do this through an integrated approach that educates youth on the law, raises awareness on community problems such as domestic violence, sexual assault, and trafficking, and develops cooperative partnerships among youth, educators, law enforcement authorities, and the larger community.

MLSP will educate youth at a critical age about the rule of law and legal issues using youth-oriented approaches that result in a greater respect for the rule of law. This contributes to a lower incidence of crime by participating youth and creates a more pervasive culture of understanding about and upholding of the rule of law.

The program builds and develops positive relationships between juveniles and law enforcement authorities. Establishing positive interactions between youth and police in the classroom and through supplemental activities such as afterschool clubs and service-oriented projects improve trust and public confidence in the police. The program reinforces partnerships among ministries and institutions working with youth on rule of law issues and develops new relationships between these bodies, youth and their families.

> More

The purpose of the Armenia LEAD project, funded by the U.S. Department of State, Public Diplomacy Section, is to equip 180 Armenian regional youth with essential soft and hard skills helping them to mature into successful professionals and engaged citizens of Armenia and of the world. Additionally, the project works with their schools and educators to create an enabling environment for youth development and civic activism.

 

The project will deliver the following activities:

 

> More

“BUILDING ENGLISH LANGUAGE CAPACITY FOR ARMENIAN STUDENTS AND TEACHERS” 

IMPLEMENTATION TIMEFRAME: October 01, 2019-September 29, 2023

> More

The Future Cybersecurity Leaders Exchange (CSP) is a U.S. Embassy London  funded program that will provide twenty 16-17 year-old future cybersecurity leaders (10 from the US and 10 from the UK) with a 14-day hands on and skill-based cybersecurity summer camp in the UK, followed by a seven-day introduction to a range of cybersecurity challenges and meetings with US government agencies, universities/research institutions and private sector companies in Washington, D.C. and Southern California.  PH International is the implementing partner for the US portion of this program.  Specifically, the Future Cybersecurity Leaders Exchange will take place in the UK from July 19-August 2, 2019 and in the US from August 3 – 11, 2019.

Participants in the Future Cybersecurity Leaders Exchange will:

• Travel to the UK for a fourteen-day Cybersecurity Camp that will include training seminars, interactive group activities, and hands-on practical training with ten UK 16-17 year-olds;
• Participate in cybersecurity-related site visits as well as cultural activities in Washington, DC and Southern California following the two-week UK program;
• Participate in a cultural exchange with UK students, creating global networks between future cybersecurity leaders.

US-based program objectives are to:

• Identify, inspire, and connect future cyber leaders in the U.S. and UK;
• Provide firsthand, high-level exposure to public and private sector approaches to cybersecurity issues, including ethics, privacy concerns, and alternative viewpoints; 
• Increase the level of understanding of the U.S. federal system and how cybersecurity challenges are addressed at different levels of government;
• Introduce participants to leading private sector cybersecurity firms/innovators;
• Encourage participants to consider the range of possibilities of cybersecurity career opportunities;
• Provide British participants with a better understanding of American culture.

PH International encourages all 16-17 year olds, (must be 16 by July 1, 2019 & no older than 17 as of September 1, 2019), regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin to apply for the Future Cybersecurity Leaders Exchange. All participants’ costs including airfare, ground transportation, lodging and meals will be covered for both the UK and US portions of the program.

> More

Intensive Course for Teachers of English (ICTE II) Program, funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Education and Cultural Affair’s (ECA) Programming, U.S. Embassy in Georgia,  aims to build local capacity and sustainability on the foundation begun in ICTE I with a focus on further enhancing quality teaching and learning in Georgian schools by ensuring professional knowledge of English language teachers; establishing high performance standards and raising the professional status of teachers; expanding the existing Georgian TOT capacity; and supporting expert Georgian teachers to now take the lead as expert trainers and mentors for Georgian teachers of English language.

PH International (PH) has partnered with World Learning’s School for International Training Graduate Institute (SIT)) to provide specialized training for Georgian school teachers of English, enhancing their theoretical and practical knowledge and effecting a deep understanding of issues related to the teaching of English as a foreign language and relationships between the language and western culture and values. The PH-SIT Team will draw upon teacher training materials and approaches used in ICTE I and the ELCE program.

A Teacher Training Summer Camp (TTSC) in Georgia will condense ELCE professional development into a 50 hour intensive course, give 20 less experienced Georgian English teachers a week of specialized training in modern learner-centered teaching techniques for language learning, supplementary lessons and materials that reinforce English language acquisition through content on American and western culture and civic values, and offer applied learning opportunities with students in the English language summer camp.

