2007 Awards
CIEE Student Recognition Award
Rob Hurtekant of Georgetown University set up a volunteer opportunity in a very poor township in Cape Town, Gugulethu, during his semester at the CIEE Study Center at the University of Cape Town. He arranged his volunteer work at Tembalethu School for the Physically Challenged. This is significant as it was the first time that participants from the CIEE Study Center in Cape Town were able to volunteer at a school for the physically challenged. The students and the director of Tembalethu believe that Rob initiated some very good programs at the school. The students felt this was the first time that a volunteer took a genuine interest in their lives and they were inspired by Rob and saw him as a true role model. They also believe that he exposed other CIEE students to positive images of marginalized people. CIEE students continue to run programs at Tembalethu initiated by Rob.
Presented at the Breakfast Plenary Session on Saturday, November 17, 2007.
CIEE Program Excellence Award
The CIEE Study Center in Sevilla began publishing the magazine mas+menos in fall 2003. Students on the CIEE Liberal Arts program and students from the Universities of Sevilla and Pablo de Olavide work together to create articles, conduct interviews, and write stories on a specific topic related to life in Sevilla. The last two issues of mas+menos were devoted to the theme of equal opportunity and the challenges that persons with disabilities face in everyday life. Mas+menos 7, “una misma mirada/one vision,” concentrated on equal access to information, culture, and education and offered our students the possibility to learn about some of the tools, training, and capacities that make this possible. The most important piece of this experience was working closely with local disabled students both in Sevilla and on a trip to Madrid in which several visually challenged Spanish students met Picasso’s work for the first time.
The eighth issue, “un mismo camino/one path,” rendered special attention to mobility issues. CIEE students and their university partners met artists, athletes, educators, and students, all of whom have been highly successful in their lives despite initial physical challenges. As with past issues of mas+menos, participants have gained awareness of an essential issue, have met individuals they admire and from whom they can learn much, have seen life from a broader perspective, and have informed others of their findings.
Click here to view the latest online issue.
Presented at the Breakfast Plenary Session on Saturday, November 17, 2007.