#FriendsUniteNow Friends united for fun, United for good times, United against racism and prejudice. What is this movement about? #FriendsUniteNow uses the general awesomeness of diverse friendships to stand up to racism and prejudice. (Oh, and it’s based on 70 years of research into intergroup contact and prejudice reduction. So this is not just a feel-good campaign. … Continue reading # FriendsUniteNow – Fight Racism & Prejudice Together
One Globe Kids focuses on cross-group friendship because it’s the most powerful way to move beyond prejudice. Researchers describe the mechanisms through which this occurs as building affective bonds, self-disclosure, trust, anxiety and empathy. I describe them a little differently. I feel emotionally connected to my friends because we share things about ourselves, which makes … Continue reading Having Muslim friends removed my fear
Last week somehow seemed to be all about languages. September 26th, was (and will be next year) European Day of Languages: “Being convinced that linguistic diversity is a tool for achieving greater intercultural understanding and a key element in the rich cultural heritage of our continent, the Council of Europe promotes plurilingualism in the whole of Europe”. … Continue reading Play in multiple languages in the 21st century
No summer travel plans? Kids with lots of energy? A globally-minded, after dinner dance party could be your lifesaver! Pharrell William’s “Happy” song has spread like wildfire, even appearing on Oprah, but that doesn’t mean it’s old news. With cover videos continually uploaded from around the globe, people everywhere are using the song to show … Continue reading “Happy” Summer: Dance Around the World!
One Globe Kids makes the foreign feel familiar One of our aims is to help children feel capable, willing, and interested in interacting with those they may otherwise have considered “other”. As the world becomes more interconnected, our kids will need to be able to collaborate with people with very diverse backgrounds. Either because they’ll … Continue reading Kids Travel the World Before They Can Read! (Virtually, of course.)
As we get ready to celebrate MLK, Jr. Day, I want to share a perhaps lesser known fact from the era of the American Civil Rights Movement. And it is about empathy. Even great leaders are influenced by seemingly inconsequential, personal experiences. President Johnson is known for declaring War on Poverty and supporting civil rights. While … Continue reading Empathy Guided President to Push for Civil Rights
Did you know that it is very easy to give your favorite app as a gift? Would you like to make someone happy with our app to make new friends around the globe? Here is how to do it! (Before you get all excited, there is one thing to keep in mind. The country you … Continue reading The gift of One Globe Kids Friendship: send an iTunes gift card
I was 15 years old the first time I went to France. Before I left Wisconsin, I distinctly remember driving in the car with my mother and thinking, “Really, how different could it be? There will be streets and houses and sidewalks, just like here.” Well, it was really different – the streets weren’t asphalt, … Continue reading It’s crazy how similar we all really are
Today I worked on the recording of Rido reading Aji’s Indonesian story in Dutch. Since Rido is half-Indonesian and half-Dutch, I knew I had the perfect narrator for this story. Also exciting, his mother has an amazing Indonesian restaurant in The Hague! Marrying a Dutch man was my first introduction to Indonesian food. While Jan … Continue reading Indonesian story, Indonesian narrator, and Indonesian food – what could be better?
Last night I hopped on my ‘moederfiets’ (mother bike)* and headed over to meet Julie and her parents. Julie will be the Dutch voice of Gabou from Haiti in the OGK series! I had done a short presentation about One Globe Kids for her class at school, which also happens to be the same school … Continue reading Recording Gabou’s Haitian Story in Dutch (plus a surprise!)
