un.org/peaceday

What can YOU do for the International Day of Peace?

Peace Day Philly | 275 Woodland Road | Strafford, PA 19087 US

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Lessons from Boys & Girls Clubs of America
Help Keep Kids and Teens Engaged in Learning as Social Distancing Continues

Learning loss is a real issue every summer, but in the unprecedented era of COVID-19, many students already began the summer at an educational disadvantage. As schools closed their doors weeks ahead of time, students completed the school year at home, relying on virtual classrooms and take-home work.

The digital divide made it a lot harder for some children to complete school work, especially those from low-income and minority households, who may not have reliable internet access. In homes where parents did not have the choice of tele-work, older children may have needed to care for their younger siblings so parents could work, making it even harder to do school work under already challenging circumstances.

Now there’s concern over how to keep kids engaged in learning this summer. Research finds children typically fall behind academically each summer, losing about two months’ worth of math skills during the summer. Low-income youth lose more than two months’ worth of reading skills, while their middle-class peers make slight gains.[1] Unchecked, summer learning losses can cause disadvantaged kids to fall behind and possibly jeopardize their chances of graduating from high school.

Public schools and some afterschool programs like Boys & Girls Clubs may remain closed this summer to prevent the spread of the virus, and that means students have lost an important lifeline – a place to connect with friends and teachers, work on their social and emotional skills (which help kids achieve success in areas like academics, arts, leadership and service) and access a typical learning experience. In this segment, parents can take some valuable cues and gain advice to help their kids from a youth development expert from Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

July 6 -11 has been designated as national Summer Learning Week, the perfect time to hear from Chrissy Chen, the Senior Director of Youth Development Programs at Boys & Girls Clubs of America. She’ll discuss how parents can learn some important tips to keep kids and teens learning during summer, especially due to the changes that happened during this recent school year due to COVID-19. She’ll also explain what the important tools are to make sure young people don’t experience summer learning loss while also building their social and emotional skills so they can prepare for the new school year — and life beyond the pandemic.

www.bgca.org
www.myfuture.net

Interview is courtesy: Boys & Girls Clubs of America

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LADY GAGA “STAPLES FOR STUDENTS”:60

INTRO: FROM TAKING THE STAGE IN FRONT OF MILLIONS OF FANS, TO VISITING CLASSROOMS, POP STAR LADY GAGA CONTINUES TO RE-SHAPE THE WORLD.

LADY GAGA: I’M LADY GAGA AND I WILL BE YOUR SUBSTITUTE TEACHER! RECENTLY I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO SPEND THE DAY WITH A CLASS OF STUDENTS AND TALK TO THEM ABOUT THEIR DREAMS FOR THE FUTURE. I WAS SO INSPIRED TO HEAR WHAT THESE KIDS WANTED TO DO.

ANNOUNCER: TALKING TO THE KIDS, LADY GAGA REALIZED THEY NEEDED MORE TOOLS TO ACCOMPLISH THEIR DREAMS.

LADY GAGA (:34)I REALIZED MORE THAN EVER, THE STRUGGLE THAT TEACHERS FACE EVERY DAY TO SUPPLY THEIR STUDENTS WITH THE RIGHT TOOLS AND THE RIGHT ENVIROMENT TO PURSUE THEIR PASSIONS. THAT’S WHY I’M TEAMING UP WITH STAPLES FOR STUDENTS. THEY’RE DONATING TWO MILLION DOLLARS TO DONORS CHOOSE DOT ORG AND BORN THIS WAY FOUNDATION. TOGETHER, WITH ALL ORGANIZATIONS, WE’RE WORKING TO GIVE TEACHERS THE SUPPLIES AND SUPPORT THEY NEED TO EMPOWER THEIR STUDENTS AND CREATE A POSITIVE CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE. BUT WITH YOUR HELP, WE CAN HAVE A BIGGER IMPACT. DONATE IN STAPLES STORES OR LEARN MORE AT STAPLES FOR STUDENTS DOT ORG.

