Please Join Us at Our New Location!

COMMITTEE BLOGS (AND A BLOG FROM ANNIE WEBB BLANTON) ARE NOW PART OF THE DKG "UNIBLOG"!

SUBSCRIBERS TO THE INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE BLOGS (C&P, MEMBERSHIP, EEC, FINANCE, CONSTITUTION), PLEASE NOTE: 

In response to members' suggestions, DKG is now posting all international committee blogs in a "uniblog" accessed from the home page at dkg.org (look for the "Blog" button just above the survey!). In this way, members will be able to find all blog messages quickly and will be informed about all areas of DKG. A new feature is included, as Founder Annie Webb Blanton will be blogging as well!

 

Note: 

Tabs at the top of the blog will allow quick access to specific committee posts if one so desires. 

All committee posts will now be done through the uniblog rather than through individual blogs on committee pages.

If you wish to continue following the educational excellence committee blog, please subscribe to the uniblog at http://dkgsi.blogspot.com/   

Reflections on CTAUN 2017

When you hear the word “refugee” what comes to mind? Boat people from the Viet Nam era or maybe Latin Americans fleeing their homes to settle in the Southwest part of the United States? Perhaps you think about the pictures you see on the news or Facebook of the many Syrians desperately looking for somewhere to go.

                Refugees: The 21^st Century Challenge was the title of the 18^th Annual CTAUN (Committee on Teaching About the United Nations) Conference held at the UN in New York. More than 65 million people in this world are considered refugees, with over 21 million of those being forcibly displaced from their homes. Currently 51% are children under the age of 18.

                At the conference we heard from speakers who shared these facts among many others. Did you know that the United States has accepted the smallest amount of refugees of any country in the world?

What spoke to me the most was the panel of student refugees who shared their stories. One young man said although he wanted desperately to attend school in the refugee camp it was often a choice between standing in line for food or going to the classes. Another explained that being resettled is not the end. Integration is very challenging. The student stories humanized the issue for me. They are real people who want the same things we do: food, water, an education, and most importantly a HOME.

At the conclusion of the conference a CTAUN Statement was read and adopted by the over 700 in attendance. This statement can be found under DKG@UN Relationship on the Educational Excellence Committee page under the Committees tab at www.dkg.org.  To find out more information about the conference and to get a complete summary visit www.ctaun.org .

DKG Members at CTAUN 2017

DKG: Empowering Women in Leadership

One of the goals of the Educational Excellence Committee is to Empower women through leadership opportunities.  An objective to help us reach this goal is to Empower leaders to impact policy and people worldwide.  These words bring an image to my mind of Rosie the Riveter or Wonder Woman.  I visualize myself standing tall, confidently taking on any roadblock that would potentially stifle progress for women around the world.  This picture is inspiring, but it does not accurately describe my ability to empower leaders, who impact policy, that ultimately impacts people worldwide.

               Empowering leaders is often accomplished through one on one conversations, emails, or other personal communication.  I have the privilege of representing the citizens of my community as an elected member of our City Council.  My decisions or votes don’t have global impact, but they certainly impact policy and people in my little corner of the world.  I serve in that capacity because a group of women took the iniative to empower me through leadership opportunities.  I am forever grateful to them!

              Ask yourself how you can empower a leader, or potential leader.  Will words of encouragement or offers of assistance inspire a woman you know to run for elected office? Could your email impact a legislator’s vote? Would your involvement in a DKG Forum help inform others of educational issues around the world? Please consider how you can help Empower women through leadership opportunities. 

Register Now! Time is running out!

The Committee on Teaching About the United Nations (CTAUN - pronounced Cee-tawn) invites everyone to the 18^th annual conference at the United Nations Headquarters in New York –

Refugees: The 21^st Century Challenge.

Friday, 27 January 2017

Refugees and migrants have been a large part of US history bringing new energy, ideas, innovations, cultures, customs and more, creating a nation of diversity and power which has become a role model for the world.

Today we face the largest refugee/migrant movement since the Second World War and, wherever we turn, we are bombarded by media images of desperate but determined faces of people on frightening journeys to overburdened and increasingly unwelcoming countries.

How do we bridge the fear on both sides? What are the cross-cultural issues involved in assimilation, and the challenges to host nations? What are the implications of a generation deprived of its education and what can we, as individuals and educators, do to remedy that?

The CTAUN conference will present representatives from the United Nations, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and refugees themselves to tell their story, what is being done and what actions need to be taken. To learn more and register go to www.teachun.org.

Can’t make it in January?  Well, follow along with the EEC committee as we provide updates and reviews on this event in the future. And check out the DKG@UN newsletters for information on global issues put forward there by your NGO/UN representatives.