In mid-December, we were pleasantly surprised to receive a call from Ms. Sirisha Papineni politely but curiously inquiring as to why we had not yet responded to an invitation sent in late October – from President Bill Clinton and his team at the Clinton Global Initiative University conference! Though we weren’t thrilled with the post office that our invite was lost in the mail, we were ecstatic and honored to be invited to this gathering. 

Building on President Bill Clinton’s lifetime in public service, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) reflects his belief that collaboration among leaders from all sectors of society is essential to affecting positive global change. To harness the potential of the next generation of leaders from campuses around the world, President Clinton launched CGI University (CGI U) in 2007. Every CGI U member – including students, youth organizations, and university officials – develops a Commitment to Action: a specific plan that addresses a social or environmental challenge on campuses, in local communities, or around the world. Commitments are made in one of five CGI U Global Challenge Areas: Education, Environment & Climate Change, Peace & Human Rights, Poverty Alleviation, and Public Health.

Each year, President Clinton convenes the CGI U commitment-makers, global luminaries, and renowned experts to come together to turn ideas into action. Through the CGI U Meeting and year-round commitment development support, CGI U catalyzes action, facilitates partnerships, and builds knowledge to help a growing community of global citizens work toward innovative solutions that improve lives around the world. Learn more about CGIU and the Clinton Foundation by clicking here.

Early December 2009 marked the first ever National Teacher Leader Training for the Bardoli Global Scholars Program (BGSP) — the signature high school program in NCGE’s K-12 Education portfolio. The program is designed to take high-potential students of color from urban public schools on an 18 month global leadership development experience which includes study abroad, language learning, launching their own social venture, and participating in an internship. To date, 135 students have worked and studied in over 26 countries around the world as part of the program. We are extremely grateful for all the partners who helped make our inaugural NTLT a success with special gratitude going to Teach For America – Atlanta, Park’s Edge Restaurant, the King Center and the Emory Hotel and Conference Center for being our gracious hosts for the weekend.

During the NTLT, we welcomed the following teachers from schools and school districts in Metro Charlotte, NC; Greater Houston, TX; and Metro Atlanta, GA.

Atlanta

Ms. Desiree Glover (Carver School of Health Sciences and Research)

Ms. Lindsay Bober (South Atlanta School of Computer Animation and Design)

Ms. Konteint Redmon (South Atlanta School of Health and Medical Sciences)

Charlotte

Katie Willett (Academy of International Studies at Independence High School)

Ms. Elena Tosky (International Studies at Garinger High School)

Kimberly Cochran (West Mecklenburg High School)

Houston

Ms. Lynda Daniel (YES Prep Southeast)

Ms. Paola Guerra (KIPP Houston High School)

More exciting is the fact that for the 2009-2010 program year, the BGSP program has migrated from its more traditional direct service model (working with a few students from many different schools OUTSIDE the school building) to a school-based model designed to be more scalable while also have a more direct impact on school culture.

In January 2010, each of these partner schools will select a cohort of 10 new Scholars for a total of 90 outstanding high school sophomores and juniors who will make the third cohort of Bardoli Global Scholars. In switching to a school-based model we have proudly established a new role on the NCGE regional operations team for “Teacher Leaders” – faculty members at each of our partner schools who work on behalf of NCGE to implement the BGSP curriculum with students and families at their own schools. The Regional Operations Team for 2009 is composed of 9 Teacher Leaders, 9 Collegiate Fellows, and 6 Program and Development Associates. Together, each of these stakeholders will make a phenomenally strong support team for students chosen as Bardoli Global Scholars.

Check back for an update to our Flickr photo stream with pictures of this great weekend!