Small Diplomacy Grant

Overview

Santa Fe College has been honored to receive a Small Diplomacy Grant from the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv in order to encourage American and Ukrainian youth to engage each other in a rich conversation about inclusive education and how to prevent harassment.

Santa Fe College has implemented this project in partnership with Poltava National Technical University (PolNTU) and the Poltava Oil and Gas College. The project began in September 2018 with a series of virtual Skype sessions. SF student leaders have explained to peers in Ukraine how we in the United States ensure that education is accessible to all people without discrimination or harassment and regardless of an individual’s race, ethnicity, religion, age, disability, sex, gender, national origin, political affiliation or veteran status. American and Ukrainian youth have shared some of the challenges they have faced in each of their societies in an effort to ensure inclusive education. They also have discussed what measures can be taken to provide accessible education for all without harassment or discrimination. As part of this project, four SF students had the opportunity to travel to Poltava, Ukraine in November 2018 together with administrators from the college. These students visited PolNTU, worked closely with students there, and visited six local high schools in order to talk to an even younger generation of students about inclusive education and how to combat bullying. Part of this SF delegation was interviewed on Ukrainian television.

Watch Ukrainian news featuring two of our administrators and two of our students here.

Note: This is in Ukrainian language in YouTube.

Later in 2018, a delegation of students and administrators from PolNTU visited SF in order to learn more about our educational system and student body. The project continues through the spring of 2019 as Ukrainian and American youth continue to engage each other in a rich conversation about inclusive education.

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