A Training of Trainers Summer Institute (TOTSI) in the United States will develop 22 experienced ELCE I, ELCE II, Access and ICTE I’s TTSC teachers as peer trainers that can train other teachers in modern learner centered teaching techniques combined with English language and cultural instruction. Finally, mentoring and support during the follow-on period will use social media, networking, and a series of incentive opportunities to encourage and challenge participants to fulfill commitments to apply learning and expand the impact of ICTE II. 

> More

Global New Media Lab (GNML) is a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and PH International. GNML consists of two program components: GNML Online and the Youth TechCamp.

The purpose of the Global New Media Lab is to provide students participating in three of the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ high school academic exchanges with the skills to actively engage in and teach others about the use of social media and other forms of information technology for greater civic engagement. GNML gives young people, ages 15-17 the skills to harness innovative online and mobile tools for powerful change in communities worldwide.

The program has trained 240 international students how to create a social media for social change campaign to address an issue in their home countries using the world's most powerful online platforms. Seventy-eight of these students also participated in a one-week Youth TechCamp in Vermont. Youth TechCamp participants gained leadership and training skills enabling them to transfer knowledge and skills in social/digital media and other information technologies to people and groups at home.

> More

2014-2016 English Language through Civic Education (ELCE II) Program

PH International (PH) is pleased to have been awarded the 2014-2016 English Language through Civic under the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Education and Cultural Affair’s (ECA) Programming Initiative. PH will be the sole implementer of the U.S. funded ELCE II program.

The goal of 2014 – 2016 English Language through Civic Education (ELCE II) program is to improve English language teaching and learning in Georgian schools in order to support Euro-Atlantic integration, promote Western democratic values, improve students’ capacity for higher and continuing education, and increase marketable job skills among Georgian youth. . The direct beneficiaries of this program in Cycle 1 of Program Implementation are Georgian teachers of English for grades 1 through 12 and the students they teach. This project represents a continuation in U.S. Embassy/PAS’s use of English language instruction and acquisition programs as a means to promote Western and U.S. values among a new generation of Georgian pupils.   In the first phase of the English Language through Civic Education program, PH, in partnership with Georgetown University and the English Teachers Association in Georgia (ETAG), worked with the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi and MES to develop a core training program for practicing English teachers and over two years increased the capacity of 378 Georgian English teachers in seven regions. ELCE brought in American English Language Teacher Trainers (ELTTs) who worked with a core set of Georgian English teachers in each region on an intensive program to develop content based, student focused teaching skills that use civic and cultural themes as a means of mobilizing student engagement and participation in English language learning. These trained teachers serve as models for their colleagues and 30 of the best received additional training in the U.S. as peer teacher trainers under the follow-on Intensive Course for Teachers of English (ICTE) program, which also gave 20 English teachers that had not worked with ELTTs a “jump start” to using the ELCE curriculum through an intensive teacher training summer camp.  

The objectives of the current program are:

• To enable Georgian English language teachers in four additional regions (Tbilisi, Samtskhe-Javakheti, Mtskheta Mtianeti,  and Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti) of Georgia to demonstrate enhanced skills and improved classroom instruction for English language acquisition and civic education through English language.
• In coordination with PAS and MES, to increase access of English teachers and classes to expanded materials and resources that complement the national curriculum, support language acquisition skills, and introduce Western and U.S. information, culture and concepts at each grade level.

 

The PH Team has developed a program that will achieve these objectives through a focus on following five key results:

1. A total 120 Georgian English teachers (80 practicing teachers working with children grades 1-12 and 40 pre-service teachers) graduate from the ELCE training program in Tbilisi and Samtskhe-Javakheti with advanced skills in content and delivery;
2. 20 practicing teachers from Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti and Mtskheta-Mtianeti increase capacity to deliver student-centered and content focused English language instruction through civic education;
3. At least 20 new supplemental handouts, lesson plans, multi-media presentations or other material developed by Georgian teachers are nominated by their peers to be considered in semi-annual prize competitions.
4. 80 schools have expanded equipment base to enrich English language learning experience in listening, reading , writing and speaking
5. Two universities have expanded materials and approaches that can be used to better prepare new English teachers for learner-centered and content-focused language acquisition.

 

ELCE II Program Consists of four program components:

1. Teacher Training Coaching and Advising
2. Ongoing expansion of supplemental materials and teaching resources
3. Distribution of equipment to enrich learning
4. Promotion of new approaches and lessons learned to broader educational community.

