Meet Richard & Phyllis Forbes – So Many Ways to be GCF Supporters

The relationship began with a common neighborhood – and quickly became a consulting engagement – but without the typical large price tag. In fact, Richard was so inspired by the impact of the young Global Campuses Foundation, he offered his services for free.

That was just the beginning of what would grow into nearly ten years of involvement and support by both Richard and his wife Phyllis. Both have vast and varied experience with global organizations and education. They met while doing Peace Corp work many years ago, and both continue to focus on neglected populations, holding a fundamental belief in the value of every human being. Dr. Richard Forbes did his doctoral research while spending seven years in Trinidad and studying with a guru. He feels that his values are strongly aligned with those of Global Campuses.

Richard has a strong interest in unique methods of education for any disenfranchised groups. He found his GCF consulting time to be an “extraordinary experience”, although he was skeptical at first. He saw the profound impact on the clients, and how empowered they were by their Global Campus work. Richard was especially inspired by how engaged the participants were. They took ownership of the campus and did things the way they wanted. He saw individuals who were distant and non-participatory become engaged and totally transformed. “In nearly forty years of working with groups and organizations throughout the world, I have never before witnessed such an enthusiastic outpouring of positive energy and such uniformly positive feedback as I experienced during my time at two of the Global Campuses.”

When comparing GCF to other organizations seeking support, the Forbes are drawn to GCF because it is also rooted in the fundamental belief in the value of every human being. The Tewksbury’s belief that given the opportunity, individuals will rise up to take charge of their lives – and will grow and develop as human beings, resonates strongly with them. No matter where we start from, we should all have that opportunity, they believe.

Phyllis works with USAID, which requires that she be networked with leaders throughout the world who address urgent challenges facing societies today. The depth of her connections and the breadth of her experience make her a prime candidate as a GCF board member. Phyllis has expressed her willingness to contribute her time and knowledge, as GCF begins board development activities. She has provided connections with leaders in the area of board development, and recently hosted a wonderful introductory meeting.

At one time, Richard & Phyllis donated a Plymouth Voyager van to the Foundation. The campus participants had a critical need for more transportation options, and the Forbes’ wanted to help in the best way possible. They have made many financial contributions to GCF over the years as well – motivated by the fact that the money was put to such good use, going directly into impacting more lives through program support.

More recently, the Forbes’ have offered yet another unique contribution to GCF. They manage commercial property, and currently provide the GCF headquarter space in Randolph at a fraction of the market value of the property. This allows GCF to continue to optimize the amount of support dollars that are used for campus operations.

Richard’s recommendation to others considering a contribution to GCF: Meet some of the participants, and witness the transformation. Whether attending a certificate event at the end of the term, or a conference event, such as the one being planned for Randolph this August, you will see a model that helps people get in touch with their strengths and develop them, with transformative results.

To make a donation to GCF, please visit our website at www.globalcampuses.org

To learn more about a monthly contribution plan, please contact us at info@globalcampuses.org

GCF Site Visit to Thailand Campuses and Beyond, March-May 2011

It is always amazing to me how each site visit with the foundation’s colleagues in Thailand is surrounded by impressive, inspiring and creatively meaningful accomplishments. Examples and highlights of those accomplishments continue to demonstrate the valuable outcomes of lifelong learning and the transformative power of education.

Global Campus Chiangmai, GCC, continues to be the hub of the foundation’s efforts in S.E. Asia. With two other well-established campuses, GC San Sai and GC Nan, and two newly developed Global Campuses, GC Mae Tang and GC Sangkampang, there is much growth to report. Also, Global Campus Nan now supports four smaller satellite campuses in the rural northern mountains near the Laos border.

GCF and GC Chiangmai have strengthened their Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Chiang Mai University, CMU, with a variety of activities. (1) GCF is sponsoring a contest with the Faculty of Architecture third year students to submit building and site plans for a Global Campus Complex that is being planned. This complex will be 100% Universal Design, fully accessible and environmentally green and will become the educational center for GCF’s efforts in S.E. Asia. (2) GC Chiangmai continues to work with the student club at CMU that participates with university students who experience disabilities through natural support efforts and disability awareness seminars.

