Global Campus Shiremont Has A Successful Start To Its First Full Academic Year!

Global Campus Shiremont began its first full academic year this past fall. The Fall Term offered a variety of educational offerings including topics such as Ocean Biology, Cool Crafts, Musical Mystery Tour, Country Line Dancing, Learning about Butterflies, Hike the Rail Trail, Starman and Nascarman (a CB radio class), Woodland Animals and Be Cyber Smart. Participants recently shared some of their thoughts about the Fall Term:

I only took one class about website safety. It was an interesting class and taught me a lot. By Quinn

I liked Maranda and Carla’s jewelry class. It was fun. By Daphne

My mom taught a class at Lebanon College and she gave me good ideas to teach about my interests. Kim helped me and it felt good to have someone on your side. By Ashley I liked the Cyber Smart class and cooking at the Haven for our Community Service project. By Stacey I taught about nature and exercise in my Hike the Rail Trail class. My class went really well and everyone listened to me. We had good weather for our hike. By Nissah

Designing the Future Universal Design Curriculum: Global Campus Complex

Imagine a state of the art universal design Global Campus Complex in Chiang Mai Thailand. That’s what 11 advanced students from the Faculty of Architecture at Chiang Mai University, CMU, had been doing in their recent academic semster. Taking their imaginations further, each student actually designed their envisionment of such a complex. On December 21, 2011, they presented for final review their design concepts at a culminating event honoring their collaboration with Global Campus Chiang Mai participants regarding disability awareness and universal design. Certificates and prizes were awarded.

CMU Vice president, Dr. Amnat, and Architecture Faculty, Dr. Vittul formally commented about the educational process as a great success with CMU students participating in disability simulation workshops, interviewing persons who experience disability to become aware of the culture of disability, and learning about serving their “customer” by addressing their needs and desires through universal design concepts.

GCF sponsored a design contest as a part of this educational process challenging the students to create their model of a fully accessible campus complex for the future home of Global Campuses to serve as the hub for further expansion and development in the S.E. Asia region. The quality of the students’ work was impressive with design concepts attending to criteria such as environmentally green, accessible, blending comtemporary and traditional Lanna (northern) architectural features, and efficiency. Everyone involved expressed that they are eager to take this cutting edge educational experience to the next level of exploration in future academic semesters.

Global Campus Nan - Campus Development and Disability Day Events

Kachakorn and Geng, Global Campus Chiang Mai participants, accompanied Sheryl and Jim Tewksbury recently on a 5 day visit to Global Campus Nan and its satellite campuses in the remote mountains bordering Laos. They had a great time participating in campus development discussions as they related to current government policies and mandatory funding support of persons with disabilities interwoven with fun activities involving passing large paper balls around a circle until the music stopped and then having to perform whatever was written on a piece of paper within the ball. Laughter became the predominant experience as everyone tried to avoid having to perform, yet also being eager to do so. Powder, lipstick and water played a major role when one was caught with the ball as the music stopped. Everyone really enjoyed seeing the farangs (foreigners) join in when their faces were powdered. A great community of campus participants!!!

A second all day event, orchestrated by Global Campus Nan and the Municipality Office included presentations of awards and speeches focused on recognizing the importance of their commitment to the Nan citizens who experience disability. This was a very auspicious event that reflects the importance of education and changes in social attitudes. The Global Campus Nan participants were very pleased and proud to be honored. A truly transformative day for many.

GC St. Johnsbury Shares About Fall Term 2011!

All the classes are great and fun. I like the Rocker Chicks class. That was cool. The music class with Phil and Neal taught me a lot, too. I learn a lot of stuff and enjoy all the classes. I hope I can get my class done about animation.

– Shawn, GC St. Johnsbury

I like the comic club because you can make stories and draw. Yu-Gi-Oh club on Thursdays was great because I am interested in that and I like to play. I made friends and have more things to do. – Chris, GC St. Johnsbury

I like my cooking class this last year and baking class too. I like the Co-op last year. I like heath food at the Co-op to make heath foods at the Co-op. My class went very good last year. I’d like to cook and bake again this year. I like to make the waffle again with apples with wrap for my class again.