> More

In 2014-2015, building on success of previous social inclusion initiatives, the U.S. Embassy, Yerevan partnered with PH International to bring the “Wonder-ful Life” project to Armenia. “Wonder-ful Life “- is a series of activities based around the reading of Wonder, R. J. Palacio’s prize winning novel about a young boy with a severe facial disfigurement and the challenges he faces when he enters public middle school.

PH International worked jointly with the Ministry of Education of Armenia and the National Institute of Education to train 30 teachers from around the country who then facilitated group readings and discussions of the book with their students during the Social Inclusion Month in February, 2015. In addition, copies of the novel were distributed to libraries, schools, and NGOs in Armenia.

Armenian students were encouraged to create post cards featuring the Wonder bookcover on one side. The best designs were then printed on real cards and students sent them to the U.S. Ambassador, the Minister of Education, and the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs with a brief idea about how they could make their community more inclusive. 

> More

USAID-funded Applied Civic Education and Teacher Training Program (ACETT) was implemented by PH International in partnership with the Centre for Training and Consultancy (CTC) and 11 regional partner NGOs from 2010 - 2014. The program was also supported by the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia.

ACETT worked to improve the quality and scope of school-based civic education as a means to positively influence the knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of youth (and, through their example, those of the broader community) as active participants in Georgia’s democratic society. ACETT involved a number of program areas, including curriculum development, teacher training, encouraging and promoting student civic involvement, and strengthening recognition of the importance of civics education. The program reached out to 740 schools, 30% of all schools in Georgia. Successes achieved by the program include the following:

-        development of 50-hour accredited training course for civics teachers titled “Teaching Democratic Citizenship”;

-        passing 813 civics teachers from partner schools through this accredited course and conducting workshops for 736 school principals about the importance of school-based civic education;

-        creating and supporting a National Forum of Civics Teachers, which now brings together more than 500 teachers from all regions of Georgia. Organization aims to advance civics teachers’ professional development, promote experience-sharing among teachers through different activities, which include: trainings and master-classes by American and Georgian experts, civics teacher roundtables to discuss critical professional issues, regional conferences and meetings of civics teachers to share experiences, open lessons in civics and organization of the National Annual Fair-Conference of Civics Teachers.

-       presenting a Best Civics Teachers of the Year Award annually starting from 2012;

-        development of the four sets of supplemental civics textbooks, which were introduced to 740 schools in Georgia. Translation of these materials into Azeri and Armenian for use in schools teaching in these languages;

-        organizing summer civics camps for 1,115 students and teachers; conducting civics integration camps for 200 Georgian and ethnic minority youth to facilitate implementation of joint initiatives;

-        developing a manual for school civics clubs and helping to establish over 500 school-based civics clubs in which students work with partners to resolve the critical issues of their schools and communities;

-        awarding the most successful school-based civics clubs with audio-visual equipment that can be  used to enhance their activities;

-        funding and supporting 555 mini-grant projects that promote civic participation by students and teachers; involving local state and private organizations as contributors in these projects;

-        training 711 young leaders and 53 teachers in the use of social media for civic engagement;

-        training 170 students (and teachers) in debates and public speaking, who then have trained the peers in their respective schools and regions;

-        organizing youth forums with participation of more than 3000 students nationwide to promote involvement of youth in local decision-making processes;

-        and creating a civics and citizenship web portal www.civics.ge which brings together resources and news for about civic education and civic engagement for youth, their teachers and parents; 

Final external evaluation of the program, through which 1,300 respondents were surveyed nationwide, showed that ACETT program achieved its goals successfully. This survey confirmed students have gained important knowledge and practices, through their participation in ACETT program, which are essential for democratic citizenship.

> More

The Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program (YIEP) is implemented by the Turkish Education Association and has provided support for the development of innovation and entrepreneurism among Turkish high school students since 2008. PH’s Internet and Exchange Component serves three functions.

First, the component provides a means of delivering additional content and new approaches that enhance the teaching of entrepreneurism in the classroom.

Second, the component establishes linkages between Turkish and American youth that allow them to explore how innovation, entrepreneurism, culture and their lives are similar and different in the two countries, enriching awareness and understanding.

Finally, the component provides opportunities for leading young entrepreneurs and their teachers to have in-person experiences in one another’s countries, further expanding connections and understanding.> More

The Developing Online Tools for Community Outreach and Mobilization (DOTCOM) program engaged media-savvy and civically-engaged youth from Armenia, Azerbaijan and the U.S., providing training and opportunities for these young people to create socially conscious media impacting communities in the U.S. and the Caucasus. The program was sponsored by the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State, and supported by a global network of organizations.