Additionally, I had the pleasure of being invited by the Vice President of CMU to be a keynote speaker and a panelist for a conference of University administrators from the Chiang mai area. My presentation, “Disability Culture: Changes in Social Attitudes and the Value of Lifelong Learning for All”, introduced the conference focus of exploring disability issues and disabilities studies in higher education.

The efforts of GCF are being recognized in the region, and I was invited to travel to Chengdu, China to share about Global Campuses with colleagues at Chengdu University. It was a wonderful introductory site visit, and as an outcome we are responding to their request to pilot a Global Campus in the Chengdu area.

So, as we at GCF look to the future work for the foundation, we are inspired by the potential for further growth to advance the foundation’s mission in South East Asia and around the world. These are exciting times!

Jim Tewksbury, GCF Director of Programs

Vermont Global Campuses Give Back!

Each semester participants in the eight Global Campuses in Vermont and New Hampshire take the initiative to design and implement a community service project at their campus. Check out all the great organizations we have supported over the years!

Global Campus Newport

NEKCA food shelf, Newport (multiple years)

Red Cross - donations for tornado relief

Green-up Newport

Community Garden - community vegetable donations

Global Campus St. Johnsbury

NEKCA Food shelf, St. Johnsbury

Local Family - $450 donation for house reconstruction after fire

Green-Up Lyndonville

Springfield College - Green up and picnic table repair (multiple years)

Global Campus Hardwick

NEKCA Food shelf, Hardwick

Greensboro Bend Methodist Church - planting flowers

Green-up Greensboro Bend

Global Campus Bradford

Bradford Food Shelf (multiple years)

Collected school supplies for children in Haiti

Orange East Senior Center, Bradford – picked and donated apples (multiple years)

VT Food Bank – helped glean strawberries for the food bank

Global Campus Randolph

Donated Thanksgiving basket to local family

Green Up Randolph (multiple years)

Collected school supplies for children in Thailand

HEIFFER International – donated $500

Global Campus Moretown

AMURTEL – benefit dance for Haiti relief donated over $3000 (multiple years)

Green Up Mad River Valley (multiple years)

Global Campus Springfield

Nirikshea School, Bangalore, South India – Car wash and bake sale donated $240

Mercy Corps – fudge sale raising $250 for Japan Tsunami relief

Springfield Family Center, Springfield, VT

GCF Honored on its 10th Anniversary at the State Capitol!

Global Campuses Foundation was recently honored by the Vermont Senate and House of Representatives on the celebration of our 10th anniversary this year. Representatives from different areas of the state offered and passed a Concurrent Resolution honoring GCF and the foundations creative and dynamic work!

Here's the link to the Resolution on the State of VT Legislature's Website.

Global Campus Shiremont Completes Its First Full Term

The newest Global Campus initiative, Global Campus Shiremont, recently completed its first full term of classes. Global Campus Shiremont meets weekly in Lebanon, New Hampshire and includes participants from both Vermont and New Hampshire. Everyone has been impressed by how the campus participants have developed their campus in just a few short months. Seventeen participants were involved in either attending or teaching classes this spring! The Spring Term catalog offered a variety of classes and workshops that provided unique and interactive learning opportunities. The educational offerings included: Where Do I Come From (genealogy and family trees), Animal Anatomy & Physiology (which featured the dissection of a fetal pig in the final class), History of Germany, Pocahontas, Ready To Sew, The Childhood of Helen Keller, Dance to Anything, Disney Classics and The Love of Butterflies and Flowers (poetry). Congratulations again to the Global Campus Shiremont participants!

Global Campus Springfield Honors Two Home Providers

At the recent Global Campus Certificate Day, participants, support staff and the Global Campus Academic Coordinator honored two home providers, Lucy Tardiff and Kerry Banks, who generously donate their time and energy to the participants.

