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Charly Constantin-Augustin, a CEIN member from French Guiana, supported and supervised in April 2018 a school trip by high school students from Léon-Gontran DAMAS Guyana, to Florida. Charly’s colleague, an English teacher, initiated this trip as a way to strengthen the students’ English language skills. Another purpose was for the students to learn how outer space studies are conducted in U.S. high schools, since French Guiana is home to the Europe’s Spaceport.
In addition to discovering American culture through museums and touring the Kennedy Space Center, they were able to create links with the Palm Bay High School with the help of another CEIN member, Terry Ellis, who lives in Florida. This high school near the space center also has a space studies program and students who are studying French.
The students and teachers were introduced in small groups in various classes, which allowed fruitful exchanges and the creation of bonds of friendship between the students of the two high schools. The time spent in the high school was limited to only one day by the fact that the trip was made during the spring break, which coincided with those of Florida. Exchanges between the two schools will be established in the future.
CEIN, especially through its International Peace Program, encourages international student exchanges as a way to cultivate friendships, collaboration and global citizenship.