SISTER SCHOOLS PROJECT

                                                                       
                                                                       
                                             At the bottom of this page there are links to the videos
                                      made by National Coordinators of Sister Schools Project
                                        in which they introduce themselves to all participants.
                                                                 
                                                                     Executive Summary
 
For any country to improve its economy, it is essential to invest in human capital, and particularly in education. This will especially apply to the countries that are in economic and humanitarian crisis like recently is Ukraine. The entire world in unison is supporting efforts made by Ukrainians to keep their country independent and people safe.
 
We can expect that current situation in this country will have a lot of long term consequences for the whole educational system, as well as for children who had to experience this unusual trauma resulting from the war. They will have to deal with emotional consequences of the war time, they will need to be empowered and believe that they can make a difference in the world, they also need to be educated how to create global partnerships and become an effective community builder. For Ukraine, the implementation of sustainable development goals will be a real challenge, and the Global Network for Sustainable Development (GNSD) wants to make its contribution to the reorganization of educational system in this country.
 
GNSD implements its mission by creating Sustainability and Peace Clubs in schools. Members of these clubs can be involved in local community projects, as well as in the Sister Schools Project creating partnerships between schools in different countries. It will be 20 such partnerships between schools in Ukraine, and schools in Poland, Nepal, India, and USA.
 
We believe such partnerships can significantly benefit both parties. Students from countries with stable economies will be exposed to social, economic, and cultural realities different from their own. When they will see the results of their support and collaboration, they may develop a sense of purpose, and pro-social motivation.  Thanks to the support of organizations partnering with our project students may learn about the importance of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and may be inspired for involvement in social actions targeting them.  Students from supported schools in Ukraine may improve the quality of their education, gain new perspectives on life, and most importantly, learn how to develop partnerships across the borders what will promote a sense of belonging to the global village.  This will prepare all  parties for a leadership role in realization of the 17th UN Sustainable Development Goal:  Creating Partnerships for the Goals.
                                                                
                                                                  Statement of Need
 
With the growing consensus on the importance of education, the United Nations placed education among the top five of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. For Ukraine meeting of this goal is not easy, because destroyed infrastructure, luck of funding, not sufficient number of teachers, etc.  Students of some schools in Ukraine may not receive adequate education because of poorly trained and underpaid teachers, because of overcrowded classrooms, lack of basic teaching tools such as textbooks, blackboards, pens, and paper, not to mention lack of computers, or access to the Internet. It seems that without assistance from more economically developed countries the progress in quality of education will be barely visible.
 
As it is mentioned above, through its extensive network GNSD can create partnerships between schools in Ukraine and schools in other countries. Such collaboration among schools will not only support schools in need, but may also develop a sense of global citizenship among all participating students.  Among the schools that will partner with schools in Ukraine are not only schools in economically developed countries, but also selected schools from Nepal, still one of the poorest countries in the world. Those schools can empower schools in Ukraine by showing how is it possible to organize effective educational process in the country experiencing severe economic challenges. Among other things discussed below in the description of outcomes, the project will teach students about the importance of partnerships across borders, and how to create such partnerships.  It is one of many necessary conditions for achieving sustainable development globally

                                                                  Objectives of the Project

The purpose of this project is to develop a model of extracurricular learning allowing students from grades 5 – 12 K to learn about the importance of partnerships for the realization of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The project will create an opportunity for collaborating across the borders, and for developing skills important for community leaders in the global world.  The project is planned for 2 years, and will have 15 components, each of them requiring close collaboration between mentors, teachers, students, and local community organizations. The project will involve schools from Nepal, Poland, USA and Australia, and the model created by this project will be later implemented in other countries.