Lucy and Jean, the participant she supports, have been involved in Global Campus Springfield since it began in 2008. With a sense of humor, positive attitude and creativity, Lucy has been a wonderful resource person for Jean. Lucy constantly finds creative ways for Jean to present her topic and understands how to support Jean while she is teaching without taking over. Lucy's supportive attitude also extends to other Global Campus participants. She is quick to lend a hand when needed and always does more than what is asked of her. This term, Lucy supported Jean's interest in forming the Pyramid Pot Luck Club, based upon Jean's interest in healthy eating. Each week participants shared nutritious, easy recipes, learned about food additives and sweeteners and visited the local food cooperative.

Kerry began her participation with Global Campus while working as a support staff. She quickly grasped the Global Campus philosophy and saw potential for those participants whom she supported, helping them decide on a topic they could teach and supported them throughout the process. Now that she has become a home provider to Dennis, Kerry is continuing her commitment to ensure that the participants she supports have a successful Global Campus experience. She is an excellent resource person, assisting participants with ideas for classes, helping them with research and supporting them during their teaching experience. This term, she recognized Dennis' love of music and helped him create and teach a 6 week class about the history of American music from early banjo to disco.

GC Newport and St. Johnsbury Pilot Virtual Interactive Classes!

Global Campus Newport and Global Campus St. Johnsbury connected through interactive TV for two course offerings this spring term.

About twenty-five people from Newport and fifteen from St. Johnsbury gathered in front of the interactive TVs to experience the new phenomenon of teleconferenced classes. The groups cheered as we got connected, waving at each other and reconnecting with old friends. It was really exciting to see everyone and be able to hear what they were saying. The first few minutes of the class was devoted to smoothing out the technology. St. J had a bit of trouble moving their camera, and Newport was hard to hear, but eventually we smoothed out these bumps and began teaching.

Edna was ready to teach her class Dogs and Cats. This was Edna’s first time teaching, and she was really prepared. We put the microphone right up next to Edna to make sure St. Johnsbury could hear her class and zoomed in the camera so they could see her posters and visuals. Edna had two stacks of note cards – one about cats, one about dogs. She also had two different posters as well as drawings she had made. Her class had a great mix of interactive questions and facts. She asked the group to list some of the things their cats or dogs do that are pesky. People said their pets scratch, chew things, smell, and shed. She then told the group how to care for animals and the appropriate ways to keep a pet. Raymond commented from St. J that he had recently taught an animal class. He is teaching a second class at the Fairbanks museum, for which he has made a scavenger hunt for people to find different types of animals in the museum. There were many questions back and forth, from both campuses.

Next up, Allycia began handing out copies of her PowerPoint presentation for the group in Newport to read through. We made note that, next time, we will email class materials such as these to St. Johnsbury ahead of time so they can see the handout. Also a first time teacher, Allycia taught us the Ins and Outs of High School. Alycia had great poise. She told us some of the good times at Lake Region, and also some of the times that have been less fun. She told us about nice friends she has made and fun classes she has taken. People were pretty interested in high school stories. Sharilyn from St. J told us about her experiences and asked specific questions about what it’s like in Special Ed these days.

After feedback and questions, we spent about half an hour in discussion between the campuses. People asked questions about family connections, summer plans, classes and updated each other on their campus happenings. It was really neat to hear the exchanges and to see how excited people were to be talking to another campus. The group gave general feedback that the process of the interactive TV had been very smooth. St. J commented that they would love to offer some of their classes on interactive TV next term.

GC St. Johnsbury Presents Documentary Film, "Our Global Campus" at Green Mountain Film Festival

Global Campus St. Johnsbury screened their documentary film, Our Global Campus in the Green Mountain Film Festival, April 2, 2011.

This spring, Global Campus St. Johnsbury was honored to have their film, Our Global Campus, accepted into the Green Mountain Film Festival at Catamount Arts in St. Johnsbury, VT. Campus participants arrived early at the screening to greet community members at the door and pass around information about their Global Campus.

Global Campus St. Johnsbury had spent the fall and winter terms working with volunteer filmmaker, Scott Miller, to learn camera work and some techniques in filmmaking. Campus participants brought the cameras home to film their lives and discuss their values and goals. They spent time documenting the different classes and special events held at Global Campus St. Johnsbury.

