GLOBAL CONNECTIONS AND EXCHANGE PROGRAM

My Community, Our Earth

Geographic Learning for Sustainable Development

James Kweku EshunDepartment of Geography and Regional Planning

University of Cape CoastAugust 3, 2012

Through this MyCOE GCE initiative, the AAG seeks to enhance mutual understanding between youth in the United States and their counterparts overseas in ways that draw from and build upon the existing public-private partnership, My Community Our Earth: Geographic Learning for Sustainable Development (MyCOE)

General Objective:

The overarching goal is to empower youth and their teachers to increase environmental, geographic, technological, and cultural literacy so that young people all over the world will be equipped with geographic tools and resources to address the challenges facing their communities and to engage them to develop solutions to bring about sustainable development.

Specific Objective: Engage youth in using the tools and concepts of geography to see how their communities can be made more sustainable

Raise awareness of the importance of geography and geographic technologies to issues of sustainable development

Foster critical thinking and stewardship by youth around the world 

ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN GEOGRAPHERS (AAG), SECRETARIAT

ESRI

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY

UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME

US DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

US DEPARTMENT OF STATE

US AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

INTER-AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK

NOAA, NASA, USGS, GLOBE, GEOEYE, 3M, ERDAS, ONR, NSF, AND OTHER PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SUPPORT

The MyCOE Partnership

History of MyCOE

Funding Agency:This program is funded by the U.S. Department of State Youth Programs Division. To see their Global Connections and Exchanges Program webpageMajor Themes

Climate Change, Food Security, Green Economy, Youth Leadership, International Online Exchanges

Teacher TrainingOver a 20-month period, the initiative will train 165 teachers in 23 secondary schools in the US, Bolivia, Ghana, Nicaragua, and the Philippines to use social networking, online mapping, and award-winning content modules from the AAG's Online Center for Global Geographic Education.

Teachers will be supported to interactively implement the curriculum and learning tools in their classrooms, to engage in international electronic dialogue and themed discussion exchanges, and to facilitate the leadership development of 3,068 upper level secondary school students.

Student ProjectsTeams of youth, guided by their teachers and other mentors will design and implement community-based projects that use the MyCOE framework.An estimated 500 projects are anticipated to be conducted through this initiative, which will be uploaded to a new GeoPortal, currently being designed by Esri.  

Modified Scientific Method –MyCOE Approach (from Goodchild, 2001)

Youth Project Framework (Spring 2012)

AWARD WINNING MYCOE PROJECT SUBMITTED FOR EARTH DAY AND RIO+20 COMPETITION

PARTICIPATION: 103 COUNTRIES

PANEL OF EXPERT JUDGES FROM: ESRI, USDA, NCGE AND AAG MEMBERS

HTTP://WWW.AAG.ORG/CS/MYCOE/LEARNING_RESOURCES/PROJECT_GALLERY/MYCOE_PROJECTS_2012/RIO20_WINNERS_ OR HTTP://FUTUREGEOGRAPHERS.WORDPRESS.COM HTTP://FUTUREGEOGRAPHERSNIGERIA.WORDPRESS.COM HTTP://FUTUREGEOGRAPHERSBENIN.WORDPRESS.COM

ON-GOING PROJECTS

Mini-grant

Mini-projectVideo ConferencingPartnership with International Community

CURRENT PHASE OF THE MYCOE PROJECT