The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

University Center for International Studies
223 E. Franklin St., CB# 5145
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-5145
Tel: (919) 962-0299




The WorldMobile:

To serve rural schools far from the university, we are proposing "The WorldMobile", a rolling educational center staffed by specially trained persons to bring the resources of UNC literally to the front door of elementary and secondary schools throughout the state. In addition, a roaming vehicle properly prepared and painted would provide high visibility for the program. At present, the participants are driven to school in a private car or van and are thus invisible to parents, the general public and communities.

This proposed initiative would capitalize on expertise available in participating UNC system universities and independent consultants to bring the K-12 outreach program to the most congested urban centers as well as most remote corners of North Carolina. The proposed plan of activities sketched out below has the potential to make a major educational impact on schools in the state, which could in turn receive timely coverage in the local if not national media. We will enhance our visibility, bring University resources to K-12 schools, and participants and backers will not only provide a leadership role in supporting teachers and K-12 education in their state but also reap applause from the citizenry at large.

A roaming core team of presenters who can provide a complete overview on many subject areas would be the key staff in this mobile form of outreach. They would receive support from UNC faculty, visiting scholars and students that are located close to the presentation site. In the K-6 environment, this team should be able to meet all demands, unless requests for programs outstrip available resources. The lead team would consist of active educators who could assume a number of roles in and out of costume and provide standard presentations on many subject areas.

Hands-on materials to use with students in the classrooms are already being developed. So-called Country Starter Kits, i.e. colorfully decorated boxes containing national and cultural items -- e.g. national flags, maps, stamps, currency, dolls, toys, games, audio and videocassettes are already being assembled for use in the current outreach program and would be housed at the center or in the mobile unit. Items available for teacher use in the classroom will be listed on the Internet and in a brochure. In this fashion a full day presentation in a K-12 school on wide-ranging international or specific subject areas can be as easy to configure as clicking the mouse and filling out an on-line or paper form.

The main goal of this outreach program is to support K-12 teachers and provide that added educational spark for our students. Countries, societies and cultures will be brought to their doorstep. For example, how much more tangible is a lesson on the Bosnian conflict when supplemented with a narrative by Edin Fortes or Olja Hocevor, who not only survived that terror but escaped that besieged city and made a new life in America. These two individuals are not much older than our high school seniors, and, with appropriate backing from UNC faculty and resources, make the study of Bosnia memorable. The level of sophistication that the program would aim for is to be dictated by requests from teachers. In addition to standard presentations by the core group, speakers and materials would be customized as much as possible to meet specific teacher demand.

In order to implement the proposal, we would need to have additional support from UNC system universities, UNC-CH Provost's office which originated the initial support and the Governor's office. Based on this support, private concerns would be lobbied for a donation of a large van or a Winnebago-type vehicle and additional financial support to carry out a statewide program based on the concept of "On the Road with Charles Kuralt" or the C-SPAN yellow bus. The vehicle would be painted with a variety of striking national symbols and UNC emblems. Private groups donating funds to the program would also have their logos and names prominently displayed on "The WorldMobile." Schools visited will have space on the painted North Carolina map for their names as well. The vehicle would be staffed by a core group of dedicated educators, supplied with the necessary equipment and materials; a successful "educational missionary" program would be inevitable.