READER SCRIPT – Does not fully match audio
FROM TAKING THE STAGE IN FRONT OF MILLIONS OF FANS, TO VISITING CLASSROOMS, POP-STAR LADY GAGACONTINUES TO RE-SHAPE THE WORLD. RECENTLY, SHE WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO SPEND THE DAY WITH A CLASS OF STUDENTS–AND TALK WITH THEM, ABOUT THEIR DREAMS FOR THE FUTURE; SHE WAS INSPIRED TO HEAR WHAT THESE KIDS WANTED TO DO. BUT, WHILE TALKING WITH THE KIDS, LADY GAGA REALIZED THAT THEY NEEDED MORE TOOLS, TO ACCOMPLISH THEIR DREAMS. SHE REALIZED, MORE THAN EVER, THE STRUGGLE THAT TEACHERS FACE, EVERY DAY, TO SUPPLY THEIR STUDENTS WITH THE RIGHT TOOLS–AND THE RIGHT ENVIRONMENT–TO PURSUE THEIR PASSIONS. THAT’S WHY LADY GAGA HAS TEAMED UP WITH”‘STAPLES’ FOR STUDENTS”–WHICH IS DONATING TWO-MILLION DOLLARS, TO “‘DONORS-CHOOSE’-DOT-ORG” AND “BORN THIS WAY FOUNDATION”. TOGETHER, THEY’RE WORKING TO GIVE TEACHERS THE SUPPLIES AND SUPPORT THAT THEY NEED, TO EMPOWER THEIR STUDENTS–AND CREATE A POSITIVE CLASSROOM-EXPERIENCE. BUT, WITH THE PUBLIC’S HELP, THEY CAN HAVE A BIGGER IMPACT. CUSTOMERS CAN DONATE IN “STAPLES”-STORES–OR LEARN MORE AT “STAPLES-FOR-STUDENTS”-DOT-ORG

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NEWS HIGHLIGHTS:
• LEGO® Education WeDo 2.0 is a hands-on, elementary science solution that develops science practices in the classroom through a robot-based learning system.
• Correlated to standards-based projects, the solution engages and motivates students to solve real-world science problems by working with engineering, technology and coding through the LEGO® brick,
classroom-friendly software and 40+ hours of hands-on projects.
• LEGO Education WeDo 2.0 strengthens students’ understanding and develops competencies across key science topics including physical sciences, life sciences, earth and space sciences and engineering.

CES – LAS VEGAS – NEWS RELEASE – January 5, 2016 – Today, LEGO® Education announced LEGO Education WeDo 2.0, a hands-on science solution designed for elementary classrooms using a robot-based learning system. The unique solution combines the LEGO® brick, classroom-friendly software and engaging, standards-based projects to teach elementary students essential science practices and skills . With WeDo 2.0, students explore, create and share their scientific discoveries as they build, program and modify projects. Through a series of collaborative challenges, they deeply engage with science, engineering, technology, and coding, sparking a love for experimentation and investigation. Teachers receive support through training, curriculum and built -in assessment. The result – a resource that builds students’ confidence to ask questions, define problems, and design their own solutions by putting scientific discovery in their hands.

Featuring curriculum that contains 40+ hours of lessons and activities built on key science standards for 2nd-4th grades, WeDo 2.0 enables students to engage with the science practices and engineering habits of mind by testing multiple designs through eight guided and eight open-ended projects. For example, in the “Drop and Rescue” project, students are challenged to design a device to reduce the impacts on humans, animals and the environment after an area has been damaged by a weather-related hazard. Students can prototype solutions to a challenge where there is no single right answer helping teach creativity and problem-solving skills. This also enables educators to tailor lessons to meet all students’ needs, no matter their abilities.

“Teachers know that science and technology skills are crucial for today’s elementary school students, but providing engaging projects that mean something in the real world is a challenge,” said Jeffrey Marlow, a Geobiologist at Harvard University and founder of The Mars Academy education and development program. “WeDo 2.0 offers projects that let students discover the surface of Mars with a model rover, or explore the Amazon rainforest thro ugh frog metamorphosis. These science lessons do more than just teach students facts to memorize – they represent an immersive experience that instills a deeper understanding of the scientific method and evidence -based reasoning. Not only are these skills central to science- and technology-based fields but providing a platform for our students to spark that one idea that could change the world is something they can build on for the rest of their lives.”

The wireless platform includes a Bluetooth low-energy Smarthub element; an electronic based building brick that is part of the LEGO Power Functions (LPF); a new technology platform for LEGO Education; one motor; one tilt and one motion sensor. The WeDo 2.0 Core software is an essential and easy-to-use component that is colorful, age- appropriate and has a drag-n-drop interface that is graphical in nature. It also contains a documentation tool that enables students to document their problem solving process and provides an assessment opportunity for teachers.

