Middle School Students to See the World at World Cultures Day

Middle School Students to See the World at World Cultures Day NEWS ADVISORY – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DATE: Thursday, October 13, 2005 CONTACT: Lara Kain, Outreach Coordinator, Center for Russia, East Europe, and Central Asia (CREECA) and Center for European Studies (CES), UW–Madison, (608) 265-6298, outreach@creeca.wisc.edu MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS TO “SEE” THE WORLD AT WORLD CULTURES DAY Madison, WI – Approximately 150 Wisconsin middle school students, including 40 from the Dane County area (Cherokee and O’Keefe Middle Schools) will participate in the first UW–Madison World Cultures Day, an international education event being sponsored by the Wisconsin International Outreach Consortium. The event is Wednesday, October 19th from 9 am to 2 pm at the Memorial Union, 800 Langdon Street, Madison. The Wisconsin International Outreach Consortium (WIOC) is a consortium of eight UW–Madison International Institute area and international studies programs which are also federally-funded national resource centers. The International Institute has the largest number of federally-funded national resource centers in the nation. WIOC provides resources and expertise on world areas to K-12 teachers, post-secondary educators, businesses, the media, and the community at large. Modeled after the highly successful World Languages Day at UW–Madison, which annually draws several hundred high school students from around the state, World Cultures Day is a pilot project targeted to a younger audience. It is designed to better acquaint students with the world’s regions, peoples and cultures. The students will participate in large- and small-group activities, including Brazilian martial arts, Turkish culture and folk dancing, traditional Asian theater, Arab pop music, Javanese and Indian dance, and African drumming. The events are interactive and participatory. The activities are led by UW–Madison faculty, staff and students. WIOC programs include the African Studies Program, the Center for East Asian Studies, the Center for European Studies, the Center for Russia, East Europe and Central Asia, the Center for South Asia, the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, the Global Studies Program and the Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies Program. Also members of WIOC are the Center for International Education and the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, both at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. XXX