PLEASE NOTE: Story Ambassadors is currently on hiatus due to the global pandemic. We expect it to return in the future!
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For groups consisting of 1 teacher and up to 30 students in grades 3-12 (approximate ages 8-18)
10 weeks, 1 hour per week during school hours | $2500
What do we think we know because of the stories we’ve been told?
In our Story Ambassadors program, one of our teaching artists works with a classroom teacher, one hour a week for 10 weeks, to create an exciting, meaningful story exchange between a group of local students and a group of their peers in another country.
Using video conferencing, virtual reality, smartphones, and other technology, students exchange photos, videos, and creative work with each other. They learn about the world beyond our borders from people their own age who actually live in the places they’re learning about.
And at the same time, they teach their international partners about what it means to be a young
person in the USA. The students in both countries serve as primary sources for each other, bypassing stereotypes. They learn to celebrate the similarities and the differences between us and to find the common humanity that we all share.
We customize each program to fit into your teacher’s existing curriculum. And we handle the logistics of the international collaboration, from connecting your students to their partners overseas to producing a final project that showcases your students’ hard work. Each Story Ambassadors initiative includes:
- 10 weekly, one-hour workshops during school hours
- A highly experienced, professional teaching artist who will plan and teach beside your teacher
- Participation of age-matched international partners
- Video exchanges between groups–and, when time zones allow, an “in-person” video conferencing session between your group and their international partners
- A culminating showcase of student work that may take the form of an online book, video, performance, or other creative endeavor
- All materials used in the project
- Leave-behind lesson plans and activities for the teacher
Explore some of our past international collaborations in our Project Showcase. And for more information on bringing Story Ambassadors to your school or cultural institution, contact us here.
Special Note for Educators Outside the USA
Are you an English-speaking educator outside of the United States who would like to involve your students in an international project with Blue Planet’s American students? We’re always looking for new schools and organizations to partner with our local classes!
Participation for non-USA partners taught by their own teachers or teaching artists is always free of charge. Get in touch with us by using our contact form here. We look forward to hearing from you!