LEGO Education WeDo 2.0 is available today on iPad, Android, PC, and Macs. Chrome Book support will be available in the second half of 2016. A Scratch interface for WeDo 2.0 (both web-based and stand-alone) will be available for Macs in February 2016 and for PC/Windows in June 2016. For information on how to implement

LEGO WeDo 2.0 in your school, or how to transition to WeDo 2.0 from WeDo, visit www.LEGOeducation.us/WeDo

About LEGO® Educati on:
LEGO® Education offers playful learning experiences and teaching solutions based on the LEGO® system of bricks,
curriculum-relevant material, and physical and digital resources to preschool, elementary, middle school, and after school. In partnership with educators for more than 35 years, we support teaching in an inspiring, engaging, and effective way. Our educational solutions, which range from humanities to science, enable every student to succeed by encouraging them to become active, collaborative learners, build skills for future challenges, and establish a positive mind-set toward learning.

LEGO and the LEGO logo are trademarks of the LEGO Group. ©2016 The LEGO Group.

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Good News did this interview last year in July, the work continues on – Good News. Dr. Eddy Bayardelle, President of the Merrill Lynch Foundation speaks to us. The Global Classrooms program brings international issues and the Model UN experience to students in traditionally underserved schools and urban communities. It builds their conflict resolution, research, presentation and analytical skills. Global Classrooms students typically spend a year or semester studying all aspects of an assigned country and then role-play its position on key UN agenda items at the annual conference. Global Classrooms enriches students’ knowledge of world affairs and the global economy, developing them as business leaders and politically empowered individuals.
2,300 Student Ambassadors Visit From China, Germany, Israel, India, Lebanon, as Well as From Other Overseas and US Cities to Debate Global Warming, Poverty and Peace in the Middle East at the United Nations, May 17th through the 19th. The United Nations Association of the USA’s Innovative Program, Global Classrooms, in Partnership With Merrill Lynch, Brings Global Economy and Global Citizenry Into Urban Public Schools. Sponsored by the United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) and Merrill Lynch, the event is held at the United Nations headquarters. The conference mobilizes students to tackle world issues such as globalization, terrorism, Darfur, AIDS, Koreas nuclear capabilities, and other pressing problems.
Speakers at the opening ceremony include: Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, Permanent sentative of the United States to the United Nations, Ahmass L. Fakahany, Vice Chairman and Chief Administrative Officer of Merrill Lynch, the program’s global sponsor and Ambassador William H. Luers, president of UNA-USA. The keynote speaker will be NBA Legend and Olympic gold medalist Sam Perkins. After 18 NBA seasons, Perkins retired in 2001 with more than 15,000 points and 7,000 rebounds. Through NBA Cares, he has traveled to Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Nigeria and South Africa. Perkins now serves as a spokesperson for the Nothing but Nets campaign which works to distribute bed nets to children and families throughout Africa. Some students will travel more than 10,000 miles to participate, which includes young people from: China, Miami, Lebanon, Boston, Germany, Chicago, South Africa, Washington DC, United Kingdom; Tampa, Brazil, New York City, Israel, Houston, Japan, Los Angeles, Spain, St. Paul, Mexico, India, and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Global Classrooms is made possible through the financial and employee volunteer support of Merrill Lynch. “Global Classrooms brings the Model UN program – which is nearly 60 years old – from Ivy League colleges to middle school and high school students of public schools in urban areas,” said Ambassador William Luers, president of UNA-USA. “Student delegates are enriched by the process of researching and writing position papers, negotiating with others, addressing committees through speeches, caucusing, and navigating the UN’s rules of procedure.” “Seeing the world from a global perspective is one of the most critical insights that young people can acquire for business and for life,” said Ahmass Fakahany, Merrill Lynch Vice Chairman. “This extraordinary gathering inspires our youth to develop the skills and perspectives needed to compete in a global economy and to be good global citizens.
Global Classrooms helps today’s youth to become tomorrow’s global ambassadors and business leaders.” “Global Classrooms is successfully exposing students from diverse backgrounds to a more inclusive way of thinking, understanding and interacting,” said Dr. Lucia Rodriguez, vice president of education for UNA-USA. “Armed with this new perspective, students feel empowered to actively shape their own future.” Though the Model UN will involve over 400,000 students globally in 2007, it has only recently expanded into urban public schools. Since 2000, Global Classrooms has touched tens of thousands of young people.
