[ti:Bringing Young People Together by Video] [ar:Steve Ember] [al:Education Report] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]This is the VOA Special English [00:03.01]Education Report. [00:04.85]An American nonprofit organization [00:08.26]helps young people around the world [00:11.09]to understand important issues, [00:14.49]and each other. [00:16.20]The Global Nomads Group [00:18.50]organizes educational videoconferences. [00:22.63]Students and speakers [00:26.12]discuss subjects like AIDS, [00:29.06]world religions, nuclear weapons, [00:31.76]immigration, climate change and politics. [00:36.73]For example, students from [00:39.02]at least eight schools in Ghana [00:41.42]talked with American students [00:43.61]about the election [00:45.06]and inauguration of President Obama. [00:48.85]The Ghanaians took part [00:50.84]from a distance learning center in Accra. [00:54.68]Live coverage from Washington [00:57.12]"brought the energy from the streets [00:59.67] to the classrooms," [01:01.46]said a story in Modern Ghana News. [01:04.55]The Global Nomads Group, or G.N.G., [01:08.99]was started in nineteen ninety-eight [01:12.59]by four university students. [01:16.03]They wanted other young people [01:18.27]to become more informed about the world. [01:22.11]Programs have been held in [01:24.60]more than forty countries. [01:27.15]The group says at least [01:29.34]ten thousand students take part each year. [01:33.23]Shirley Herrin teaches high school [01:36.64]in Magnolia, Texas. [01:38.93]She says her school is not [01:41.82]using the programs this year [01:44.55]because of budget cuts. [01:46.69]But she tells us in an e-mail: [01:49.79]"A live conference feed [01:52.69]was 100% better than a textbook. [01:57.32]Magnolia is a small town [02:00.06]and for many of my students [02:02.71]this was an opportunity [02:04.70]to travel around the world." [02:07.45]One thing her students discovered [02:10.66]is that they liked the same music and activities [02:15.05]as many other young people around the world. [02:19.44]The Global Nomads Group charges for programs, [02:24.40]but says it tries to help schools [02:27.88]with limited resources. [02:30.42]In one program, students in Rwanda [02:34.50]and at several American high schools [02:38.18]asked each other questions. [02:40.68]These included questions [02:43.08]from Rwandan students [02:44.92]about subjects like drug use, [02:48.05]H.I.V./AIDS and girls [02:51.52]in school who get pregnant. [02:54.66]An American boy asked [02:57.05]about ethnic groups in Rwanda. [02:59.79]BOY: "The Tutsi and the Hutu, [03:02.28]I am wondering what you guys see [03:07.68]as the differences between those two tribes?" [03:10.53]GIRL: "This is Alene speaking. [03:13.42]There is actually no difference [03:16.90]between the Hutus and the Tutsis. [03:20.23]First of all they are [03:21.70] not two different tribes. [03:22.89]We are one people. [03:23.99]They are just ethnicities ... " [03:25.95]At the end of the videoconference, [03:28.69]the Rwandan teacher made an announcement. [03:32.08]TEACHER: "In our culture we never say goodbye, [03:34.18]and we are going to entertain you. Thank you." [03:39.92](MUSIC) [03:46.62]And that's the VOA Special English [03:51.41]Education Report, [03:53.06]written by Karen Leggett. [03:55.11]I'm Steve Ember.