Community Service Project to Help Internationalize DC Public Schools

From NAFSA.news Vol. 13, No. 15
April 15, 2008

While you are in Washington, DC, you can contribute to the internationalization of local high schools. Conference attendees are invited to purchase and donate books for the schools. A varied list of books for school libraries has been developed with the guidance of the director of International Programs of the school district.

The list of books has something for everyone, covering a variety of eras and world regions. Many relate to the lives of young people around the world, their experiences, insights, and dreams. An atlas is on the list as well, to help students see the world from their school library, and the fascinating Material World: A Global Family by Menzel and Mann is included to help DC high school students learn more about how families live around the world.

Before you leave home for the NAFSA annual conference, purchase one or more copies of these books from your local bookstore or online and bring them with you. A donation box will be placed at the Hospitality Table in the West Registration Area of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Volunteers will help deliver the books to the local high schools after the conference. If you prefer, you can purchase the books in Washington, DC, after you arrive. The volunteers at the Hospitality Table can provide directions to local bookstores.

The goal is to donate 1,000 new books for the DC public high schools. There are several high schools in the District of Columbia with libraries that will benefit from these gifts, and each school can use multiple copies of a single title for book clubs as well as library shelves. Paperbacks as well as hard cover copies are welcome.

The director of International Programs for DC Public Schools noted that this effort shows great generosity on the part of NAFSA participants and that the schools will be very appreciative. More information on the other community service projects taking place at the 2008 NAFSA Annual Conference will be detailed in future issues of NAFSA.news.

Books for the D.C. Public Schools
Ishmael Beah will speak at the NAFSA 2008 Annual Conference for the Thursday Plenary. He will sign copies of his book, A Long Way Gone, after the plenary. All conference attendees are encouraged to join us from 10:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m on Thursday, May 29. A Long Way Gone. Beah, Ishmael. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007. ISBN: 0374105235 Beah describes how at age 12 he was swept into the horrors of warfare as a child soldier in Sierra Leone’s civil war. Through rehabilitation and courage, Beah was able overcome this experience to become a spokesman for the plight of child soldiers in conflicts worldwide.
The Divided City. Breslin, Theresa. Doubleday, 2005. ISBN: 0198326874 Joe, who is Catholic, and Graham, who is Protestant, meet playing football and become friends as they work together to help Kyoul, a Muslim unregistered asylum seeker in Britain.
Iqbal. D’Adamo, Francesco. Ravensburger Buchverlag, 2003. ISBN: 3473582646 A novel based on the life and murder of Iqbal Misah, a bonded child laborer rug worker in Pakistan.
The Inheritance of Loss. Desai, Kiran. Grove Press NY, 2006. ISBN: 0802142818 In the picturesque city of Kalimpong, India, this intriguing book engages readers in depicting the stories of Jembubahi Popatal and his family.
Zlata’s Diary: A Child’s Life in Wartime Sarajevo. Filipovic, Zlata. Penguin Books, 2004. ISBN: 0143036874 Through Filipovic, a young Croatian girl, this novel takes a firsthand look at the war in Sarajevo and how the war leads to the personal collapse of Filipovic’s world.
Stolen Voices: Young People’s Diaries from World War I to Iraq. Challenger, Melanie; Filipovic, Zlata; Otunnu, Olara A. Penguin Books, 2006. ISBN: 0143038710 This inspiring collection of children's war diaries provides a compelling view into life during conflict.
Diary of Ma Yan: The Struggles and Hopes of a Chinese Schoolgirl. Ma, Yan. tr. from French by Lisa Appignanesi. HarperCollins. ISBN: 184408180X Born into an impoverished family in a remote part of China, Ma Yan’s schooling seemed to be over when she reached 13. Then her mother thrust her diaries into the hands of a French journalist, who edited and published them—ensuring the girl’s future.
Material World: A Global Family Portrait. Menzel, Peter; Mann, Charles C.; and Kennedy, Paul. Sierra Club Books, 1995. ISBN: 0871564300 In honor of the United Nations-sponsored International Year of the Family in 1994, award-winning photojournalist Peter Menzel brought together 16 of the world's leading photographers to create a visual portrait of life in 30 nations.
Iron and Silk. Salzman, Mark. Vintage Departures, 1987. ISBN: 0394755111 Through his experiences as an English teacher in Changsha, China, in the early 1980s, Salzman provides in-depth introspection of Chinese culture and history.
We Are All the Same: A Story of a Boy’s Courage and a Mother’s Love. Wooten, Jim. Penguin Press, 2004. IBSN: 1594200289 This novel is the true inspirational story of Nkosi Johnson, the South African boy born HIV positive, who made his life matter.
The National Geographic Collegiate Atlas World. National Geographic Society. National Geographic, 2006. ISBN: 0792236629 Recent advances in mapping technology make this an incredibly innovative atlas of 250-plus maps and 50 satellite images that present data on the political, physical, human, and economic worlds.