from the Record-Courier, April 24, 2010
By Diane Smith, Record-Courier staff writer

In a true test of international cooperation, visiting teachers from 11 countries came together to build two bicycles for charity.

The bicycles, donated to Family and Community Services, were the last step in a day-long team- building exercise, said Matt Campana of Corporate Motivation.

The instructors are visiting from various countries, all brought to the United States through a grant from the U.S. Department of State. The program is coordinated locally by the Gerald H. Read Center for International and Intercultural Education, said Linda Robertson, director of the center.

As part of their stay in the United States, the instructors had internships at various high schools and middle schools, including Ravenna, Stow and Hudson.

The group is preparing a professional development manual, which will be shared among all universities participating in the program, Robertson said. The manual will focus on such skills as problem solving, creativity, critical thinking and leadership.

The group will give a 20-minute demonstration on the concepts in the manual in Washington, D.C. before returning to their home countries, Robertson said.

Campana said he led the group in a series of “light adventure” outdoor activities designed to reinforce the concepts to be included in the manual. As they completed a task, each was given a component of one of the bikes being built.

After lunch, the team gathered to build the bikes, an exercise meant to reinforce the lessons learned during the day. The team members quickly learned which components went with which bike.

“It helped us build leadership skills and work as a team,” said Mrinali Chowdhary, a native of India and an English teacher who completed her internship at Stow-Munroe Falls High School. “It was an eye opener for us.”

Mamatha Megaravalli, also a native of India, is a math teacher who completed her internship in Hudson. She said the exercise taught leadership, critical thinking, problem solving and how to work in a group.

“The beauty of this is that some of us are good at communication and some are good at spatial knowledge,” she said. “Everybody contributes in their own way. Everybody in the group is important.”

As part of the Gerald H. Read Center for International and Intercultural Education’s year long look at the UN’s Millennium Development Goals and with particular emphasis on Goal 7.  Ensure environmental sustainability as well as to provide opportunity for service travel, we are confident that you will marvel at the opportunities on sustainability in this itinerary, in the country that promises to be carbon neutral.  Travel with Corporate Motivation and a Kent State University Sustainability expert and enjoy the trip of a life time. 

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