Annually, the FLEX Alumni community celebrates International Education Week through a variety of alumni activities. International Education Week (IEW) is an opportunity to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide. Below are highlights from the 2016 IEW FLEX alumni celebrations.
- Alumni in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan volunteered in International Education Week events to promote higher education in the U.S. A full week of International Education Week events were held at the Information Resource Center of the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy. Events ranged from panel discussion on the value of and experiences gained on the FLEX program to discussions about how studying STEM in the U.S. can translate to lucrative jobs in Turkmenistan!
- Students of the Kyrgyz Economic University became acquainted with other cultures during IEW2016. Students studied and later presented on Spanish, Indianan, Korean and Uighur cultures. The 60 students involved, many of whom were FLEX alumni, prepared traditional cuisine, performed national dances, and sang traditional songs for over 300 members of the student body.
- City Representative in Odesa, Ukraine Yuliya Shevchenko’16 together with representatives of the ACCESS Program organized a Model United Nations workshop dedicated to IEW for ACCESS students and students from South Ukrainian National Pedagogical University. The workshop aimed to promote international education and awareness of the students about global issues. Students learned about global environmental issues, such as air and water pollution, deforestation and global warming, all while practicing their English.
- Debates were a common theme for IEW2016, with events held in Armenia and Kyrgyzstan where alumni and local community members learned more about the differences in their country’s system of education compared to the U.S. system.
- Alumni in Armenia discussed the role of alumni of international exchange programs and international universities in achieving peace. Participants discussed the advantages of involving people with international education into the peacemaking process of existing conflicts, because of important skills that those with international education have gained during their study abroad and the use of these skills in creating dialogues between nations in conflict.
- Alumni in Central Ukraine organized the Taste of Ukraine event, offering participants the chance to learn about international education opportunities during IEW.
A huge thank you to all FLEX alumni for your involvement in IEW2016! Keep sharing with the world why exchanges change your world!
