Statements
Mission
The GLOBAL EDUCATION CENTER is a nonprofit multicultural, anti-bias education center that uses the arts of diverse cultures to highlight the commonalities of all people; to promote global awareness and concern; to develop empathy, understanding and respect for the individual and for all of humanity; to support the Center's belief that fairness and justice are basic human rights for all. Using the arts as a pathway to understanding the various cultural, ethnic and religious groups residing in our community, the Center's staff and teaching and performing artists present sensitive, dynamic and highly participatory programming that creates experiences in the arts that aid in dispelling myths, dismantling stereotypes, unlearning biases and alleviating fears. All programming is designed to create an environment of inclusion and a climate promoting wellness and emotional well-being.
Background
Global Education Center was founded by anti-bias education specialist Ellen S. Gilbert in 1996 and incorporated in February of 1997, after more than twenty years of providing multicultural arts programming in area schools. The Center is designed primarily for the training and support of educators, students and the community in the area of multicultural, anti-bias education by way of the indigenous and traditional arts. The primary outreach program, Passport to Understanding, evolved as a creative solution to confront cultural and religious intolerance, stereotypes, misinformation, lack of information and the many negative 'isms' of American society which make harmonious living difficult for many people. The interactive school outreach program expanded approximately thirty-five years ago to include staff development, training and consultation in anti-racist education and cultural diversity. Combining the aesthetic and the academic, Global Education Center has assembled a large group of teaching and performing artists from a wide variety of cultural, ethnic and religious groups to share their people's stories and traditions through their various art forms. The Center helps boost the professionalism and artistic excellence of its resident and affiliate artists by bringing in Master Artists for classes, workshops and performances, thereby enhancing their repertoires, and by providing consistent opportunities for teaching and performing. The Center staff assists its artists in preparing appropriate teaching materials for sharing their cultural arts traditions in an age-appropriate and effective manner. Global Education Center is located in two historic buildings in an ethnically diverse urban neighborhood in West Nashville that has become a safe haven where people from all facets of our community can explore the issues and emotions expressed throughout the ages by all cultures through their arts. The Center offers a warm and welcoming environment that houses three dance studios, a percussion studio, a recording studio, a library, offices and a multicultural teacher supply store, opening its doors to all members of the community and providing space for classes, meetings, rehearsals and small performances. Because its program fees are kept extremely low, the Global Education Center attracts an extremely diverse group of participants, many of whom are of lower economic means, offering them a beautiful place for exploring the arts and cultural diversity.
Impact
Global Education Center sees its primary impact in our community as creating inclusive program planning and facilitation that embraces the oneness of all people by sharing our commonalities as expressed through the arts of diverse cultures. Through multicultural arts programming that addresses cultural misinformation and attacks stereotypes, we partner with the diverse populations of our community to help address the biases and alleviate the fears that arise when people focus on the differences between them. By working in area schools and with community organizations, the artists and staff of the Global Education Center disseminate information, stimulate dialogue and create a safe haven for exploring the arts of diverse cultures in an effort to aid children and youth in developing a sense of oneness with all members of our community. We hope that through our highly interactive and inclusive arts experiences we will foster a sense of belonging within our diverse community that makes Middle Tennessee stand out as a caring and welcoming community that respects all of its families. Significant goals for the Global Education Center include advocating using the arts to connect children and their families with the inherent beauty of and deserved respect for cultures that might be different from their own; to connect a diverse array of artists with schools and community organizations; to help empower artists, particularly minority artists, through learning, teaching and performance opportunities; and to establish the Global Education Center as a national model for other communities. In recent years, the Global Education Center has established itself as a leader in multicultural education and arts programming, serving approximately 150 schools per year in Nashville and many surrounding counties. The Center partners with approximately 100 artists each year, offering ongoing classes, workshops, and performances in area schools and communities. Global Education Center is also a community leader in bringing world-renowned international artists to Nashville for workshops, performances and school presentations and is considered to be a national model in professional development for teachers in multicultural arts integration.In recent years, the Global Education Center has received awards from the African Heritage Foundation, Bridges to Africa, and the Nashville Hispanic Chamber of Commerce for our leadership in bringing the arts of Africa and of Latin America to our community and from The Atlantic Institute for our work in anti-bias education. In addition, our staff and teaching artists have been recognized for our leadership in early childhood education arts programming by partnering with Metro Nashville Public Schools' new early learning centers. Goals for the coming year include increasing and solidifying partnerships with area schools and community organizations; organizing a larger team of volunteers through partnerships with organizations such as the Council on Aging; and focusing on improving our historic facilities while establishing the Center as a leader in the redevelopment of its changing neighborhood. Our program goals for the year include expanding diverse programming to include more virtual and on-line education opportunities as well as expand our offerings at our satellite studio, Global South, located in Casa Azafran, a nonprofit collaborative. Through documentary films, literary arts, music, dance, photo and art exhibits, and community dialogues, we hope to educate ourselves and our community about the diversity of our World, giving voice to those who often feel invisible in our community. Founded in 1996, Global Education Center is in its 26th year of providing culturally relevant and engaging programs that truly reflect the diversity of our community.
