Teachers Without Borders (TWB) is a non-profit organization devoted to teacher training and community education on a global scale. Our members represent 119 countries; we are 99% volunteer-driven. As of March 2007, Canada has joined the efforts by incorporating its own chapter (www.twbcanada.org).

At 59 million, teachers are the largest group of professionals in the world and the key to human welfare. They have direct access to families. They know who is sick or missing, orphaned by AIDS, swept up in military gangs or the sex trade, or aching to learn.

For us, it takes a teacher to raise a village, yet teacher training is far from adequate. TWB focuses on identifying and supporting teacher leaders.

We are a free membership and volunteer-based organization. We have convened conferences of teachers from regions in conflict, opened schools in displaced persons’ camps, built community teaching and learning centres, and developed a free e-learning and collaboration toolset - all from grants, donations, and a volunteer spirit.

Education is unevenly distributed throughout the world; intelligence is not. Teachers Without Borders invites, gathers, distils, synthesizes, and disseminates the collective wisdom from teacher leaders of every culture to support teachers to be even more effective in contributing to the creation of a world that works for all.

WHERE YOU COME IN

As university/college students we should join the efforts of Teachers Without Borders because we share a common mission in bridging the education gap worldwide. We believe in the right for access to education for all regardless of race, gender, and class. By expanding the demographic from teacher educators to include student leaders, we are creating a stronger and more inclusive network for TWB. This, at the core of our beliefs, is what fuels the passion and desire to fulfil our social responsibility to the world.

The University of Toronto and the University of Western Ontario are leading the way in this concerted effort to make education borderless by founding “Teachers Without Borders – On Campus” groups. It is TWB’s new focus to expand throughout university and college campuses across Canada and the U.S. Through this new initiative, students will now have the opportunity to partake in this movement to bridge the education gap.

HOW YOU CAN HELP NOW

University/College Students:
1) Invite your friends: Join this Facebook group.

2) Join a campus group: Find out if there is a chapter at your school.

3) No chapter at your school? START one. It’s easy! Contact us.

4) Stay informed.

Educators:
1) Register (free) with our online group: http://www.twblive.org.

2) Make contact and keep the network growing.

3) Stay informed.


Welcome to TWB!

Sincerely,

Jana Chu (jana.chu@utoronto.ca)
Adrian Tsui (atsui2@uwo.ca)

TWB FACTS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS (www.teacherswithoutborders.org)

• Volunteer Membership: 7,000+ in 119 Countries
• 37+ Community Teaching & Learning Centres
• 152 additional Community Teaching & Learning Centres in West Africa approved for implementation
• 12,000 copies of the Certificate of Teaching Mastery (selected as only course material for all recycled computers from the World Bank)
• 2,200 teachers to be enrolled in HIV-AIDS Education for Teachers course, approved by government
• 17 conferences (Middle East, India, and Africa), including three gatherings of teachers from regions in conflict (Hindu-Muslim, Israeli-Arab, Hutu-Tutsi)
• 66% pass-rate (from 0%) increase after TWB Science/Math training in South Africa
• March 2, 2007: Free e-learning/collaboration platform (TWB Tools), funded by Cisco Philanthropy, shall enable at least 100,000 simultaneous users
• World-class Board, including Dr. Jane Goodall, and letters of commendation from the United Nations, SRI, Hewlett and Cisco Foundations
• Approved by President Musharraf of Pakistan as the only educational organization to use e-learning to promote training connecting the "enlightened moderation" of Islam in teacher training
• Youth programs in community education and cultural exchange. "Spokespeople" uses handheld devices to help villages connect to the information age. "One Face at a Time" connects students worldwide through photography, stories, questions, and historical study.
• Articles about TWB in several newspapers and magazines around the world.
• Selected as Finalist for Stockholm Challenge Award, Volvo for Life Award, and Destiny Award
• Chosen by Cisco to represent grantees at Global Philanthropy Forum, 2006 and Cisco's Public Service Summit at the Noble Prizes - 2006
 

Website: http://www.twbcanada.org
Tags: Education, Human Rights, Politics