SPOTLIGHT: Giuliana’s GA presentation – Temple Israel pre-school (West Bloomfield Michigan)
“I talked about the culture in my country, Argentina. The children were 3 years old, so I showed them the flag of Argentina, where Argentina is located, talked about its customs such as mate, which is an infusion like the tea we drink. I showed them and talked about tango, the cultural dance, and I showed them one of our typical foods, the alfajores. Then we carry out an activity that is based on putting all hands on white paper with the flag of Argentina and Israel that represents the school as a sign of friendship. I showed the kids photos of me and my family from Argentina so they could know me better. The kids had a lot of fun and so did I.”
(**Note – presentations must follow local Covid safety protocol and CDC guidelines. Check with local authorities if unsure if your area is open to this.)
Parents / Teachers
Global Awareness offers children a glimpse of international diversity and helps to spark an interest in different cultures. For more information about having an au pair come to your school please download the Global Awareness brochure.
Au Pairs
An Opportunity for Au Pairs to Volunteer through a Cultural Share or Teaching a Language
Volunteering is an important part of American life. Au Pair in America au pairs, from all over the world, have volunteered in many different places, including the schools and libraries in their communities. “Meet Your Global Neighbor” is a volunteer project in Global Awareness.
Au Pairs can volunteer in pre-school, elementary and middle school classrooms. You have the opportunity to share your culture, customs and language with young American children. The mission of this volunteer experience is to bring multi-cultural understanding into the classrooms and help children form positive first impressions of people from other countries.
How to Become a Volunteer
After you settle in with your new Host Family, contact us to let us know that you would like to become a Global Awareness Volunteer. We will provide you with all the necessary information to get you started.
You’ll receive guidance and support as you determine what information you’d like to present. These are not formal presentations. You do not have to have teaching experience or public speaking experience. These presentations are fun and interactive and determined by the ages of the children.
Here’s a favorite example of two different presentations for different age children.
- A Brazilian au pair presented to pre-school children in a nursery program. She told them about Carnival in her country and taught them how to make a mask for Carnival.
- Another Brazilian au pair presented to a 5th grade music class and taught the kids the samba!!
Remember, the goal is to help the children form a positive first impression of someone from another country, so what we strive for is “I met a lady from ____, and she was really cool!” Watch a video of a group of au pairs who brought their cultures to the Ronald McDonald House in New York City.
“Little Linguists” – Teach a Mini-Language Lesson
“Little Linguists” is a volunteer opportunity for au pairs to give mini-language lessons to pre-school children in their local libraries. Au pairs enjoy this opportunity to share their culture with kids in the community.
Children enjoy learning to count in another language, learning fun vocabulary and listening to popular stories from another country. They will have so much fun asking questions. You’ll be surprised at how interested they are in learning about you. You’ll have an opportunity to represent your country while you learn more about the American educational system and way of life. All au pairs are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity. You will receive a certificate of recognition after your presentation. If you are interested in doing cultural presentations on an on-going basis, contact us and find out how to become a Global Awareness Volunteer! Join in! Have fun!
Want to share your culture in your host kid’s classroom, in the library, at a girl scout meeting, or another educational venue but you don’t know where to start? Check out the au pair spotlighted above to be inspired and see just how easy it is. (**Note – presentations must follow local Covid safety protocol and CDC guidelines. Check with local authorities if unsure if your area is open to this.)
—