Needs
Global Education Center sees increased public awareness as a primary necessity and would therefore like some in-kind marketing services. Similarly, donations of materials and labor for building renovation and rehabilitation of its 10,000 square foot, 129-year-old facility would be of great benefit. Increased public support through corporate and foundation funding would help ensure a more viable future for the Global Education Center as would increased participation by community volunteers. Our current need for capital funds would cover repairs and cosmetic improvements on our overall facility.
CEO Statement
Global Education Center holds a unique and important place in the fabric of our community. On any given day, visitors to the Global Education Center can study culturally unique forms of dance or music alongside people of different cultural, ethnic and international heritages. Teachers, students and community members can come study the indigenous arts of a myriad of cultures, taught by artists who are sharing traditions that are very dear to them and that help to identify them within our diverse world. Many of these unique artists exchange knowledge and talents with artists from other cultures, validating the importance of the arts in daily life. Even more powerful than experiencing this unique comradery between our artists and our Global Education Center family is sharing the arts of diverse cultures with students in area schools. Every presentation for students is a unique and affirming experience for both the staff and the participating artists of the Center. Young people are keenly aware of unfairness and injustice and are eager to learn about people and ideas that are different from their own. Our school outreach program is extended through our Summer Multicultural Arts Camp, where children and youth learn drum, dance and cultural traditions from thirty different cultures. Some of our students have been with us since the summer of 1997, many of them returning to the Center each summer, bringing siblings, cousins and close friends and, more recently, we are serving the children of some of our original campers. Our staff has remained consistent since our opening, and the students and their families have developed close relationships with everyone here at the Center. We have developed an excellent reputation for providing consistent, inclusive and highly participatory programs that make everyone feel welcome and important. Our reputation earns us the honor of being invited to design, facilitate and implement festivals, fairs, conferences and performances for schools and community organizations throughout Tennessee and southern Kentucky, sharing our gifts. Our most heart-warming impact is our place as a home for all people from all ethnicities, religions and walks of life, where everyone feels welcomed, respected, safe, and well-loved.
Board Chair Statement
Global Education Center has been the cornerstone of multicultural arts integration in Middle Tennessee since 1997. Through arts education, community classes, professional artist development, and school outreach, the Global Education Center has shaped its community to be one that embraces the traditions of various cultures. The Center's unique performances benefit not just the audience, but the performers as well. Artists are given the opportunity to share what is special about their heritage without reducing it to the mere 'performance' of culture. Artists communicate feeling, values, and pride to their audience/participants while still growing in their profession as artists. In the community, the Global Education Center provides a space in which young people can look outside of what they see everyday and step into a world that challenges them to broaden their horizons. By learning African drumming, Indian classical dance, or one of the many other traditional arts offered at the Center, youth of Middle Tennessee are learning what it means to express identity through sound and motion. They carry these invaluable experiences with them throughout their lives.
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Arts, Culture & Humanities - Cultural & Ethnic Awareness |
| Secondary Category: | Education - Educational Services |
| Tertiary Category: | Youth Development - Youth Development Programs |
Areas Served
While the Global Education Center primarily serves schools and community organizations in Middle Tennessee, we travel frequently to all parts of Tennessee and surrounding states.
| TN - Cheatham |
| TN - Cumberland |
| TN - Davidson |
| TN - Dickson |
| TN - Giles |
| TN - Hickman |
| TN - Houston |
| TN - Humphreys |
| TN - Lawrence |
| TN - Marshall |
| TN - Maury |
| TN - Montgomery |
| TN - Putnam |
| TN - Robertson |
| TN - Rutherford |
| TN - Smith |
| TN - Stewart |
| TN - Sumner |
| TN - Williamson |
| TN - Wilson |