This past year, 25,000 students were exposed to Model UN in US classrooms, and more than 100,000 participated via the Internet. Merrill Lynch and UNA-USA have also teamed up to develop a new curriculum on The Economics of Globalization. The goal: to help youth better understand economic conditions and the role of the global economy in all major world issues, from health to environment to security. The new curriculum will bring to life the finance, trade and development aspects of globalization and challenge students to analyze complex issues and articulate their positions accordingly. Materials will reflect the guidance of Merrill Lynch researchers and experts from around the world, and will be aligned with educational standards for classroom use, including a teacher and student resource book and a guide for volunteers.
The curriculum is designed to provide a foundation of global economic knowledge that will be applied and built upon as the students role play as UN delegates and ambassadors. “”While globalization is bringing people closer together, it is also requiring young people to develop skills and perspectives that enable them to understand the interconnected world,” says Dr. Eddy Bayardelle, President of the Merrill Lynch Foundation. When you see these young people in action negotiating across cultures, languages and economies, you know that they have already begun to shape a new world.” Merrill Lynch, as the global sponsor, made a five-year, $7.5 million commitment to the program.
More About Dr. Eddy Bayardelle:
As President of the Merrill Lynch Foundation and Head of Global Philanthropy, Dr. Eddy Bayardelle manages Foundation, corporate and employee contributions and directs the firms philanthropic initiatives worldwide, including fundraising, employee campaigns, volunteerism and gifts-in-kind. Over the past decade his unique projects have funded over a quarter-billion dollars in scholarships, innovative programs, curriculum development, and head starts on careers and entrepreneurial ventures for American youth. Prior to joining Merill Lynch, Bayardelle served as Chief Operating Officer of the United States Committee of UNICEF (United Nations Childrens Fund). Dr. Bayardelles tenure in education encompasses notable leadership positions, including Superintendent for the Hempstead Public Schools in Long Island, New York; Superintendent for Monitoring & School Improvement; and Executive Director of the Division of Special Education for the New York City Public Schools. At the Graduate School of Bank Street College of education, Dr. Bayardelle held several posts including Associate Dean for Planning and Development. Before that he worked for the New York State Education Department, which establishes and monitors statewide educational standards.
With the Washington, D.C.-based Institute for Educational Leadership, Dr. Bayardelle co-founded the New York Education Policy Fellowship Program, which offers mid-career public and private sector professionals a comprehensive understanding of public policy and leadership. Dr. Bayardelle co-directed the program for 15 years. Dr. Bayardelle has served on numerous boards, including: Governor Bushs Advisory Group on Haiti, Mayor Bloombergs Cultural Affairs Commission, NYC & Company the NYC Bureau of Trade and Tourism, Wall Street Rising, Foundation for Investor Education, National Guard Youth Foundation, The Independent Sectors International Task Force and the Conference Boards Contributions and Business & Education Councils. Dr. Bayardelle attended elementary school in Haiti and Africa and high school in New York City. After serving in the U.S. Army, Bayardelle received his B.A. from Marymount Manhattan College, his M.S. from Bank Street College and his Ph.D. from New York University.
About UNA-USA:
The United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) is a center for innovative programs to engage Americans
in issues of global concern. Its educational and humanitarian campaigns, along with its policy and advocacy programs, allow people to make a global impact at the local level. UNA-USA a non-profit, encourages US leader-ship in the UN. With 175 chapters, it has 20,000 members nationwide. http://www.unausa.org” target=_blank>http://www.unausa.org About Merrill Lynch’s Global Philanthropy: Merrill Lynch was founded on the idea that the world is full of opportunity. Opening the door to that opportunity for underserved children and youth is the focus of the firm’s global philanthropy. In 2006, the firm’s giving totaled more than $40 million, with education receiving nearly one-half of that support.
In 2005, Merrill Lynch launched its multi-million dollar Young Ambassadors initiative to cultivate the next generation of global education for young people and taps Merrill Lynch volunteer efforts, the expertise of leading organizations and educators across the sectors, and educational resources available free of charge at: http://www.volunteer.ml.com
Learn more at: http://volunteer.ml.com/index.asp?id=66319_67036
To view video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk0WFdsiLNQ

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