– Marshall, GC St. Johnsbury Participant

I like the music class because we share music and have instruments like harmonicas and tambourines. At holiday time we did holiday songs. – Tiffany, GC St. Johnsbury

Phil and Neal do a Global Campus Music Class every week. We take turns singing, doing group songs, learning new songs. We march with our harmonicas. Sometimes we bring CDs and talk about our favorite songs. It is amazing – some people that used to be very shy have learned to perform in front of others. We are grateful to the Unitarian Church for letting us use their space. Everyone is welcome – no previous experience needed! – Phil, GC St. J Participant, Neal, GC St. J Participant, Paul, CIS

We have a music class that meets every Wednesday at 10:00. We share CDs and we sing old folk songs. Sometimes we dance. Adam has been playing percussion on the cowbell (he’s very good). Marc is participating in harmonica playing with the harmonica group. The group is fast growing. Paul plays the piano for us and teaches us new songs and helps Phil and Neal with the class.

Adam is new to Global Campus and started a weekly Card Playing class. Marc started a craft group and he organizes the classes, sets up and helps make crafts. Marc was one of the founders of the Hardwick Global Campus. – Marc, GC St. Johnsbury Participant, Adam, GC St. Johnsbury Participant

I thought the classes were pretty good this term because there was interesting information about the impact of the Fairbanks brothers and their museum, and also the animal class. I researched all the information about the pavilion and the exercise class. I thought it was very important to stay healthy and to look at nutrition in a good way. It is good to get your heart pumping and to keep your muscles in shape. Healthy eating to watch your diet and eating the right kind of food from the food pyramid is good. – Beth, GC St. Johnsbury Participant

I really liked the class on Bones. I learned about science and evidence and crime. We did a packet on the show of bones, who the characters are, what they do in the TV series. We watched episode six and I really enjoyed it. Bones is about two detectives who are investigators who search for science, evidence and crime. They have a lab where they go to figure out who is the criminal.

- Ashley, GC St. Johnsbury Participant

I enjoyed the Bones Class. I liked seeing how they dissected them. It was interesting how they took the bones apart. Rosie taught the class and she did a great job! I also liked the film editing class taught by Scott. He taught us how to make movies. I liked taking the movie camera home with me. I made a short film about family because they are important to me. I also taught a class on how to make apple cider. IT was a good class because I helped to teach others. People asked me what kind of apples we used and I told them about the different kinds. Everyone got to taste the cider and they thought it was good. – Josiah, GC St. Johnsbury Participant

I like the different classes that are offered plus teaching classes myself. I have taught four classes in the past two years and each class has gotten better and better. Everyone gives me new ideas on things that can be added to what I teach. So not only am I teaching but I am learning from the whole group. –Josh, GC St. Johnsbury Participant.

I liked the class on Sharilyn and how she was born with a disability. It was very interesting and it taught me to know her more. I liked my boyfriend’s class on Apple Cider and how it was made. I also took a class on Star Wars and a class on learning how to speak Spanish. I enjoyed it all. Global Campus is a place where I learn about different things. - Rosie, GC St. Johnsbury Participant

What I have really learned last fall, 2011 from Global Campus is the movie I made, called, “Myself.” It has to do with me and why I was born with a disability and am a disabled woman. I like to brag about my CIS worker because she has been there for me. I have learned a lot about the camcorders and how to produce my voice in my movie. I learned what I want in my movie and how to edit it and the pictures. It was really hard work but it was worth it. I would love to teach a class about how I was born and how I have very good common sense because I know I am doing the right thing. My mom taught me a lot more than I ever imagined! - Sharilyn, GC St. Johnsbury Participant

People come to take classes and we sometimes go on field trips to close places. We started with a small number of people in St. J and we had the campus meeting for nine or ten people. And it’s really neat that we have grown to forty people now. Jim and Sherry come back from Thailand and bring movies to different campuses. – Michelle, GC St Johnsbury Participant

GC Newport Fall Term 2011!

Welcome all Global Campuses to read about our Global Campus Newport updates and what we’ve done in the past. We have been a Global Campus for nine years. With Jim and Sherry’s help all the campuses got started.

