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Marketing and University Communication UW-Green Bay, CL 815 2420 Nicolet Drive Green Bay, WI 54311-7001 (920) 465-2626 E-mail: hildebrs@uwgb.edu Last update: 10/3/06 |
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In
the News Archive - Year:
March 15, 2006 UWGB club makes world seem closer Middle school students learn about other nations' economies By Terry Anderson
At least it doesn't seem so distant after 160 seventh-graders from Washington Middle School spent a good portion of Tuesday learning about the economies of other nations, attending International Business Day activities organized by the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay chapter of Students in Free Enterprise.
They sat enthralled during presentations from international students representing six distant destinations: Sri Lanka, Columbia, Mexico, Japan, India and Puerto Rico.
"This is a good way to learn about the cultures of other countries," said Jessica Varelas, 13, who gathered phonetic pronunciations of phrases such as "hello" and "how are you" from the team of presenters, as she learned about the economies of other lands.
"If you weren't here, where would you be and what would you be doing?" Varelas asked Koyel Mandal, a graduate student from Calcutta, India, who is seeking a master's degree in Environmental Science and Policy.
"I would be in India, attending college," Mandal replied.
"The message that we want to convey to students is that there is a lot of economic interaction between countries," said Peter Ruud, an event coordinator. "We start by pointing out that there's variety in the clothes that students wear. For example, the Columbia jacket that one student was wearing was made in Sri Lanka."
When they got to counting, they found one student who was wearing clothing manufactured in six different nations, Ruud said.
The students learned about the economies of the presenting countries — the type of currency, the main products of export, the basic structure of government.
"We really do live in a global village," said John Stoll, a professor of Public and Environmental Affairs, and chair of the Economics Department. "I think that an event like today is a good reminder of that to our own students, as well as these middle school students."
Just spending a day in a college environment was worthwhile for the middle school students, said teacher Natalie Naze. "This is fantastic. They're learning about different cultures, from students who are just a few years older than them."
Each middle school student was issued a "passport" complete with photograph and then sat through a brief presentation from the represented nations.
Many of the presenting students circulated mementoes from their homeland, such as postcards, maps and currency.
The taste of another culture made a distinct impression on Varelas; especially when she chomped into a sample of mint Japanese chewing gum, offered by presenter Ryuichi Iwosaki.
"It's strong, but it's good," she said to her classmates.
What is: Students In Free Enterprise?
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