The first phase of the program began in early 2009, when 90 Armenian, American and Azerbaijani students began online collaboration by exploring youth issues through the lens of media, creating their own documentaries, digital stories, short films, public service announcements and other media for distribution internationally. In May 2009, the second phase of the project began. Based on their achievements in the first phase, 30 students (ten per country) were selected as program finalists, and traveled to the U.S. in July 2009 for advanced media and social action training. In March 2010, ten American high school students joined international peers on a visit to the Caucasus, which included participation in the regional Social Media for Social Change conference in Tbilisi, Georgia. 

The program was a tremendous success, with all students going on to reach personal and academic goals beyond their involvement in DOTCOM. For more information about the online learning component of the program, as well as links to student blogs and the DOTCOM YouTube page, please visit the program forum: http://www.netvibes.com/phdotcom#DOTCOM-Home_Page

> More

Please visit the DOTCOM Program Forum for all modules, news, staff and student blogs, and links to relevant sites, including the DOTCOM YouTube page and Twitter feed: http://www.netvibes.com/phdotcom#DOTCOM-Home_Page

The Developing Online Tools for Community Outreach and Mobilization (DOTCOM) program engaged media-savvy and civically-engaged youth from Armenia, Azerbaijan and the U.S. and provided training and opportunities for young people to create socially conscious media impacting communities across the U.S. and the Caucasus. The program was sponsored by the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State, and supported by a global network of organizations that include OneWorldTV, ListenUp!, Young People’s Media Network and the International Youth Media Summit.

The first phase of the program began in early 2009, when ninety Armenian, American and Azerbaijani students began their online collaboration by exploring youth issues through the lens of media, ultimately creating their own documentaries, digital stories, short films, public service announcements and other media for distribution internationally.

In May 2009, the second phase of the project began. Based on their achievements in the first phase, 30 students (ten per country) were selected as program finalists, and traveled to the U.S. in July 2009 for advanced media and social action training. In March 2010, ten American high school students will meet their Azerbaijani and Armenian peers in Tbilisi for a two-day regional media conference to showcase their work to a global audience.  American students will then travel to Azerbaijan and Armenia. 

All students in DOTCOM also have an opportunity to vie for mini-grants to implement civic initiatives based on their selected social issues.

> More

Please visit the DOTCOM Program Forum for all modules, news, staff and student blogs, and links to relevant sites, including the DOTCOM YouTube page and Twitter feed: http://www.netvibes.com/phdotcom#DOTCOM-Home_Page

The Developing Online Tools for Community Outreach and Mobilization (DOTCOM) program engaged media-savvy and civically-engaged youth from Armenia, Azerbaijan and the U.S. and provided training and opportunities for young people to create socially conscious media impacting communities across the U.S. and the Caucasus. The program was sponsored by the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State, and supported by a global network of organizations that include OneWorldTV, ListenUp!, Young People’s Media Network and the International Youth Media Summit.

The first phase of the program began in early 2009, when ninety Armenian, American and Azerbaijani students began their online collaboration by exploring youth issues through the lens of media, ultimately creating their own documentaries, digital stories, short films, public service announcements and other media for distribution internationally.

In May 2009, the second phase of the project began. Based on their achievements in the first phase, 30 students (ten per country) were selected as program finalists, and traveled to the U.S. in July 2009 for advanced media and social action training. In March 2010, ten American high school students met their Azerbaijani and Armenian peers in Tbilisi for a two-day regional media conference to showcase their work to a global audience.  American students then traveled to Azerbaijan and Armenia. 

All students in DOTCOM also had an opportunity to vie for mini-grants to implement civic initiatives based on their selected social issues.

> More

TCON Consultancy Project: Project Harmony was contracted by the Republic of Armenia's Center for Implementation of Educational Projects as a consultant for basic computer literacy training, giving training to 708 educators from Gegharkunik region’s secondary schools. The level of community support for the program was remarkable, with media coverage of PH activities on several occasions.The consultancy took place from Feb. to Sept. 2008 within the framework of much larger national program called “Republic of Armenia Education Quality and Relevance Program”, funded through a credit received by the Republic  of Armenia from the International Development Association.

Through its different components, the “Republic of Armenia Education Quality and Relevance Program” aimed at raising the quality of general education, ensuring its relevance to the new economy and building a professional workforce among Armenian educators and students.

