Bringing Africa into Atlanta Classrooms, June 24, 2008



State Superintendent of Schools, Kathy Cox, will discuss the importance of teaching about Africa at the Atlanta launch of Teach Africa on June 24th. Dr. Helene Gayle, President of CARE, and Mr. John Donaldson, Acting Director for International Affairs, The World Bank, will talk about "Why Africa Matters." Additionally, Honorary Co-Chair Ambassador Andrew Young will provide remarks regarding the importance of educating our youth about Africa.

The reception and orientation at the Southern Center for International Studies will educate local superintendents, principals, district leaders, and administrators about how their schools can incorporate African topics into their curriculum.

The Southern Center for International Studies (SCIS) is proud to partner with The Africa Society of the National Summit on Africa and Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership for this U.S. Agency for International Development-funded Africa education program. This collaboration marks the beginning of a movement to increase the base of knowledge and information pertaining to the continent of Africa in U.S. Schools, and to shatter existing negative, stereotypical images that impact the manner in which Americans perceive Africa and Africans.

Teach Africa is a multiphase program designed to provide educators with the background and tools needed to raise student interest in Africa through a highly engaging, multidisciplinary approach. The program offers teachers and students access to institutions and individuals — from diplomats and Africanists to performing artists — who can share their experiences and views on Africa.

According to Africa Society President and CEO Bernadette Paolo, "The role of U.S. — Africa relations will affect a collective group of more than 1.1 billion people. Therefore, learning about the continent of Africa should not be treated as an elective. It is, in fact, a necessity."

In September 2008, the Southern Center for International Studies will launch Phase Two of the Teach Africa initiative with a K-12 teacher workshop to introduce new materials and methodologies using interactive models for instruction about Africa. In Phase Three, next spring, the Council will engage secondary school students on these issues in a daylong forum. Teach Africa was first launched in 2002 in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and in the San Francisco Bay Area. Other cities that have benefited from Teach Africa include Pittsburgh and Portland.

The mission of The Africa Society is to be the premiere entity that engages and educates Americans about Africa and to create, through partnerships, a better understanding of its peoples, diverse cultures, histories and economies.

Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership is a nonprofit organization that is committed to using the positive power of video to provide information and support community development in under-resourced schools and communities around the world.

USAID is an independent federal government agency that receives overall foreign policy guidance from the Secretary of State. The Agency supports long-term and equitable economic growth and advances U.S. foreign policy objectives by supporting economic growth, agriculture and trade; global health; and democracy, conflict prevention and humanitarian assistance in Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and the Near East, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Europe and Eurasia.

The Southern Center for International Studies (SCIS), founded in 1962, is a non-profit educational institution based in Atlanta, Georgia. The primary mission of SCIS is to internationalize the thinking of the American public. In accomplishing this mission, SCIS seeks to inform. It does not take political positions or attempt to influence policy.

Watch the video or listen to the audio from this event online.