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Contact: Debbie Gibbons, Western Washington University Youth Programs Manager, Debbie.Gibbons@wwu.edu or (360) 650-6820.

BELLINGHAM – Western Washington University will host the inaugural sessions of its new and exciting cross-cultural youth program, Global Connections, this summer.

The program is designed for youth, entering grades 4-6, who possess a natural curiosity about the world we live in.

Global Connections offers three week-long sessions, Aug.1-19, to create a “world school” learning environment full of wonder and exploration. Participants will interact with students from Korea in grades 4-6 to strengthen and expand cross-cultural understanding, build a global community and form lifelong friendships.

The program offers fun, interactive morning academic enrichment and afternoon recreation. These activities will emphasize the interconnectedness between individuals of different cultures and the ways in which people can learn from each other. In addition, there will also be the opportunity to set up a pen pal correspondence with a Korean student to continue “connections” even after the program’s conclusion.

Each week-long session offers a different theme for students to explore.

The themes are:

• Week 1 - Connecting Through Traditions: Holidays, Festivals and Celebrations
• Week 2 - Hobbies and Habitats: Thinking Globally and Connecting Locally
• Week 3 - Everyone is a Star: Exploring Pop Culture

The scheduled Wednesday field trips are to Woodland Park Zoo, Pacific Science Center and Birch Bay Water Slides.

The cost for each weekly session is $200 and includes instructional materials, cafeteria lunch (four days), afternoon recreation and activities, Wednesday field trip transportation, supervision and admission.

For more information on Global Connections and a complete list of Western’s K-12 youth programs, visit . If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at youth@wwu.edu or (360) 650-3308.

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