> More

PH International (formerly known as Project Harmony) provided support for the Junior Achievement Program in Azerbaijan for the Azerbaijan School Economics Education project over a five year period, from December 2003 to November 2008. Junior Achievement uses hands-on experiences to inspire and prepare young leaders for success in a global economy. In partnership with businesses and educators, Junior Achievement provides opportunities for youth to engage in market-based economic ventures and entrepreneurship, while fostering respect for diversity of talents, creativity, perspectives and identities.

The Azerbaijan School Economics Education project focused on preventing neglect in non-petroleum sectors by developing a workforce in schools that will spearhead Azerbaijan's business development. Under this project, Junior Achievement Azerbaijan expanded its activities to 105 (100 teachers) schools in Baku and in ten regions. The program reached 15,000 tenth and eleventh grade students. Participating students practiced applied economics through Management and Economics Simulation Exercises, and received training on computer usage and internet collaboration. Students also competed online with their peers throughout the world by participating in the Hewlett-Packard Global Business Challenge. In the last two years of the project,  online and offline mentoring relationships were developed with private businesses for 75 students per year; quarterly online forums, discussions and activities took place in collaboration with Project Harmony's Azerbaijan Connections and Exchange Program, including a forum to compare and contrasting effective media outreach in the global market; and a 12-week Global Business Ethics Program trained 30 students from 12 schools each semester. Online partnerships were developed between JAA participants and American schools to learn about the US economy and business environment, in order to build an awareness of the challenges posed by the transition from a demand to a market economy, and the societal implications of those changes.> More

In 1989, Project Harmony initiated the School Linkage Program in which students and teachers from schools in the United States and the former Soviet Union were matched directly. During the academic year Americans traveled to the NIS for a two to three-week period during which they lived in the homes of their counterparts, attended classes at the host school and participated in a cultural program. Each NIS partner school designed its own itinerary so every program was unique. Similarly, the NIS participants traveled to the US for a two to three-week visit in which they lived with American families and participated in a program designed by the US school. Exchange groups varied in size from 10-25 persons. American schools could elect to be paired with a NIS school in a specific location or with a special focus such as English language, music, mathematics, computers, science or art. A Project Harmony staff member fluent in English and Russian accompanied each group in the NIS to facilitate the exchange. Project Harmony was one of the organizations designated for school partnerships by the United States Department of State – Educational and Cultural Affairs Division and has received support yearly from the Department of State for school linkage programs from 1993 - 2000.

> More

This program was a team effort between PH and the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University and provided annual one-month intensive academic programs for two years. In Search of a New Democracy offered MSU students a unique opportunity to study first-hand Ukraine's transition from communism to a free-market economy, providing classroom and field experience that included homestays in Lviv and Kyiv. The program had special focus on old and new problems facing Ukrinian law enforcement and their struggles to adapt, consolidate and reconfigure their system and deal with new criminal issues arising in an open and free society. 

> More

In 1996 and 1997 Project Harmony organized the International Youth Camp for 12-16 year-old students from Russia, Europe and the United States. The camp was situated in the Green Mountains of Vermont. The campers took part in a structured morning session of intensive language courses and spent their afternoons involved with leadership building activities, sports, field trips, and arts and crafts. A total of 45 Russians and 25 Americans have taken part in Project Harmony camps.> More

The Semester Study Program brought teenagers from Russia, Georgia, Ukraine and Belarus to the United States for a semester of study in American high schools. Between 50 and 100 15-18 year old high school students each year participated in the program, hosted by families across breadth of the U.S. Participants without exception were bery thankful to PH, the USIA's Freedom Support Act program, and most of all their host families for their experience. Follow-up surveys offered statements such as:

"When I got home, I had lots of ideas of things I wanted to do - like starting a student government, clubs for sports, and helping elderly people"

"We are going to try to start something here in Tomsk - going to orphanages and helping kids."

 

> More

> More

> More

The Semester Study Program brought teenagers from Russia, Georgia, Ukraine and Belarus to the United States for a semester of study in American high schools. Between 50 and 100 15-18 year old high school students each year participated in the program, hosted by families across breadth of the U.S. Participants without exception were bery thankful to PH, the USIA's Freedom Support Act program, and most of all their host families for their experience. Follow-up surveys offered statements such as:

"When I got home, I had lots of ideas of things I wanted to do - like starting a student government, clubs for sports, and helping elderly people"

"We are going to try to start something here in Tomsk - going to orphanages and helping kids."

> More

> More

This program provided youth exchanges for American teenage groups to Tbilisi and for Georgian teens associated with the Tbilisi Pioneer Palace to the U.S.

> More