                                                                Components of the Project

  1. Organizing of a training webinar for members of the Project Team.
  2. Identifying schools in Ukraine that are interested in participation in Sister Schools Project.
  3. Conducting assessment of the needs of teachers and students that must be met in each selected schools in Ukraine.
  4. Identifying in Poland, USA, India, and Nepal schools that are interested in participation in Sister Schools Project.
  5. Creating Sustainability and Peace Clubs in all identified schools and electing their leadership teams.
  6. Introducing mission of Sister Schools Project to the members of the clubs.
  7. Setting long term-goals for the next 3 years and short-term goals every year for each club, and defining indicators of success.
  8. Monitoring and facilitating collaboration between schools by members of the Project Team
  9. Maintaining of the Club’s websites.
  10. Organizing for teachers mentoring Sustainability Clubs and for the leadership of these clubs a training workshop on peace education (at the Gandhi Research Foundation in India).
  11. Organizing during the third year of the project a virtual international conference in Poland on the topic “Investing in Youth; Importance of Education for Global Partnership”
  12. Evaluation of the impact the project will have on participating students, teachers, and community at large.
  13. Organizing sessions discussing the progress of the project, and implementing conclusions from these sessions by making relevant corrections to the plan of action.
  14. Writing and publishing a summary of the project that will include the final evaluation of the   impact
  15. Introducing the project to other schools in Nepal, as well as to schools in African Countries.

                                                                            Outcomes
 
General Outcomes:
  • Creating at least 20 partnerships across borders.
  • Creating a model for extracurricular education based on the “learning by doing” principle.
  • Organization of the International Training Conference for Teachers presenting the above model, with approximately 500 partcipants
  • Publishing the results of research on the impact of the project on participating students, teachers, schools and local communities.
  • Promoting the model in schools in Nepal and selected African countries attempting to reach out to the population of 200 school with 200 teachers mentoring the program, and 4000 participating students
 
Increase of Knowledge about:
  • Sustainability
  • Recent challenges to UN Sustainable Development Goals.
  • Social drivers for Sustainable Development Goals.
  • Non-violence and importance of peace education.
  • Principles of empowerment of women
  • Principles of effective communication,
  • Importance of multicultural perspective on community leadership.
  • Principles of effective leadership.
 
Predispositions and skills:
  • Prosocial motivation.
  • Ability to create partnerships.
  • Increase of self-efficacy
  • Improved communications skills
  • Increased ability to empower women
  • Increase of the tolerance for cultural differences.
  • Ability to cope with stress, helplessness, and depression.
  • Increased ability to lead and work in a team
  • Effective strategies for coping with stress, depression, and social isolation

                          We are grateful to have the following partners for this project:

                                                 Members of the Project Team
 
Dr. Marek Wosinski, USA 
Affiliate Global Futures Scholar at Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory (Arizona State University);
Supervisor of training of teachers and students
 
Evin Schwartz (USA)                           
Founder and CEO of Belouga;
 
Nicole Crescimanno (USA)                                
Director of Strategic Relationships and Programs at Our Climate; Teaching about equitable climate policy solutions; 
 
Emily Martin (USA)
National Policy and Programs Manager at Our Climate; Teaching about equitable climate policy solutions;
                        
Dennis Carter (USA)          
Senior Director, Community Partnerships at Ramapo for Children; Providing the toolbox of strategies and techniques that support continued learning.:  d
 
Theodore Philips (USA)
Ramapo for Children; Providing the toolbox of strategies and techniques that support continued learning.
 
Keauna Jacobs (USA)            
Ramapo for Children; Providing the toolbox of strategies and techniques that support continued learning;
 
Mona Prophete (USA) 
Ramapo for Children;  Providing the toolbox of strategies and techniques that support continued learning;
 
Jerrie Uberele  (USA, China)                          
President of the World Academy for the Future of Women; Supervisor of training programs on Empowerment of Women: j
 
Gaurab Sidgel (USA)
Visual Media Production            

Arturo Escobedo (USA)
Administrative Assistant and National Coordinator of Sister Schools Project; 

Prof. Dr. Sapna A. Narula (India)
Professor & Dean, School of Management Studies at Nalanda University;

Prof. Gita Dharampal (India)
Dean of Research at Gandhi Research Foundation; Supervisor of Peace Education
 
Dr. Anveshi Gutta (India)
CEO of At Quest Sustainability Simplified
 
Dr. Amit Tuteja (India)
Founder of Connecting Dream
 
Dr. B.K Sikka (India)
Executive Director of Equicap Agri
 
Bartlomiej Marszalek (Poland)
Senior Project Manager at TDJ Foundation; National Coordinator of Sister Schools Project
 
