Lalu, a former AYA student from Indonesia on the YES program, submitted the following story about inviting local Boy Scouts to an International Education event. Lalu and fellow exchange students prepared foods, talked about their native countries and presented topics for discussion to teach about global citizenship and exploring cultural differences.
Boy Scouts Gain Knowledge about Cultural Differences
March 19 was an unforgettable day for me and some other exchange students in my town. Right before the first day of Spring, we happily invited Boy Scouts to come and gain knowledge about International Education. We believe that International Education is very important to the students.
We presented how important globalization is to our lives today, including the topics: international education, laws, responsibilities, and rights that we have as global citizens. During the presentation, I could tell how they really enjoyed learning about our countries. They were surprised to hear our different currencies, weather, privileges, gas prices and more.
Other than that, we served food from each of our countries. They loved it, even though we were not professional chefs! Fried rice, Russian pancakes, Israeli snacks and a lot more! But, the part that we loved the most is the ENTHUSIASM we received from the Boy Scouts. A 7-year-old boy asked, “Do you really have to pay taxes in your country too? And fight for your country?” We were happy to answer the questions, especially since some of the Scouts were very young.
This evening showed us how important International Education is and how it will make an impact in our society. It helped us learn to become open minded. And my 4 hours of cooking fried rice really paid off! 🙂
Cultural fairs and events like this are invaluable to encourage open dialogue about what makes us different and how we are similar. FLEX and YES exchange students make fantastic ambassadors to help American youth become interested in and learn more about the world around them. Thanks to all of our AYA students for their remarkable contribution to our schools across the country!
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