Tuesday, June 19, 2012 11:27 AM

Global Partners Junior, an award winning online exchange program that connects middle school students around the world, celebrated the end of the 2011-2012 program year with an exhibition and award presentation at Gracie Mansion. Awards were presented for student projects focused on this year’s “World Marketplace” business and entrepreneurship theme.  Teachers from around the world with exceptional leadership in implementing Global Partners Junior won a trip to New York City and were the guest judges at today’s event.  2200 students participated this year at 27 New York City public schools and after-school programs and in classrooms in 31 cities around the world.

“Global Partners Junior has brought the world into New York City classrooms and after-school sites in a fun and engaging way since it was first launched as a year long program eight years ago,” said Marjorie B. Tiven, Commissioner of the New York City Commission for the United Nations, Consular Corps and Protocol, and Treasurer of New York City Global Partners. “We are excited to offer it as a summer program for the first time in partnership with the New York Public Library in July and August.”

“We are preparing students to be the future leaders in an interconnected world,” said Global Partners President Professor Meyer Feldberg.  “Students are gaining critical skills in literacy and technology and are learning to work effectively with diverse groups.”

The international teachers attending visiting this week hail from Copenhagen, Mexico City, Mumbai, Toronto and Warsaw. These teachers were selected because of their leadership in implementing Global Partners Junior in their classrooms. In May 2012, four New York City educators participated in a similar contest, winning a trip to London, England. While there, they participated in professional development meetings with their British counterparts and visited London schools offering Global Partners Junior. These  exchanges provide valuable in-person opportunities for New York City and international educators to share ideas about effective ways to lead Global Partners Junior.  The contests were made possible with support from Delta Air Lines and AXA Foundation.

From October to June, Global Partners Junior students, ages 9-12, worked online on a shared curriculum. They communicated with students as far as Shanghai, China and as close as Toronto, Canada.  The curriculum, “World Marketplace,” focused on advertising, market research, local business and the global supply chain. For the final project, each class developed a multimedia business plan for an original product or service to be marketed in their local community and an international city. The final projects were on display at today’s event.

Today, each group received an award for their superior efforts in a Global Partners Junior core value: global awareness, technology, teamwork, literacy and critical thinking.  Awards were also given in this year’s curriculum theme: excellent business plan development and advertising.  Students created and viewed digital product designs and promotional materials for their businesses that were displayed at today’s event.

Global Partners Junior is now accepting applications for the 2012-13 school year. The curriculum, “Urban Stages,” will focus on theater production.  Students will explore playwriting, acting, and sound, costume and set design. New York City Global Partners provides professional development training, student workbooks, teacher resources and assessment tools and coordinates with the international participants, a network of more than 30 global cities.

New York City Global Partners, Inc., the not-for-profit organization that connects the City of New York to cities around the world, launched this program in partnership with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation in its after-school programming in 2004.  It is now offered during the school day at New York City public schools and in after-school programs supported by the New York City Housing Authority, the New York Public Library, CAMBA, Sports and Arts in Schools Foundation and United Activities Unlimited.  In summer 2012, the New York Public Library will offer the program at 12 library branches as part of the first summer offering of Global Partners Junior.

Participating locations in New York City are:

New York City Department of Education
I.S. 49 Berta A. Dreyfus; I.S. 123 James M. Kieran; P.S. 160 William T. Sampson;
M.S. 172 Irwin Altman; I.S. 204 Oliver W. Holmes; C.S. 211 The Bilingual School;
M.S. 322 Renaissance Leadership Academy

New York City Housing Authority
Beach 41st Street Community Center; Boston Secor Community Center; Butler Community Center; Carey Gardens Community Center; Drew Hamilton Community Center; East River Community Center; Penn-Wortman Community Center; Rutgers Community Center

New York City Parks & Recreation
Alfred E. Smith Recreation Center; Chelsea Recreation Center; Hansborough Recreation Center; Sorrentino Recreation Center; St. Mary's Recreation Center

New York Public Library
Bronx Library Center; Grand Concourse Branch Library; Mott Haven Branch Library

CAMBA After-School Programs
Kids World at P.S. 269

Sports and Arts in Schools Foundation
Champions Club at I.S. 231Q and I.S. 125Q

United Activities Unlimited After-School Program
P.S. 18 Beacon

Participating Cities
Accra, Berlin, Bogota, Buenos Aires, Copenhagen, Cuernavaca, Dublin, Glasgow, Hamburg, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Karachi, London, Melbourne, Mexico City, Moscow, Mumbai, New York City, Paris, Prague, Rio de Janeiro, Santiago, Sao Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore, Stockholm, Tokyo, Toronto, Sydney, Vancouver, Warsaw

About New York City Global Partners, Inc.
New York City Global Partners encourages New York City and its more than 80 partner cities to learn from one another’s innovative solutions to common challenges.  Formerly the Sister City Program of the City of New York, Inc., Global Partners has convened ten international summits under the Bloomberg administration on urban issues including the June 2012 Summit on “Public Integrity: Anti-Corruption Strategies, Economic Development and Good Governance.” Policymakers worldwide share information about their cities’ successes through the Global Partners’ Innovation Exchange, an online resource bank of global cities’ best practices.  Global Partners Junior is the award-winning program that connects New York City youth to their international peers on the internet. It fosters global awareness and develops practical technology skills for middle school youth.  Located in the office of the New York City Commission for the United Nations, Consular Corps and Protocol, New York City Global Partners, Inc. is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. To learn more, visit www.nyc.gov/globalpartners.