Metro International Partners with the Sister City Program of the City of New York

Brownsville, Brooklyn, April 28, 2005-This spring, Metro International brought Madrid, Spain and Budapest, Hungary to life for New York City students. 

Metro is partnering with the Sister City Program of the City of New York through the New York City Parks and Recreation Department’s Computer Resource Centers to create cultural learning opportunities for elementary and middle school students.  In this joint effort, students enrolled in the Parks and Recreation Department’s after school program are linked with a school in one of NYC’s 10 international partner cities.  Through this opportunity, New York City students communicate, via email, to students in “their” Sister City and learn about that city and culture.

On April 18th, Metro International brought Fulbright student Francisco Ruiz-Risueño Montoya, Esq. from Madrid to meet with Sister City’s after school students in Harlem who have been communicating with students in Madrid since the fall of 2002.  Mr. Montoya gave the students the opportunity to hear music from Spain, to learn about the history of the flamenco, and to touch old Spanish Pesetas and the new Euro.

On April 28, 2005 Metro International continued to build on Sister City’s intercultural exchange after school program efforts.  Dr. Gyorgy Konczei, a Fulbright Scholar from Budapest, shared with a class of students in Brownsville, Brooklyn who began emailing with students in his home city at the beginning of the 2004 school year.  Together they discussed the history and culture of Budapest.  Dr. Konczei also gave a short Hungarian language lesson to these Brownsville students.  Both Mr. Montoya and Dr. Konczei shared their city, country and culture through these interactive workshops. 

Metro International has helped to bridge the international knowledge gap for more than 50,000 New York City public school children and educators over the past 20 years.  Each year Metro International’s Global Classroom speakers reach over 3,650 students and nearly 200 teachers in elementary, middle, and high schools across all five boroughs of New York City.  Metro International also serves as the officially-designated coordinator of enrichment programs for visiting Fulbright scholars in New York and is a nationally and internationally recognized leader in providing substantive and innovative educational programming.

Through the Sister City Program, New York City has successfully partnered with 10 cities across Europe, Asia, Africa and Central America over the past 45 years to foster cross-cultural exchange of ideas and goals.  The Sister City Program brings together communities from across the miles in a joint effort to formulate substantive international relations.  One component of the Sister City program is the intercultural exchange between New York City young people and students in the Sister Cities partners. 

The partnership with Sister City of New York City is an extension of Metro International’s work to create global learning opportunities for students, educators, and the community in New York City and beyond. 

Metro International creates global learning opportunities for students, educators, and the community, in New York City and beyond. Metro was founded in 1977 to provide international undergraduate and graduate students with a bridge between their isolated campus environments and the broader New York community. Today Metro International’s programs and services promote interaction between international visitors and New Yorkers in settings as diverse as local neighborhoods, school classrooms, businesses, and cultural institutions. Metro serves as the officially-designated coordinator of enrichment programs for visiting Fulbright scholars in New York and is a nationally and internationally recognized leader in providing substantive and innovative educational programming.

For further information on Metro, go to www.metrointl.org.