$500,000 FUNDING AVAILABLE FOR TURKISH-ARMENIAN SUMMER TEACHING INSTITUTE PROJECTS
By MANISHA BISWAS

Targeted News Service
May 5, 2010 Wednesday 12:22 AM EST
WASHINGTON

WASHINGTON, May 5 — The U.S. Embassies in Turkey and Armenia’s
Public Affairs Offices has announced that it expects to award grants
for conducting a 6-week program in the U.S. focusing on how current
approaches to English language teaching can be used to develop critical
thinking skills and build tolerance among adolescent students.

The estimated total program funding available was cited as $500,000
with a ceiling of $60,000 for each award under this program.

This funding opportunity is open to state, county, city or township
governments; independent school districts; public and state controlled
institutions of higher education; and public and private non-profit
organizations.

A funding opportunity from the Public Affairs Offices states:
"Purpose: The goals of the Turkey-Armenia Summer Teaching Institute
Project are to: 1) Explore current approaches to English Language
Teaching, especially in terms of how these approaches can be used to
foster critical thinking skills and build tolerance among students
and educators; 2) Examine the role of language in the formation of
individual identity and the potential for English to serve as a
"neutral space" for solving inter-ethnic tensions and promoting
intercultural harmony; 3) Provide opportunities for Turkish and
Armenian participants to learn about each other’s cultures, values,
perceptions, and aspirations for the future; 4) Foster trust and
collaboration among participants that leads to the establishment of
long-term links between Turkish and Armenian educators; 5) Prepare
participants with new skills and tools to implement cross-border
projects upon return to their home communities and schools. A
successful project will be one that motivates educators to actively
incorporate critical thinking, tolerance building, and online social
networking tools into their English curricula as a means to address
issues of mutual concern to Turks and Armenians."

The funding opportunity number is PRMTR-10-GR-001-EUR-042810. It was
posted on April 28 with a response date of June 1.