Dr. Katarzyna Maniszewska (Poland)
Vice-Rector for International Relations at Collegium Civitas;

Samijhana Pokharel (Nepal)               
Educational Consultant; 
 
Prajwal Rajthala (Nepal)
Instructor on development and maintenance of websites;
 
Bipin Panday (Nepal)
National Coordinator for Sister Schools Project;
 
Stephen Daniel (Nigeria)
National Coordinator of Sister Schools Project;
 
Oleksandr Biruykow (Ukraine) 
National Coordinator of Sister Schools Project;
 
                                                   Members of the Research Team
 
Dr. Rich Jansen (Canada)
Executive Director of the Center for Community Based Research; Coordinator of the Research Team
 
Janna Martin (Canada)
Researcher at the Center for Community Based Research; Member of the Research Team;
 
Prof. Dr. Jozef Maciuszek (Poland)
Director of the Institute of Applied Psychology at Jagiellonian University; Member of the Research Team;
 
Kaja Glomb (Poland)
Institute of Applied Psychology at Jagiellonian University; Member of the Research Team;
 
Prof. dr. Przemyslaw Piotrowski (Poland)
Institute of Applied Psychology at Jagiellonian University; Member of the Research Team;
 
Dr. Iwona Sikorska (Poland)
Institute of Applied Psychology at Jagiellonian University; Member of the Research Team for Sister Schools Project;
 
Dr. Katarzyna Stasiuk (Poland)
Institute of Applied Psychology at Jagiellonian University; Member of the Research Team for Sister Schools Project;
 
Kaja Holobowska (Poland)
Administrative Assistant, Institute of Applied Psychology at Jagiellonian University; Member of the Research Team;
 
Dr. Xymena Bukowska (Poland)
Institute of Sociology at Collegium Civitas; Member of the Research Team;
 
Dr. Marek Troszynski (Poland)
Institute of Sociology at Collegium Civitas; Member of the Research Team;
 
Dr. Katarzyna Iwinska (Poland)
Vice-Rector for Scientific Research at Collegium Civitas; Member of the Research Team;
 
                                         Members of the Administrative Team
 
Dr. Marek Wosinski, USA 
Project Manager; Global Network for Sustainable Development;
 
Arturo Escobedo (USA)
Administrative Assistant for Sister Schools Project ; 
 
Damai Vergara-Hegi (USA)
Treasurer at the Global Network for Sustainable Development (GNSD);
 
Dr. Ashhima Mathur  (India)
Member of the Executive Team at the Global Network for Sustainable Development (GNSD);    
 
Stephen Daniel (Nigeria)
Secretary of the Global Network for Sustainable Development (GNSD);
 

Please view videos made by national coordinators of our project.
Click on the name to see the coordinator's bio.
Oleksandr Biriukov
National Coordinator for Ukraine
                                                        (In English)
                                                         (In Ukrainian)
           Bipin Panday
       National Coordinator for Nepal
                                                      (In English)                                                                                                                              (In Nepali)
                                                                                 Bartlomiej Marszalek
                                                                        National Coordinator for Poland
                                                                         (Videos will be posted soon)

HOW TO FIND A SISTER SCHOOL 

If your school is in a developing country
and wants to find in a sister school  from developed country that can offer financial support and collaboration across  the  borders,  please  click below:
Please click below to download
the Policy on Sister Schools
(partnership with financial support)
Policy 1.pdf
File Size: 288 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
If your school  is either in developing or developed country, and you want to find in a sister school  for collaboration across the borders but without any financial support 
please  click below:
Please click below to download 
the Policy on Sister Schools 
(partnership without financial support)
Policy 2.pdf
File Size: 278 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
* After you submit the application we will connect  you with a relevant project coordinator.
* If you have any questions, please CONTACT US.


THE FIRST GNSD SISTER SCHOOLS PARTNERSHIP CREATED IN 2018
(Please click on the name of the school below to visit its webpage)




​The webmaster for the Sister Schools Project is:
​Prajol Rajthala: prajolrajthala@gmail.com
video3071923952.mp4
File Size: 52041 kb
File Type: mp4
Download File
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