Teach Africa™ Youth Forum Attracts Thousands of Houston Students

HOUSTON – May 6, 2009 More than 1,500 Houston students are expected to participate in the Teach Africa™ Youth Forum on Monday, May 11. The event is sponsored by The Africa Society of the National Summit on Africa, Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership, and the World Affairs Council of Houston with funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Teach Africa™ Youth Forum

George R. Brown Convention Center

1001 Avenida de las Americas

Monday, May 11, 2009

8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

The Africa immersion program will open with a panel of ambassadors, scholars, and policy makers giving students a chance to learn about US-Africa Relations, Energy in Africa, Democracy & Government, and Culture in Africa.

Featured speakers include:

·       Ambassador Josefina Diakite of  the Republic of Angola 

·       The Honorable Robert Houdek , Former U.S. Ambassador to Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Uganda

·       Shara Fryer, Chairman of the World Affairs Council of Houston

·       Bernadette Paolo, President & CEO of The Africa Society

·       Dr. Chinwe Effiong, Program Director of Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership

·       Luddy Hayden, President of Luddy Hayden & Associates, LLC

Students will participate in workshops led by Africa experts, debate policy and experience the vibrancy of Africa. The program, intended for young people and educators, addresses the lack of Africa education in American curricula by providing both groups with a better understanding and a greater appreciation of Africa and its role in the global community. 

Students will receive innovative learning materials and will also see the film Africa Today produced by the Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership in collaboration with The Africa Society and with funding from USAID. This compelling film which was directed by Africans in Africa, chronicles the eye-opening cultural and intellectual exchange between Ugandan and American teachers and students. It also shows Africa’s geography, diverse cultures and stories - seen from an African perspective. 

Launched in Houston last June, Teach Africa™ is a multiphase program designed to provide educators with the background and tools needed to raise student interest in Africa. It uses a multidisciplinary approach.  Texas State Senator Rodney Ellis, Congolese Ambassador Faida Mitifu, and others discussed the importance of bringing Africa into Houston classrooms at the first phase of this initiative. More than 230 Houston educators received new materials and methodologies for teaching about Africa at the second phase of Teach Africa™: a professional development workshop held at Texas Southern University in October, 2008.

To date, Teach Africa™ has been implemented in Washington D.C., San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Portland, Houston, Los Angeles and Atlanta, orienting more than 1,400 superintendants and principals, training more than 1,700 teachers and educating over 5,000 students. 

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USAID www.usaid.gov
The Africa Society of the National Summit on Africa www.africasummit.org
Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership www.discoveryglobaled.org 
World Affairs Council of Houston www.wachouston.org

Media Contacts:

Kirsten Davis, World Affairs Council of Houston, (713) 522-7811, media@wachouston.org

Martha Haile, Africa Society, (202) 232-3862, mhaile@africasummit.org