This year we did a Global Campus 50/50 raffle. Half the money went to a woman and half we donated to the Vermont Foodbank. We raised $205 for the Foodbank.

This year we purchased one video camera from Newport and one for St. Johnsbury so we could film our meetings. First, before we use it, we have to ask people if they want to be filmed. We got the money for the camera from the Green Mounatin Fund grant, which we wrote.

For the last day of the term we had a Christmas Party and made Christmas wreathes and getting our certificate awards. We will get awards for doing classes. Steve taught a class on Island Pond. Donna and Buddy studied Lowell, Vermont. We also did Interactive TV with St. Johsnbury.

Next term, we have decided to do a refresher term. We want to have calendars, team meetings, and more organized registration. We also want to be prepared to teach with binders and pens. We will go over new teaching methods and have class accountability for what we are teaching and what we sign up for.

- Global Campus Newport Participants

GC Hardwick Reflects on their Fall Term 2011!

Global Campus has been an inspiration in my life. I’ve been coming for five years now and it’s been great. I met a lot of friends. I really enjoy coming to Global Campus and hanging out with all my peers and the staff. I would recommend anyone to come to our Global Campus and learn about our classes. I learned all about the Presidents and the world, which I thought was very interesting. I thought John did a great job teaching that class. I would like to take the time to thank the staff for their hard work, including myself as the activities coordinator. – James, GC Hardwick Participant

I have been coming to Global Campus for a very long time. I am a really nice person. Global Campus is a lot of fun. I had a class on Minute to Win It. It is a TV show and I got some ideas from the show on the computer. It is nice to see different people come to Global Campus. There are about twenty-four people from Global Campus Hardwick. – Amanda, GC Hardwick Participant

As a support worker, I really enjoy Global Campus. It is a wonderful group of people who support and encourage each other. They teach classes that are fun and interesting. They are kind and welcoming to new participants and visitors. I love how teaching builds confidence and learning keeps us young, active and happy. We get out in the community and donated turkeys to the food shelf. These interactions help to get us thinking about our role in the community and how we interact and share ideas. – Dominie, CIS

What I bring to my Global Campus is my smile and my cheery face. I did a lot of classes, like table manners, and also a CPR class this year. I also wrote to the soldiers who were overseas and far away from their families. I did a class about journal writing and about your feelings and what you feel inside. What I like the best is having friends in the Global Campus. I met Olivia and Amanda in our Global Campus for the fist time – Diane, GC Hardwick Participant.

I am Debbie. I like to come to the Global Campus. I like everyone here at Global Campus. Debbie likes all the classes all the time. Debbie had a nice class on the Hardwick Food Pantry this year. Debbie knows a lot about the food pantry. – Debbie, GC Hardwick Participant

Global Campus Hardwick has spent a lot of their term focused on the community and learning more about their surrounding towns. I was very impressed by their curiosity and genuine interest in the culture around them. The group invited community members into their campus, hosting guest speakers from local businesses and organizations such as the Buffalo Mountain Food Coop and Craftsbury Library. This community interest has added a new dimension to the campus and I’m excited to see what else will come from the campus’ increased community involvement. – Amy, Academic Coordinator.

Global Campus Springfield Shares About Their Exciting Fall Term!

Global Campus Springfield had an exciting Fall Term. It included new faculty participants, new subject areas for experienced faculty and a Community Service project that raised money for victims of Tropical Storm Irene. Here are some reflections on the Fall Term from participants:

When I first came to Lincoln Street I was nervous because I did not know anyone. Everyone supported me and now because of Lincoln Street and Global Campus I have met so many people, have learned so much and done so much. I was even talked into teaching a class with Patrick and it was great!

