http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/site/index/ en U.S. Department of State 2009-11-07T00:24:20+00:00 About the Author: Michele Peters serves as the Special Assistant in the State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ groundbreaking ExchangesConnect global social network promotes mutual understanding among youth and adults of all ages by highlighting cultures, customs, and values through user-generated content and multimedia tools (forums, photos, video, podcasting, etc). We welcomed our 10,000th member this month, and this thriving community continues to grow!

Members from more than 180 countries are initiating and engaging in educational, entertaining, and thought-provoking conversations. Members share their personal experiences, views and cultures, sometimes centered on particular themes. They counter stereotypes and open minds.

And, where else can you gain a firsthand account of a young woman’s experience voting for the first time in local elections in Iraq, converse with a young Palestinian living in Gaza, or learn about all the great Global Youth Service Day projects classrooms in which Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Tajikistan are engaged?

As an open, inclusive social networking site, Connect.state.gov gives people around the world a voice and a connection to the world around them. Rather than my singing the praises of this global online community, read what some of the members have to say:

“I would like to say hi and thank to ExchangesConnect that enables everyone from around the globe to have a space to exchange their culture, traditions and so forth. It is also fascinated to have a say with everyone from different cultures so that we can avoid culture misunderstanding. Hope all enjoy as I do.”

“ExchangesConnect is a great place to share your experiences that I had in U.S.A. being an exchange student. It's safe as it is administered by U.S. Department of State. It is also beneficial for students that are not on exchange programs but they can read the experiences of the exchange members and learn from it. I would say I am having a wonderful time so far with ExchangesConnect and I will keep in touch with it.”

“I am a middle school teacher in a small rural town in Oregon, U.S.A. ...We are in the beginning stages of exploring other cultures. I am interested in schools/individual students both in North America and throughout the world!”

“I thought I'd join this forum since my 17 y/o son has applied to NSLI-Y. I hope I might learn something more about the program from other parents and learners who have experienced the program.”

“My two top reasons for participating in ExchangesConnect are: (1) to share and to get information with others and from others about my own country that how I can reconstruct it. (2) To practice the English language and to interact with new people and create a sound friendship with them.”

“I am international student from Egypt. I have been in the United States of America for seven months. I am interested in exchange culture because I think that it is very important to know about the others and let the other to know about you. I have had a great time in the U.S.A. I like communicate with the other nationalities. I have loved the American culture. People attitudes, respect each other, the education system, and a lot of other points. I am so glad for Obama. My favorite times when I watch his speech. He is very nice and smart president.”

“I really want to have this experience ... and to feel what it's like to be an American teen-age .... I really want to learn about the new world culture ... and teach them mine, because just in this way we can make peace, by creating some kind of understanding.”

At this writing, 10,287 ExchangesConnect members from over 180 countries are sharing 5,168 photos, 378 blogs, 329 discussion forums, and learning more about the people from around the world.

ExchangesConnect is also on Twitter, which was launched January 15th with bloggers from around the world covering the U.S. Presidential Inauguration. We now have over 500 followers and counting. Twitter extends the ExchangesConnect mission by connecting with exchange participants and contributing to the general online conversation about international exchange.

Join ExchangesConnect and become part of a growing global community of people interested in cross-cultural dialogue and international exchange. Also, check out the “Mascot Challenge”...just announced!]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/exchangesconnect_members/ 2009-05-22T23:43:42+00:00 About the Author: Michele L. Peters serves as the Special Assistant in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Video Text

What do a 14-year-old freshman in Columbus, Nebraska; a 23-year-old software engineer in Bangalore, India; a 16-year-old senior in Recife, Brazil; and a 22-year-old Fulbright scholarship recipient from Wheaton, Illinois have in common? They share a strong desire to create bridges across cultures and their unique action and vision has earned each a video contest Grand Prize: -a two-week international exchange program and a featured role as a citizen diplomat.

On March 16, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) announced the four winners of its online video contest, “My Culture + Your Culture=?” ECA launched the initiative on December 1, 2008, to encourage cross-cultural community building and mutual understanding, which is our core mission, via the Web and to attract new members to our social networking site, ExchangesConnect, launched in October 2008. ExchangesConnect has drawn more than 8,600 members from 170 countries and the community continues to grow.

The 8-week contest invited members of the general public worldwide to join the ExchangesConnect online community and to submit a 3-minute video addressing the contest theme. We received more than 170 video entries. The community’s top 40-rated videos, representing 15 countries, proceeded to a panel of expert judges — all distinguished alumni of ECA exchange programs — who ranked the videos. Based on the judges’ ratings, ECA selected two foreign and two American Grand Prize winners in two age categories: (1) 14-17 years, and (2) 18 years and over.

The judges panel included musician, performer, and author Toni Blackman; actress and Founder of the Cancer Schmancer Movement Fran Drescher; graphic artist Milton Glaser; President of the Egyptian Cultural Civic Education Organization Raafat Khalid; and Founder and former Co-Chairman of New Line Cinema and Principal Unique Features Bob Shaye.

The contest winners are: Jose Vinícius Reis Gouveia of Recife, Brazil, age 16, for “Human Colours”; Bijoy Thangaraj of Bangalore, India, age 23, for “My Culture + Your Culture = World of Wonder”; Grant Jirka of Columbus, Nebraska, age 14, for “Winning Team”; and Tim Peters of Wheaton, Illinois, age 22, for “A Friend in Nanjing”. The winners reflect the diversity and talent of those who participated, representing three continents and very different backgrounds. Their personal stories and motivations for submitting their videos are inspiring.

The winners will receive a two-week all-expenses-paid international exchange program, in addition to multi-media software provided by the Adobe Foundation, cosponsor of the contest.

With the contest, ECA set out to attract new members to our global online community, and to exemplify the focus of the ExchangesConnect community site -- to encourage the emergence of a social networking environment dedicated to building international understanding. The entrants’ motivations -- a desire to describe a month-long trip abroad, a passion to share musical talents, a fascination with different cultures, or a chance to be a star -- varied as much as their forms of artistic expression. One common motivation remained constant, that is, a desire to further appreciation and respect for differences and to build bridges among cultures.

One of the highlights of my job is to witness often how we can make a difference in individual lives, and open up opportunities for young people. For example, the two youth winners, Grant and Vinícius, may be from very different cultures, yet they have basic motivations in common, including active participation in their schools and communities, and a desire to travel to foreign countries and learn about different cultures. Tim begins his Fulbright program this week, and his openness to new experiences is a great model for young people around the globe. His story of an unexpected friendship around a Frisbee game was inspired. Bijoy’s creative lyrics and tune-stuck-in-my-head music are impressive, as is the way he captured the wonder and beauty of our complex world. Through storytelling, music, sports, and art each of the winners shared some of his culture, and in so doing, invited viewers to consider what it means to be a part of this global community.

By combining our tradition of educational and cultural exchanges with new technologies to gain support from diverse communities, areca is extending our mission to new audiences through viral campaigns across multiple social media platforms. Check out our site, connect.state.gov, where you can view and comment on the videos, learn more about the winners and the whole ExchangesConnect online community from 170 countries around the world. Also, watch for blogs from our contest winners!]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/video_contest_winners/ 2009-03-20T22:06:40+00:00