A Culture and Environmental Stewardship Exchange

This is a proposed online exchange program for Fall 2018 – Spring 2019 .
We are currently seeking funding for it.

For Learn Global, Act Local, an exchange between two middle schools — one in Baltimore and one in Rotterdam — the Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister City Committee (BRSCC) is teaming up with two experienced teaching artists, one from each city, to inspire students to explore commonalities and differences in cultural characteristics and environmental issues, then share the results with their communities. This collaboration melds two successful educational programs into an even more impactful learning experience:

• Through Operation Trash, Rotterdam-based Avalanche Arts increases awareness of how our current waste disposal behavior affects our community, country and world, and how recycling plays a key role in sustainability.
• Through Baltimore Green Map’s Green Map Your Community, students gather information on the natural, cultural and “green” daily living resources that contribute to the vitality and sustainability of their neighborhoods. They create illustrated maps to share with their communities.

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Operation Trash Virtual Exchange

A social cultural program linking American & Dutch students
March – May 2018

In this online exchange program, middle school students will be looking critically at their own trash behavior and how this affects their communities as well as global waste problems. Students will be asked to “think globally and act locally” to help reduce litter and increase recycling in their communities. Students will be linking up with groups in their partner school abroad to meet virtually to share information about themselves, their school and their culture. Students will share information regarding trash behavior and recycling strategies in their communities. Operation Trash exchange students will be invited to take on the role of environmental stewards for their schools and communities.

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When & Where

Date: Monday, November 6, 2017 at 4:00 – 7:00pm
Location: Brooklyn Branch of Enoch Pratt Free Library
300 East Patapsco Ave, Baltimore, MD 21225 (Map on Enoch Pratt Library site)
Admission: Free and open to the public. Family-friendly.

About this event

The Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister City Partnership: Kathie diStefano (from Rotterdam in the Netherlands) and Rodette Jones (Filbert Street Community Garden in Baltimore) will talk trash and how to do composting — to make your garden flourish!

Snacks will be served at the beginning of the event. Light supper near the end of the event. And we’ll recycle our trash at the end!

When & Where

Date: Thursday, November 2, 2017 at 4:00 – 5:30pm
Location: Curtis Bay Recreation Center
Admission: Free. Event is for community kids (not open to general public).

About this event

The Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister City Partnership: Kathie diStefano (from Rotterdam in the Netherlands) and Rodette Jones (Filbert Street Community Garden in Baltimore) will talk trash, do fun games, and show kids how to compost.

Photo: Jaclin Paul

Theatre artist and educator Kathie diStefano from Rotterdam’s Avalanche Arts employs participatory techniques and theatre art to create awareness with youth and seniors about the environment through creative strategies to recycle and make smart consumer decisions to reduce waste.  Ms. diStefano is conducting several activities for schools in the South Baltimore Gateway District for fall 2017 – spring 2018, including:

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Theatre artist and educator Kathie diStefano from Rotterdam’s Avalanche Arts employs participatory techniques and theatre art to create awareness with youth and seniors about the environment through creative strategies to recycle and make smart consumer decisions to reduce waste.  Ms. diStefano collaborated with Rodette Jones, manager of Filbert Street Community Garden, to conducted several projects related to trash, recycling, composting, and healthy eating in the Brooklyn-Curtis Bay community in fall 2017, including:

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Left: Avalanche Arts’ Kathie diStefano teaching an “Operation Trash” workshop in a Rotterdam school. Right: Kathie diStefano conducting an environmentally-themed workshop at a school in Baltimore.

Theatre artist and educator Kathie diStefano from Rotterdam’s Avalanche Arts employs participatory techniques and theatre art to create awareness with youth and seniors about the environment through creative strategies to recycle and make smart consumer decisions. Ms. diStefano coordinated several activities in Baltimore during the 2017 spring school semester, including:

1. Operation Trash virtual exchange

“Operation Trash” project is designed to educate and connect high school students in Baltimore and the greater Rotterdam area. This virtual exchange project focuses on environmental themes. Improvisational theatre techniques and remote learning techniques are used to teach sustainability, trash reduction, recycling, and inspire environmental stewardship. Through the use of classroom activities, improvisational theatre techniques, community events, student-made videos, and social media, teenagers in both cities learn about sustainability, trash reduction, recycling, and get inspired to become environment stewards for their communities. Trash serves as a theme for a cross-cultural exchange. The project leverages an existing environmental educational program developed by Avalanche Arts and used in Rotterdam schools.

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Baltimore, MD USA — March 2017

Baltimore Office of Sustainability has provided a Green Healthy Smart Challenge 2017 grant to Baltimore’s Benjamin Franklin High School (BFHS) for the Operation Trash Virtual Exchange project designed to educate high school students at Baltimore’s Benjamin Franklin High School (BFHS) and connect them with Wolfert van Borselen high school in the Rotterdam, the Netherlands in spring 2017. Improvisational theatre techniques and remote learning techniques will be used to teach students about sustainability, trash reduction, recycling, and to inspire them to become environment stewards for their communities. The grant includes a stipend for Kathie diStefano from Rotterdam’s Avalanche Arts to design curriculum materials. The grant is from the Baltimore Office of Sustainability’s Green, Healthy, Smart Challenge grant program.

Theatre artist and educator Kathie diStefano from Rotterdam’s Avalanche Arts employs participatory techniques and theatre art to create awareness with youth and seniors about the environment through creative strategies to recycle and make smart consumer decisions.  Ms. diStefano visited Baltimore in October 2016 to plan several upcoming exchange projects.

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