By Bernie

My class was about the NY Yankees. I love them because they are a great team.
By Keegan

I was amazed at the positive response to my classes( Let Love Be The Rule and Red Sox Revisited)!
By Hudson

In my class about President Obama we learned that he was born in Hawaii and I got a copy of his birth certificate.
By Patty

I felt nervous teaching my class because I had never taught anything like that before. I rehearsed with Matt and learned 45 new songs to share-it was awesome!
By George

My class about forklifts went will with the help of my friend Drew at Townline Equipment in Plainfield, NH.
By Chris

I taught a class with Jeff and we had good movies about wrestlers.
By Dennis

My class was about the movie Top Gun. We watched the movie, learned some of the songs and ate popcorn.
By Randy

I think Global Campus is awesome!
By Kyle

It was great to share about the 3 Stooges!
By Nik

It is awesome that everyone gets to choose a topic to teach that they like as it makes them more comfortable. It was also great to see Bernie and Patrick team teaching!
By Bobbijo (LSI support staff).

Global Campus Participant Feature: Olivia Klinke

My name is Olivia Klinke. I have been at Global Campus Hardwick for eight years. I have taught a lot of classes, like about my favorite actor Heath Ledger and The Women’s Rights Movement and a Cooking Class, too. I love coming to this group because it helps bring out all my friends that are here. It is nice to remember some friends we have lost, too, like Aaron and others who have left. I have kept all the information from the classes I have taught in a box in my room.

Olivia is a good person and we have been friends for ten years. She likes to help others when they need it. – Amanda, GC Hardwick Participant

Olivia’s Cooking Class was so much fun. She included everyone and is an excellent cook. Delicious apple crisp! Olivia is always thoughtful and caring, supporting others when needed. – Dominie, CIS

Olivia is one of the longest-standing members of Global Campus Hardwick. Her teaching abilities are extensive and she has a wide range of interests. Over the past few years, Olivia has taught classes on Mexico, the Women’s Movement, her favorite novels and a cooking class. She is often leading the Campus Seminar and has a strong desire to share ideas in a way that gains respect and friendship from her peers. – Amy, Academic Coordinator

GC Chiang Mai Receives Visitors

Our friends Jim and Sheryl Tewksbury, a thousand blessings upon them, founded an organization called Global Campuses Foundation, with campuses in Vermont and Thailand.
We visited the Chiangmai campus with them.

Jim and Sherry

The Global Campus participants are people with various disabilities, who teach one another skills and attitudes that will help them become more confident, self-reliant and effective in the world. The participants determine their own curriculum, based on what they want to learn, and what they have to share. They teach one another skills including English, sewing, music, art, Thai language, craft making, small business management, auto repair, how to be a radio DJ, etc.
More importantly, they strive to raise self awareness and self confidence, focusing on disability rights, accessibility issues and advocacy, and women’s rights.
The curriculum is offered at the GCF campus facility as well as in city venues and outlying rural areas.

Ka and Non, who manage the Chiangmai campus, made us feel very welcome.

Ka and Non

Ka and Geng, the campus photographer made tea for us to enjoy while we watched a PowerPoint presentation Non had put together about their program.

Non displays the Queen’s Trophy, a much esteemed award presented to Global Campus Chiangmai.

Khun Yai is working on starting up a campus in her small rural village.

Khun Yai

Yai’s scooter has been cleverly redesigned to accommodate her wheelchair.

- Kate and Grady, USA

We have our feet planted firmly in mid-air.

On my final afternoon in Chiang Mai (and Thailand’s National Disability Day), I was lucky enough to spend a few sunny hours with Jim & Sheryl Tewksbury, residents of Randolph, Vermont and founders of Global Campuses Foundation. GCF - which runs programs in (you guessed it!) Vermont and Thailand - has made incredible progress in empowering and advocating for persons with differing abilities. They operate based on the philosophy that those they serve should not only participate, but also play an active role as leaders and creators within the organization. In this way, small campus communities form and flourish where they are needed most. The campuses provide a space for both personal and professional growth, where individuals wear many different hats as teachers, learners, and stewards of the program. In Thailand, a country where social discrimination and physical inaccessibility still block many paths for those living with disabilities, GCF’s work has been particularly powerful. A great divide still separates those with and without disabilities, as one recent article in Chiang Mai’s City Life magazine explains:The article goes on to comment:

Though this may lead to people disliking and avoiding disabled persons, it more often creates a charitable, often described as “merciful” attitude towards people with disabilities. [however] an inclusive society can only be achieved when people with disabilities are allowed to define their needs and the ways in which they should be addressed - becoming agents of their own lives rather than ‘objects’ to be taken care of.

