The Global Horizons project at the Center for International Education strives to promote a greater awareness of the world community in Massachusetts’ K-12 schools by providing global and multicultural education curriculum resources and training to educators throughout the Western Massachusetts region. The Massachusetts Global Education consortium under the Massachusetts Department of Education has funded the project for more than a decade. There are two major activities i.e. (i) offering weekend workshops for K-12 educators, and ii) operating a global and multicultural education curriculum resource center.

The weekend workshops for educators offer a range of topics that reflect global issues and culture such as multiculturalism, global citizenship, immigration and refugee issues, identity, tolerance, technology and social media, gender issues, environmental issues and so on. Registration is free for all K-12 educators including student teachers and the participants receive a stipend for attending the workshop. Facilitators having expertise on specific topics of global interest conduct the workshops. Facilitators make every effort to provide participants with participatory, hands-on and experiential learning experiences.

A recent workshop in November, 2013 focused on Immigration and Belonging: Building Inclusive and Supportive Classrooms.  Seventeen teachers from K-12 schools of Belchertown, Amherst, Hadley and Springfield area attended. The facilitators were Alison Morse and Deb Krivoy who work for Facing History and Ourselves, an international organization that engages students in an examination of racism and prejudice to promote a more civil society. The workshop addressed important questions such as what does it mean to be American, and how do immigrant groups secure a place for themselves in the society as Americans.

This workshop helped educators breathe a new life into social and civic studies by examining immigration in the US. Participants learned a variety of engaging teaching strategies to spark meaningful conversations on issues of identity, history and the diverse population of the US. Through a mix of short films and experiential activities, participants addressed important questions about how members of the school community can act in ways that foster empathy and inclusivity.  A bibliography of relevant resources for the classroom was also provided.