Author Archives: Marianna Bonanome

Graduation and beyond…

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By Farjana Shati:

Finally, the exams are over now. I am excited for my graduation which is just around the corner. Similarly, my term as first CUNY Youth Ambassador is also coming to an end. It is a bittersweet feeling as I am reminiscing about the past few months and the experience I have gained during this role. 

The CUNY Youth Ambassador position gave me the opportunity to voice out my passion for education. It opened new doors for me to build awareness on quality education and engage the City Tech community on issues that should matter, especially on a campus as diverse as ours. My role as CUNY Youth Ambassador also armed me with the language and vocabulary I needed to interact and talk about global education issues with people from all walks of life. I believe that I served the world that was within my reach by allowing my fellow classmates, students, professors and friends the space and place to voice their opinions, perspectives, and their takes on SDGs, quality education, and gender equality. The numerous interactions and conversations I often recall still spark more passion within me. My role as CUNY Youth Ambassador will be an ongoing cherished memory. 

As I plan my next move and lay the ground floor for the next chapter of my life, I will continue growing into ambassador role the CUNY / UNESCO Partnership Program trusted me with. I am a young minority woman who wants to advocate and amplify the importance of quality education and the echo it has on sustainable development and a sustainable future.  Before I sign off as the CUNY Youth Ambassador for 2018, I would like to thank  the program directors, Prof. ElHitti and Prof. Bonanome. I had the privilege to have them as mentors and role models, and to be part of this great initiative which challenged me to grow beyond my academic skills, to be courageous and to take part in something larger than my comfort zone. Thank you! 

 

Yesterday’s Open Table Event

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Thank you to all the students and faculty who stopped by our table event to learn about our program and share their thoughts about global education! We were so excited to see how enthusiastic and supportive everyone was. We plan to do it again, so watch for more dates to come!

  • Also, be sure to stop by Ecofest tomorrow from 9-6 pm on the ground floor of the Atrium building. We’ll see you there.

 

Open table event today 4/24 at City Tech, join us!!

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Please join us today at City Tech from 1-2 pm in front of the Welcome Center (Atrium building, first floor) to learn about the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda. Specifically, let’s talk about goal 4, Quality Education for all, and what it means to you and how you can get involved in helping to achieve this global goal. We’ll be filming and sharing ideas and refreshments. Come have a snack and chat with us!

Reflections on the 2018 GEM Report Gender Review: Accountability for gender equality in education

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Marianna Bonanome, Co-director of the CUNY/UNESCO Partnership Program and Kate Linkins, Partnerships and Outreach Specialist, The Global Education Monitoring Team

On International Women’s Day, Thursday, March 8, 2018 at 9 am a group of us representing CUNY were invited to attend the 2018 GEM Report Gender Review at New York’s remarkable Scandinavia House. On the surface we seemed an odd assortment consisting of faculty, graduate students/Writing Across the Curriculum fellows and our undergraduate CUNY Youth Ambassador, however we were united in our interest in learning more about how gender issues play a role in education globally. Here we share some of our thoughts with you:

“After attending the launch of this year’s GEM Report Gender Review, I was struck by the complexity of factors that affect gender inequality in education. As an educator working in America, I have come to believe (naively, perhaps) that gender iniquities are an ideological issue that I can redress through inclusive, reparative teaching practices. How startling, then, to learn about the institutional barriers to equal education in developing nations! The statistic that stood out to me most was that ten percent of African girls miss class during menstruation because their schools lack same-sex bathrooms with feminine hygiene products. This troubling fact demonstrates that promoting gender equality is not merely a matter of pedagogy; rather, the creation of an accessible, safe, and equitable learning environment must be the imperative of educators, the local community and its leaders, and each nation’s civil servants.”

Samuel Gold, Graduate Student, English Literature, CUNY Graduate Center and Writing Across the Curriculum Fellow at City Tech, CUNY

“As academics cordoned off in our individual disciplines, we can sometimes lose sight of the unique connections among seemingly separate entities. When I attended the launch of UNESCO’s 2018 Gender Education Monitoring (GEM) report, I expected to learn about the current status of global gender equality in education and perhaps the obstacles interfering with UN 2030 sustainability goals. I was surprised, however, to learn about the sundry other topics that are deeply entangled with the questions of how to increase educational access and decrease gender disparity. For example, it would be difficult to hold this conversation without considering a country’s legal and policy standards, its resource distribution, and its gender norms, values, and attitudes. I was particularly interested to learn about the interactions among promoting educational attainment for women, particularly in STEM fields, and health / environmental outcomes. Tackling the global challenges of tomorrow will require an all-hands-on-deck approach. Women’s voices and contributions will be essential in addressing healthcare needs, promoting best practices in sanitation, improving water systems management, and engaging in agricultural work and research. The interconnectedness of education, health, water, sanitation and agriculture is an important reminder that none of us exists in our own silo. We are all highly dependent on intertwined systems and the organizations and people who manage them. It was reassuring to learn that there are accountability measures in place to help meet education sustainability goals so that we can recruit these educated women to keep our systems running.”

