Go Global NC Newsletter – December 2017
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It is my privilege and pleasure to look back 2017 and thank you – Go Global NC’s partners, private individual and foundation donors, in-kind contributors, leaders, board, alumni, staff and other friends. The entire Go Global NC team and I are grateful for your support:
Your support is the reason we are able to continue connecting North Carolina and the world. As you see “By the Numbers” below, there is good reason to be proud of what you helped the Go Global NC staff accomplish:
When making your holiday giving lists, please remember a special year-end donation of $50, $100 or any amount you wish to give will be much appreciated and put to good use for North Carolina.
I invite you to read about some of the year’s highlights that show how effectively we impact North Carolinians across the State. Please know that while we receive a small amount of support from UNC, it is your contributions make the real, lasting impact in allowing us to serve and broadly impact North Carolinians. It matters and makes a difference
Rick Van Sant
Executive Director, Go Global NC
Global Teachers Connecting North Carolina Classrooms to Germany
Go Global NC worked with 28 K- 12 teachers from across North Carolina to introduce them to culture and classrooms in Germany. Their Global Teachers – Germany 2017 program began with a comprehensive orientation session, followed by in-country experiential learning and a post-travel action plan workshop.
The 28-member delegation was in Germany for only nine days, but the education they received will last a lifetime. One of the teachers, Angel Ledbetter, said, “Forty hours ago, I had never left the happy confines of the United States. Now I am looking at the sun setting over the buildings of Berlin…the past 40 hours have shown me the world is to be experienced. I still have so much to see and bring back to my little corner of the world!”
Visit our Global Teachers – Germany 2017 site to a compilation of photos and social media provided by the teachers during their travel, reflections on how their experience in Germany changed them, and what they’re bringing back to their North Carolina students.
Global Teachers programs build the capacity of teachers to help their students develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to successfully navigate an interconnected world.
Chinese Guest Teachers Connecting North Carolina Students to the Other Side of the World
Twenty-three Chinese Guest Teachers are enriching the learning experience of K-12 students and their communities across North Carolina during the 2017-2018 school year. Go Global NC’s Chinese Guest Teachers program helps introduce authentic lessons about Chinese culture, history and language to prepare rural and urban students to live and succeed in a global economy.
The teachers received a warm North Carolina welcome during their orientation in July. During the five-day orientation program led by Go Global NC’s June Chen, associate director of world language programs, and Tom Martineau, associate director for training and education, the guest teachers – who are already certified, experienced teachers in China – learned about North Carolina’s educational system and were certified to teach in schools across the state.
The Chinese Guest Teachers also had an opportunity to enjoy themselves during tours of the UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke campuses, including the Duke Lemur Center, and meeting and having dinner with members of the Chinese-American Association.
China Programs include Guest Teachers and Confucius Classrooms, the Global Partnership Initiative, Chinese Bridge Delegations, HSK/YCT language testing and supporting the relationship between North Carolina and the Jiangsu Province Department of Education. Click here to learn more.
North Carolina Law Enforcement Enhancing Community Engagement
Seventeen officers from Durham, Charlotte, Orange County and Wilmington participated in a Go Global NC Latino Initiative program in 2017 that was specialized for law enforcement professionals. Latino Initiative – Law Enforcement 2017 began with a comprehensive orientation prior to the experiential learning portion of the program in Mexico in September 2017 and then followed up with a workshop after returning to North Carolina to share ideas and transform their learning into action. Click here to learn how the 2017 delegation of officers plan to better engage with Latino neighbors in their communities.
Latino Initiative programs are unique in the nation, connecting North Carolina government and community leaders to develop a better understanding of their Latino neighbors. The program develops relationships and strategies that positively integrate the Latino population into the fabric of their new North Carolina communities.
Assisting North Carolina Leaders and Educators in Stronger Partnerships
Go Global NC staff members assisted the Secretary of State’s Office and Rep. David Price to develop the itinerary and present to a delegation of English teachers from Moldova in October 2017, including events at NCSU and the Center for European Studies at UNC – Chapel.
Since 1999, North Carolina and the Republic of Moldova have been partners across multiple sectors including civil emergency operations, trade, cultural exchanges, and coordination of humanitarian efforts. Most people in North Carolina probably aren’t aware of the long-lasting relationship. North Carolina’s Secretary of State Elaine Marshall shares more about the history of the efforts and the good it has done for both the state and Moldova. Watch the video and learn more about the partnership.
Benchmarking North Carolina’s Engagement with the World
North Carolina’s Global Engagement Snapshot, a robust online dashboard that includes over 16,000 data points to quantify North Carolina’s engagement with the world across all sectors, was updated and enhanced in September 2017. “The Snapshot” is a useful tool for state agencies, policy leaders, business leaders, teachers or anyone who needs reliable data that illustrates North Carolina’s engagement and connectivity with the rest of world.
Benchmarking the data found in the Snapshot is intended to add to the conversation about how global opportunities contribute to economic well-being and quality of life of all North Carolinians. The Snapshot was created and is managed by Go Global NC and a team of students from Elon Center for Organizational Analytics.
The Snapshot was inspired by the N.C. Coalition for Global Competitiveness, chaired by former N.C. Secretary of Commerce Jim Fain and coordinated by Go Global NC, to focus on making North Carolina the most globally engaged state in the nation. The Coalition is the first in the nation to develop a shared vision (North Carolina’s Blueprint for Global Engagement – 2015), tangible metrics (North Carolina’s Global Engagement Snapshot – 2016) and collective leadership to move the needle for global engagement in NC.
Global Leaders Unlocking North Carolina’s Human Potential
Go Global NC held its first Global Leaders Forum, titled “Unlocking North Carolina’s Human Potential,” in March 2017 at the SAS Executive Briefing Center. The event explored the economic benefits of family-friendly policies to companies and North Carolina. Participants learned from keynote speakers representing two major Triangle companies and a panel from small and medium-sized businesses discussing the challenges and rewards of programs in their companies and the importance of keeping women engaged in the workforce. For a recap of the event, click here.
Global Leaders programs for business, community and policy leaders are focused on international business, trade, and education opportunities for North Carolina in areas of strategic importance, such as life sciences and biotechnology, advanced manufacturing, agriculture and workforce development.
