Leadership Institute Brings Global Experiences to Regina Dominican
We have all heard that the world is becoming smaller. Meaning that, due to technology, our students will most likely be interacting with individuals across the globe in different countries and time zones for school and in their careers. To prepare our students globally, this year we are emphasizing one of our four leadership quadrants, “global citizenship.” Global citizenship is defined as “the rights, duties, and responsibilities that come with being a member of a global entity as a citizen of a particular nation or place. The idea is that one’s identity transcends geography or political borders and that responsibilities or rights can be derived from a broader class of “humanity.” (Wikipedia, 2017).
Some of the activities that students will have available to them this year in the Leadership Institute are:
- Writing to students in other countries
- Conducting an in-depth study of a country, its customs, geography, people, history, governance, etc.
- Interviewing a female leader in a global role
- Comparing/contrasting a foreign governance structure with that of the US
- Book reviews of books that showcase other countries, cultures, etc.
These opportunities will be open to all students. We will also encourage students to take advantage of programs for global study during the summer.
Students Reflect on their Summer Global Experiences
Leadership Scholar Elizabeth Loeher ’19 wrote a research paper last year on “What factors contribute to the cycle of poverty in Haiti, and how can it be disrupted?” She found that Haiti faces major issues in its fight against poverty.
Some of those issues are:
- Disease and poor health, including cholera and HIV
- Poor accessibility to a quality education
- Economic inequality (60% of the population live on the equivalent of $2 a day)
- Natural disasters (earthquakes, hurricanes, etc.)
- Poor water and sanitation
- Orphans (from diseases and natural disasters)
Some of the solutions Elizabeth recommended are:
- Building better buildings to survive catastrophic weather conditions.
- Teacher training and libraries, to provide better education.
- First aid training and hygiene education.
- Proper access to clean water and sanitation.
- Increases opportunities for employment.
- Protection of children by creating unified families and working to prevent family separation.
- Eradicating extreme poverty.
Elizabeth was so affected by her research that she created a service project to supply sanitary pads to women in Haiti, as they are in short supply. She put up signs around the school, collected funds, bought sanitary pads with the money collected, and shipped them to Haiti. We are all impressed with the work Elizabeth has done on her scholar project.
Leadership Scholar Bella Adams ’18 visited a Spanish culture and language immersion program in Madrid, Spain this past summer. The following is a summary of her experience:
This past summer, I spent a month living with a host family in Madrid, Spain and attending a summer language program through the INESLE Institute of Languages. Each morning, I would have school for roughly five hours. We took classes in grammar, art, and history, all in Spanish. We also had educational seminars (in Spanish) on a variety of cultural topics throughout the month. During the afternoons, we visited various historical and significant sites in Madrid such as The Prado Museum, The Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, and the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. We also traveled to the cities of Toledo and Segovia, as well as the province of Galicia while completing a portion of the Camino de Santiago (Saint James’ Way).
Through the INESLE program, I was able to improve my Spanish skills in reading, writing, comprehension, and speaking. Classes were taught exclusively in Spanish, and the program had a strict “no English” policy which allowed me to truly develop my fluency in the Spanish language. It was a great experience for personal development as well, as I learned to live in a new place and adapt to a new culture. I will always treasure the INESLE experience, and I’m excited to return as a teacher and keep in touch with the friends I made during the program.