Yosefa Ehrlich, Graduate Student, Clinical Neuropsychology, CUNY Graduate Center and Writing Across the Curriculum Fellow at City Tech, CUNY

“Many statistics relayed to us at the GEM Gender Review launch were startling! Our perspective on gender in education had previously been narrowly focused to our world here as part of the New York education system. The review was eye opening and motivating. Issues facing women in education run the gamut from lack of same sex facilities in developing nations to lack of affordable childcare in developed nations. Becky Pringle, Vice President of the National Education Association (NEA) was one of the panelists at the Gender Review. She struck a cord with me when she told the story of her initial hesitation upon learning she would be the NEA Vice President. “Who will pick up my children from school and feed them dinner?” she asked herself. Friends in her community stepped up and filled in for her in this important childcare role. Without such support, Pringle, a qualified woman would not have been able to fill this leadership position. Many times I have had to choose between attending or conducting events which would forward my career and taking care of my children due to lack of support – financial and otherwise. It is no wonder that the percentage of women who begin in tenure track positions and achieve full professorship is a paltry percentage. It is also no wonder women are underrepresented in politics on all levels in all countries. So much of our struggle is rooted in the systemic and until these real logistical issues are recognized and addressed, not much can change. However, what can be immediately addressed lies at the personal level – we can all choose to care for and support each other just as Becky Pringle’s community did for her.”

Marianna Bonanome, Associate Professor, Mathematics Department, Co-director Opening Gateways Title V Grant, Co-director CUNY/UNESCO Partnership, Co-coordinator Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) Program, City Tech, CUNY

“The GEM Gender Review launch made clear that a lot more still needs to be done if gender equality in education is to be reached.  I was glad to learn of all the organizations that are keeping track of whether or not progress is being made in different parts of the world.  It was interesting how one panelist linked internalized misogyny to harmful political outcomes.  Violence against girls who try to get an education was another difficult topic mentioned during the panel discussion—I left the event wanting to know more about how this problem was being dealt with and found some information in the GEM 2018 Report.  A point brought up by one of the panelists keeps coming to mind: boys need to be included in the conversation about equality.  Improving how everyone views one another is a critical kernel, so that in the future something as basic as using textbooks which show images of women in professional roles will no longer be met with resistance in certain countries.”
Anna Soo-Hoo, Graduate Student, French Literature, CUNY Graduate Center and Writing Across the Curriculum Fellow at City Tech, CUNY

 

CUNY/UNESCO Program launch event – 2/16/2018

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Prof. Bonanome program co-director, Priya Joshi UNESCO GEM Representative, Farjana Shati CUNY Youth Ambassador and Prof. ElHitti program co-director

It was our pleasure to the launch this exciting educational partnership between CUNY and UNESCO in the presence of City Tech’s Provost August, Associate Provost Brown and several City Tech students and supporters on Friday, Feb 16. The core of this partnership is the collective potential of CUNY’s student body. CUNY faculty, students and alumni have repeatedly shown what can be achieved when given access to quality education. As we took the first steps together into the global arena on sustainable development and quality education, we were full of hope and excitement.

This program is unique as it aims to build an understanding within the CUNY student and faculty population of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In doing so, we hope to seed a movement of informed youth advocates active in local, national and international education spaces.

We were privileged and grateful to have Priya Joshi, a Research Officer at the Global Education Monitoring Report team at UNESCO in Paris present on the progress being made toward the UN Sustainable Development Goal – SDG4 Quality Education for All. Dr. Joshi is from Nepal and has a PhD in Education Policy from the University of Pennsylvania. She initiated and co-designed a global award winning mobile library project in Nepal. Her career trajectory and research have circled around how education and lifelong learning can be mobilized to support the broader ambitious agenda on sustainable development.

Following Dr. Joshi’s presentation was a Q & A with the CUNY Youth Ambassador Farjana Shati. You can find video clips of the three main questions here: 1, 2 and 3.