Jim & Sheryl have dedicated many years to spreading this message as far and wide as they can. Both former professors, they’ve spent most of their lives afoot, always hopping from one school or home to the next - and currently divide their time between Randolph and Chiang Mai, over 8,000 miles apart. With a laugh that could have been interpreted as self-effacing or simply amused by its own absurdity, Jim told me: “we like to say that we have our feet planted firmly in mid-air.” I laughed along, realizing I had begun to understand exactly what that feels like. Whether or not i’ll follow in Jim & Sheryl’s cross-continental footsteps remains to be seen. For now, i’m happy to have drifted into their airspace, even just for an afternoon. Thanks for everything guys!

- Alex, USA

Donor Profile: Nancy and Steve Edwards

“We are delighted to support GCF because GCF focuses

on what participants CAN do, not what they can’t.”

“Global Campuses Foundation does not abide by the common conception – misconception, really – that people with differing abilities are limited,” GCF donors, Nancy and Steve Edwards told us. “Mainstream thinking is, ‘You are handicapped; we’ll make allowances for you but you can’t do what ‘normal’ people do.’ GCF rejects that completely. Their philosophy is, ‘What interests and motivates you? You can learn more about it. Then you can teach others about it.’”

“You have to see GCF participants in action to truly understand the remarkable work this organization is doing.” That’s how Nancy and Steve feel about the work Global Campuses Foundation does in Vermont and Thailand. They attended a GCF conference a few years ago that changed their perspective forever. Even though they have been supporters of GCF since it was just a concept, they reached a new level of understanding of the Global Campus experience directly from the participants themselves.

“Most notable about the conference, I was struck by the joy the participants had,” Steve remembers. “Adults with differing abilities were front and center through the entire event, engaged at their own levels, educating the very large audience. They had set the bar for themselves very high and they delivered a great experience.” In all their interactions with GCF, the Edwards have come to recognize that there is no “them and us” – rather it is all “us”.

“We attended classes the participants led in breakout sessions at the conference,” says Steve. “As teachers, GCF participants were totally engaged, focused, and completely capable of sharing their knowledge.” For example, one young man gave a well thought out presentation on wildlife with special focus on birds.

It is the philosophies of Global Campuses Foundation that keep Nancy and Steve coming back year after year to support educational experiences, and life transformations, for many participants. They have been challenged to turn their own thinking upside down – to remove borders between people who are much more alike than different – and to question the practice of marginalizing groups of people. Everybody has dreams – everybody has skills.

Nancy is no stranger to educational environments. She has been a Reiki teacher for 17 years and has her own practice. She specializes in “energy work” of various kinds. Nancy’s travels brought her to Global Campus Chiang Mai several years ago, where she became familiar with many participant stories there. Steve is an advertising copywriter and manages his own small advertising agency, doing work internationally. Over the years, he has provided business consulting services to GCF as well.

While the Edwards’ financial contributions have played a part in the growth of Global Campuses, Steve points out that it is really “success that breeds success”. He has seen the concept and philosophies of GCF lead to campus expansion “mushrooming” quite quickly – inspiring more and more campus participants each year.

How will they be sure their support of Global Campuses Foundation’s work carries on? They are happy to share that Global Campuses Foundation is included in their will. Including GCF in your estate plan will ensure the mission is sustained: to support adults with differing abilities to enhance their quality of life as they create, manage and sustain campuses of advance learning. Estate gifts can be made through wills, revocable living trusts, retirement plans or life insurance.

Steve and Nancy’s recommendation to others considering supporting GCF: “When you think about it, every life has been touched by someone with differing abilities.” The work GCF does is very impressive, and you can be assured that every dollar is optimized in the program. Be sure to meet the campus participants directly, as it is not possible to adequately communicate the power, the essence, of the Global Campus experience in words alone.”

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

To learn more about including GCF in your estate plans, please contact us at info@globalcampuses.org