On June 18, 2022, AFS Intercultural Programs, in partnership with The Cyril Taylor Charitable Foundation, celebrated teachers and recognised a new generation of young leaders in a virtual event. The ceremony marked the end of the second year edition of the Effect+ for the Classroom Program which has engaged 300 high-school teachers from 15 countries in 9 months of virtual capacity-building activities that equipped them to introduce their students to global issues and develop as active global citizens to help advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The event was an opportunity for different stakeholders involved in the program to connect, hear impact stories from facilitators and teachers, and recognise the top social impact project idea developed by students with their teachers’ guidance to tackle one or more of the SDGs. The winning project was The Smart Aqua-Pronic Project For Sustainable Community Living, addressing SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities. It was developed by students Nurul Asyiqin Yusri, Nur Jannatul Husna Zainudin, Haifaa Halim, Mohd Anas Daniel Mohd Farid, Nuren Shamimi Mohamad Nizam, Phakhavee A/L Pi Chit, Phakhavad A/L Pi Chit, Habib Zafri Sufizan and Syahirah Sazalee with guidance from teacher Noorseiah Mohamad from school SMK Megat Dewa.
Event speakers included educators from around the world, including representatives from AFS and The Cyril Taylor Charitable Foundation:
- William L. Gertz, trustee of The Cyril Taylor Charitable Foundation and Chairman of the American Institute For Foreign Study
- Daniel Obst, AFS Intercultural Programs President & CEO
- Dylan Peterson, Effect+ Program Coordinator and Education Consultant, AFS Intercultural Programs
- Ana Carolina Cassiano, Head of Education Development, AFS Intercultural Programs
- Sarita Badhwar, Facilitator, AFS India
- Félix Gerardo Cantero Villalba, Facilitator, AFS Paraguay
- Anjum Panna, Teacher, Pragnya Bodhini High School
- Peter Chin Sin Kiong, SMK Desa Kencana
- Carla Luciane Klos Schöninger, Farroupilha Federal Institute
In addition to receiving the 2022 Sir Cyril Taylor Young Leaders Award, the winning students’ project team will receive full scholarships to join the AFS Global You Changemaker online program – a 12-week interactive virtual exchange program for teens to develop global competence skills, prototype innovative social impact projects and earn certification from the University of Pennsylvania Center for Social Impact Strategy.
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For more information about the AFS Effect+ Program, click here.