International Youth Collaboration Concludes with Public Event on Recycling, Reduction, Reuse
Since Fall 2011, middle-school-aged students in Dearborn and Detroit, Michigan, USA and Amman, Jordan have conducted and documented research into waste problems in their own countries and their impact around the world.
This weekend, the Watch Your Waste project comes to a close with a festive public event featuring student projects including public service announcements and photo shows highlighting their collective research; the presentation of certificates of completion and “green” gift bags; and refreshments.
Watch Your Waste was an initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Museums and Community Collaborations Abroad (MCCA) program, administered by the American Association of Museums (AAM). Joining students, their families and teachers at the closing reception, from 1-3 p.m. this Sunday, June 3 at the Arab American National Museum (AANM), will be Markita M. Brooks of the U.S. Department of State’s Cultural Programs Division and Heather L. Berry, who manages the Museums Connect: Building Global Communities initiative for the AAM. The public is welcome to attend.
In the technology-driven international collaboration, the AANM and the Children’s Museum Jordan helped youth ages 11-14 create the Watch Your Waste e-Museum. It’s an online platform for sharing information and images collected by the kids as they researched the ways voluminous trash puts a heavy burden on our planet and how our daily consumption practices contribute to the problem. The site, available in English and Arabic, includes student-generated photos and videos; online resources; games; and other engaging content.
Nearly 90 student participants in the U.S. and 90 in Jordan have met weekly at various schools for the last several months. They learned basic digital photography skills and used them on field trips and other research projects. Students then connected and shared their work and ideas through social media channels including Facebook and YouTube.
U. S. student participants (ages 11-14) from:
Davison School, Detroit, Michigan; Tony Shopinski, instructor
McCollough-Unis Middle School, Dearborn, Michigan; Annette Alexander-Frank, instructor
Salina Intermediate School, Dearborn, Michigan; ACCESS 21st Century Program participants
Photography instructors Asia Hamilton and Zak Frieling from College for Creative Studies, Detroit
Amman, Jordan student participants from:
Al Bayan School
Al Ahliyyeh for Girls School
Shefa bent Awf School
The online activities were just one component of the program – students in both countries were taught by experts in different fields, including art and science, and documented their learning and projects with photographs, videos and other media.
U.S. students have visited a local recycling facility and a trash incinerator and compared the different methods of waste treatment, realizing the importance and impact of recycling. Students in Jordan visited a large garbage dump and saw first-hand what happens to non-recycled waste, prompting many of them to take a bigger step toward recycling in their homes and communities.
During the course of the project, the general public was invited to engage with Watch Your Waste via a series of free craft sessions for kids using recycled materials and a free screening of the Academy Award-nominated 2010 documentary Waste Land, about the world’s largest garbage dump, located in Brazil.
The Arab American National Museum documents, preserves and presents Arab American history, culture and contributions. It is a project of ACCESS, a Dearborn, Michigan-based nonprofit human services and cultural organization. Learn more at www.arabamericanmuseum.org and www.accesscommunity.org.
The Arab American National Museum is a proud Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Read about the Affiliations program at http://affiliations.si.edu.
The Museum is located at 13624 Michigan Avenue, Dearborn, MI, 48126. Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday; noon-5 p.m. Sunday. Closed Monday, Tuesday; Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Admission is $6 for adults; $3 for students, seniors and children 6-12; ages 5 and under, free. Call 313.582.2266 for further information.