Priya Joshi UNESCO GEM Representative and Farjana Shati CUNY Youth Ambassador during Q & A

Professor Marianna Bonanome and Professor Samar ElHitti

 

UN Winter Youth Assembly – Day 2 – 2/15/2018

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From Farjana Shati the CUNY Youth Ambassador:

I was inspired at an even higher level on my second day participating at the YA. I was able to interact, engage, and listen to more youth delegates today. The atmosphere and vibe in the conference rooms was highly motivational. I reached the YA on time before Ms. Priya Joshi’s first session. (Priya Joshi is a member of the Global Education Monitoring, GEM, team.) This particular session I felt was especially empowering due to the two youth advocates’ panel session. The first panelist was a youth observer of 2017-2018 United Nation Association (UNA) in the USA. She is an undergraduate student and represents youth voices in the UNA-USA. I found her to be a role model for me and many young women.

I also attended the Campus Ambassadors Orientation & Panel (Session I). In this session, there were panelist from around the world. They spoke about their journey being the Campus Ambassadors and how they brought youth delegates from all round the world to participate in the youth assembly. I think this is something we can possibly implement at City Tech in years to come

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Priya Joshi, UNESCO GEM Representative and Farjana Shati, CUNY Youth Ambassador at the UN Winter Youth Assembly February 15, 2018

 

UN’s Winter Youth Assembly – Opening night 2/14/2018

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From Farjana Shati the CUNY Youth Ambassador:

I felt warm, inspired, and hopeful by the end of 2018 Winter Youth Assembly opening ceremony yesterday night. As I made one full rotation of myself inside the general assembly hall, I was more than shocked to see such diversity. There were youth from all background and color. I have only briefly interacted with few youth delegates who were from Africa, India, New York, and Pakistan, Saudi Arabia. They all seemed very energetic and friendly. The speech from the opening remarks and keynote speakers focused on youth, innovation and collaboration. I enjoyed the keynote speech from Mr. Miroslav (President of the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly) the most as he spoke about quality education. He said, “We should not only ask how many student are sitting in the class, but also how and what they are learning.” Also, I found Ms. Simona-Mirela’s (Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of UN Office in Belgrade/ Youth Assembly Honorary Chair) energy and passion to be contagious. At the end of the opening ceremony I took a picture with her!

 

My First Steps Into 2018: CUNY, UN and the CUNY Youth Ambassador

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By Farjana Shati:

In my fourth year as a Math Education major student at City Tech, I was looking forward towards the semester Winter Break. Nevertheless in December 2017, I was juggling between my high school student teaching placements and creating an honors research poster for a presentation. Next thing I know, I found myself interviewing for the 2018 CUNY Youth Ambassador (CYA) Position!

Reading the word “Ambassador” in the email heading made me feel unsteady. At first, I was not quite sure what this position would require of me. Yet I drew courage from the national conferences I had already participated in and was intrigued about the possibility to go to the UN headquarters in New York to attend the 2018 Winter Youth Assembly in February.

In preparation for my interview, I was asked by the program directors Prof. ElHitti and Prof. Bonanome to read an article they had published in Pass Blue earlier that year. The article in essence invited both the UN and CUNY to collaborate – especially on SDG4 (the UN Sustainable Development Goal, Quality Education for All.)  As I write this post, I now find myself comfortable with the acronyms “SDG,” SDG4,” “2030 Agenda,” etc. However just a month ago, as I went through the article for the first time, I felt bombarded by these unfamiliar phrases and terms. I then realized that I was up for a role which would challenge my academic horizons. It made me both excited and terrified!

The interview was eye opening and inspiring. I left it feeling good at heart thinking that an initiative to promote quality education by aligning with the UN’s vision is happening at City Tech. With this initiative CUNY students like myself who may not have had the opportunity to participate in education issues at the global level, can now have a platform from which to do so.

The day finally arrived when I received the confirmation email on being chosen as the CUNY Youth Ambassador. I became more nervous and anxious than I was for the interview in view of the enormous responsibility of the role. I consulted with every possible person I met that weekend starting with my parents, siblings, and cousins before committing to this prominent position. My community was drawn to the opportunity to work with the UN, and I was drawn to the possibility of realizing a lifelong dream I had to make a difference in people’s education and to the novel experience that lay ahead. I felt scared due to the expectations I will have to meet but at the same time I knew that being part of this program will allow me to give back to the City Tech community and will add to the opportunities for my fellow City Tech students, current and future, to grow beyond their academic skills and get prepared for a global workforce.

As the weekend drew to an end, and my mind was set up on accepting the role, I signed the agreement letter, drafted my bio, composed my acceptance email and courageously hit send. I woke up Monday morning, at the dawn of 2018, to start a new week, like I had done many times before, yet what was different now was that I was the CUNY Youth Ambassador and I was about to start on this new and exciting chapter of my life, along with the New Year!