USA | Global New Media Lab | 18 Jun 2013

Success
Over the course of six months the Global New Media Lab online training program funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and implemented by PH International sparked the interest of 572 A-SMYLE, FLEX and YES students. More than 300 international high school students actively participated Online and learned the basics of using social media for social change and greater civic engagement. During the online training program students identified social issues within their home communities and learned how to use social media platforms and technologies such as Blogger, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Google Alerts and RSS feeds to create and promote grassroots social media campaigns that addressed these issues.

Overview
We end this program as more informed online social media citizens. We now have the knowledge and experience to positively use multiple social media platforms and technologies to engage others, raise awareness, begin our own grassroots social media campaigns and teach others how to use these technologies for good. We have the power to bring attention to some of the most pressing issues in our individual countries. Social media for good!

Witor W… of Indonesia reflects on his GNML experiences by saying, “GNML is not only a workshop that teaches its members how to create different social media, but it also teaches us how to use it properly in a way of benefiting us and the society…With social media, people from all over the world can help the issues that someone, a community, or a nation has. It is so powerful that a social media platform can help the nations to connect with each other.”

Tahmina Z… from Kyrgyzstan—“I have an idea of creating a little club at my school in Kyrgyzstan. It will be accessible for any students who wants to learn how to effectively use social media in order to make a difference in our community. The same club will be opened in Youth Volunteering Organization “Leadership” where young volunteers will learn to use social media to invite people to their events, advertise their new projects and share their ideas with the world.”

Ksenija E… from Serbia–“My school has a computer course that has been the same for the last ten years. Since we all know how much further we are now than we were then, I would like to offer some of our lessons to my teacher and ask if she would like to improve our class…I will keep using all my skills to be socially engaged and offer help to anyone who is interested in doing the same thing…I am really glad I participated. Thank you for this opportunity.”

Sualeha M.. from Pakistan—“I will use my blog to share information about my projects on importance of education in my country of Pakistan. And the skill like making a video, uploading my video to YouTube, posting on Blogger, using Facebook and Twitter for a good cause will surely help me in my career.”