The screening was exciting for everyone, as it was the first time many of the GC St. Johnsbury participants had viewed the film in its final version. About thirty people gathered for the screening and the room was buzzing with excitement. As the group watched the film, there was lots of laughter and praise as different people’s film footage aired on the big screen. The film highlights the process of Global Campus and then goes more in-depth into the stories of seven participants who had been very active in the filming process throughout the year at Global Campus St. Johnsbury. It was neat to see the unique styles of filming and storytelling demonstrated through the different filmmakers’ work.

After the film finished screening, about five participants and volunteer film editor, Scott Miller, sat for a panel discussion where community members asked them about the process of making the film and their opinions about the outcome. It was really neat to see this panel discussion unfold and all the questions that came from the audience. At the end of the evening, Josh and Levi were signing autographs and answering more in-depth questions for audience members.

Back in the classroom, Global Campus St. Johnsbury is still filming, taking home cameras, and thinking about what else they want to do with filmmaking and where else they want to air their film. They have screened the film at four other venues – two in St. Johnsbury, one in Newport and one in Middlebury. At each event, campus participants attended as panelists and answered questions for the community. The campus has additional screenings planned for the summer.

GC Hardwick Visits State House in Montpelier, VT

Global Campus Hardwick organized a trip to Montpelier to tour the Statehouse and the Vermont History museum this spring.

Global Campus Hardwick planned a fun, interactive day in Montpelier learning about our state government and history. We gathered on the statehouse steps for lunch and to gather our thoughts before entering into the busy statehouse. The statehouse is quite hectic over the lunch hour and it was neat to see so many people bustling around with clipboards and getting ready for meetings. We met a guide, who walked us through the history of the building and showed us the Senate, House and other important rooms.

We learned that the VT statehouse is the oldest statehouse in the US. The architecture has been preserved inside so that it still looks the way it always has. The carpets have been redone, but the other building structures are the original architecture. Our guide noted that the chandelier in the Senate room was not typical for VT style; all the images on the chandelier have to do with the ocean, including Titan, dolphins, waves and sea creatures. He wondered if there had been a sale on chandeliers…

We learned about the structure of the senate, who sits where, and where the public is allowed to sit. Although the roof looks like it was under the dome, it is only made to look round. The dome is over the center of the building. Debbie told the group that her grandfather had been a part of the crew who worked on the construction of the dome. She was very proud. Next, we moved to the House, a much larger room. We noted that the Green Mountain Boys flag, which Diane had taught us about earlier this term, was flying over some of the desks in the room. It was neat to see all the papers lying about and a PowerPoint presentation on the screen.

We left the statehouse and walked next-door to the Vermont History Museum. We spent some time in a room full of Civil War artifacts. Our guide asked us to each pick an item that we found particularly intriguing, and then share with the group what we found interesting about this object. Annie picked a quilt, which had embroidered bible phrases on the squares. Our guide told us that women quilted hand-made quilts for the soldiers so that they would be warm and feel close to home while they were fighting. We also looked at a grey coat – the coat of the Confederate Soldiers. We learned that a Vermonter had taken the coat from a dead Confederate soldier and brought it back to VT. We saw a leather shoe with a piece of shrapnel shot into the bottom of the shoe. We could only imagine how painful that injury must have been.

We made our way to a milk room and then to a video of the 1927 flood. We learned that in 1927, VT got over 12 inches of rain, which is equivalent to twelve feet of snow. On our way out of town, we stopped to look at the lampposts, which have a red line marking the high water mark of 1927. It was WAY over our heads. And the most interesting part was this storm was in November.

Dynamic Course Offerings at GC Moretown!

Participants at GC Moretown are wrapping up their course offerings for the Spring Term and wanted to take a moment to look back and reflect on all the great classes over the last several months. Congratulations to all participants for making your campus such a success this semester! We'll be celebrating next week with a certificate day celebration and barbecue, join us!

Grace, "Chile", GC Moretown Spring 2011

Neil, "Working at a Hardware Store", GC Moretown Spring 2011

Robert, "My Life Story", GC Moretown Spring 2011