West Virginia public school children will have a unique opportunity to learn more about the environment with help from international students in the Intensive English Program (IEP) at West Virginia University.
The IEP students interested in the environment are known as West Virginia Recycling Ambassadors, and they have been volunteering with recycling efforts both at the University and in the community for several years.
Now, thanks to a recently awarded 2008 Recycling Assistance Grant of nearly $27,000 from the Rehabilitation Action Plan (REAP) in the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, the group plans to bring its message of recycling directly to West Virginias youth.
The yearlong grant will enable WVU international students to visit West Virginia elementary, middle and high schools while providing funding for educational materials. Along with IEP staff, international students will develop a multimedia environmental curriculum that will be available to teachers, recyclers and other groups.
The grant is normally provided to solid waste authorities, businesses and nonprofits involved in recycling efforts. IEP , which is in the WVU Department of Foreign Languages in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, is the only educational group to receive the grant this year, said Barbara MacLennan, an IEP lecturer who wrote the grant request.
The type of program were building is unique,she said.The benefits are two-fold. West Virginia youth and community members will become further educated about recycling while being exposed to other cultures. The international students will gain experience speaking to groups and interacting with native English speakers. Theyll explain the value of recycling and caring for the environment.
International students plan to begin visiting state schools in March. Visits will continue throughout 2008. Any public school in West Virginia can request a presentation from IEP students. Teachers or school administrators may schedule a presentation by contacting MacLennan at 304-293-3604 or barbmaclennan@gmail.com .
IEP at WVU includes approximately 70 international students from 16 countries each semester and offers content-based learning with language opportunities to interact with U.S. citizens. The program is 22 credit hours, and students learn about the English language through course work, field trips and various outside activities.
For more than two years, IEP students have participated in various recycling activities in Monongalia County, including WVU Mountaineers Recycle, the WVU Environmental Conservation Awareness Now (WE CAN ) sustainability initiative, the Department of Environmental Protection River Sweep and Morgantown Adopt-A-Street. The international students have earned honors for their efforts, including the 2006 Monongalia County Solid Waste Volunteer of the Year Award.
IEP students study for a variety of degrees at WVU . They come from countries with strong recycling traditions such as Japan, Korea, Germany, Brazil, Kuwait and Italy.
Many are required to perform volunteer work for their companies or school programs. IEP students are able to submit their work as volunteer hours to their home countries.
IEP at WVU has helped in my understanding of English, and I liked it because I had a chance to meet people and talk to them about recycling,said Claire Cheng, a graduate student from Taiwan.Many do not know how to recycle, and were happy to hear that we were doing something good.
Another student, Teiji Saito, a junior from Japan studying the environmental destruction of forests, said IEP helped him improve his English language skills.
Students work on language skills by speaking and listening to increase their vocabulary, and the West Virginia Recycling Ambassadors program allows us to assess their progress better,said Stacy Fint, adviser and interim director of curriculum for IEP .