NEWS ARCHIVE: 2004, 1999/2000, 2001, 2002, 2003
December 2004
FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THE 2003 BAM EARTHQUAKE
In the aftermath of the tragic December 2003 Bam earthquake, the Science and
Arts Foundation planned and implemented a number of programs aimed at both the
psychosocial rehabilitation and ICT training of Bam's children (see
http://bam.schoolnet.ir).
Programs provided by SAF and its sponsors included
the establishment of a temporary computer center, a paint shop, music/drama
programs and English courses. While the skills taught in these programs were
themselves practical and constructive, their most important feature was the
renewed energy and enthusiasm they instilled among the traumatized youth of
Bam. As part of SAF's program, Dr. Kamran Saedi, a consultant child and
adolescent psychiatrist based in London and a Fellow of the Royal College of
Psychiatrists in the UK with disaster work experience in Kosovo and Cambodia,
made a fact finding trip to Bam on behalf of SAF in February/March 2004. It
became clear to Dr. Saedi that while teachers had to provide schooling as a
consistent environment for children, they themselves suffered traumatisation
and were unable to cope and/or deal effectively with the demands of their
work. As a result, a psychosocial rehabilitation program, supported by SAF
and funded by CISCO and World Vision, has been created to address the needs of
the teachers themselves and to support their efforts to help children with
their traumatisation (see below). In addition to the above projects, a number
of exhibitions and concerts have displayed the children's work to both
national and international audiences. In the summer of 2004, drawings and
paintings created by Bam children participating in SAF's paint shop were
exhibited at both iEARN's 11th Annual Global Teachers' Meeting in Kosice,
Slovakia and the Children of Bam Art Exhibition in Vienna, Austria. Later, in
October 2004, the Science and Arts Foundation's Children of Bam Music Ensemble
performed their first concert in Tehran at the Vahdat Concert Hall. The
performing group consisted of 21 children, 14 girls and 7 boys.
While SAF will continue to provide the above services in the year to come,
plans are in progress for the establishment of a permanent ICT and
Psychosocial Rehabilitation Center. This center will be built under the
leadership of the Science and Arts Foundation with support from Bam’s
Department of Education and several sponsors.
PSYCHOSOCIAL REHABILITATION FOR BAM TEACHERS IN PROGRESS
The Science and Arts Foundation's pilot project of psychosocial rehabilitation
of the traumatized teachers of Bam began in Bam on 4th December 2004. For this
program, ten Mental Health Professionals (MHP), comprised of psychiatrists,
psychologists and social workers, were appointed and trained in a week long
course in Tehran between the 27th of November and the 2nd of December 2004.
Training was led by Dr. Kamran Saedi, Dr Lynette Rentoul and Dr Shiva
Dowlatabadi. The program consisted of two rounds of group counseling. In the
first round, 82 teachers from 7 primary, guidance, secondary and pre-
university schools participated in the psychosocial rehabilitation program and
78 completed the two week intensive group counseling course. Based on
individual questionnaires provided by the MHP team, fifteen teachers were
selected for individual treatment that included psychotherapy and/or
medication. All teachers, including those receiving individual treatment, were
organized into 10 groups, each consisting of 8 to 11 teachers and two
facilitators from the MHP team. In addition, daily two-hour supervision
sessions were held to discuss the progress in group work and address
difficulties as they arose. On a 5 point self-rating scale based on course
effectiveness (1 being no improvement and 5 being very significant
improvement), all but one teacher gave a 3-5 point rating. The second round of
group counseling started on the 18th of December 2004 and will last until the
4th of January 2005, allowing four days of break for the anniversary of the
Earthquake. The next phase of the project is the development of a support
network for teachers of Bam. SAF is now appealing for further funds to
organize the support network for teachers and for extending the program to all
1800 teachers in Bam.
SAF WEB DESIGN COURSES IN PROGRESS
The Science and Arts Foundation has designed a Web Design Course for Tehran’s
SchoolNet members. The Web Design Course is a 32 hour program divided into
weekly four hour sessions. Currently, the program is in progress at Sharif
University of Technology attended by SchoolNet administrators. In addition,
these weekly classes serve as informal meetings and discussion groups for the
administrators.
SCHOOLINUX SEMINAR TO BE HELD IN JANUARY 2004
A one day seminar will be held on January 20th 2004 at Roshd16 Boy's High
School for Tehran's SchoolNet members. The SchoolNet SchooLinux e-Club has
been evolving since its initiation and more development of Linux programs for
schools across the nation have been placed on the agenda for 2005. This
seminar will be held in cooperation with Tehran's Educational Department ICT
R&D Center. Moreover, SAF is in the process of developing a special Linux
distribution project for schools called SchooLinux with support from the
Iranian High Council of Informatics.
October-November 2004
SCIENCE AND ARTS FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES 7th WEB DESIGN CONTEST
The Science and Arts Foundation has announced the commencement of the 7th web
design contest open to schools and their students from across Iran.
Students from winning teams will receive individual prizes while the school
with the best website will receive a video projector. The final phase of the
competition will take place on the 10th of June 2005. Websites must
have been created by the students under instructor supervision and will be
judged based on the following criteria:
Content should incorporate current news reports, seminar updates, educational
events, current research projects open to students, etc.
To view the project announcement on the SchoolNet website, please visit
here.
PSYCHOSOCIAL REHABILITATION PROGRAM FOR BAM TEACHERS
In the aftermath of the tragic Bam earthquake, the Science and Arts Foundation
planned and implemented a number of programs aimed at the psychosocial
rehabilitation of children in Bam (see http://bam.schoolnet.ir). Most
fundamentally, Dr. Kamran Saedi, a consultant child and adolescent
psychiatrist based in London and a Fellow of the Royal College of
Psychiatrists in the UK with disaster work experience in Kosovo and Cambodia,
made two fact finding trips to Bam on behalf of SAF in February/March and very
recently in October/November 2004. According to his evaluation, a large
number of teachers suffer from continued anxiety and fear, lack of sleep and
poor concentration which interferes with their work. Grieving their families
lost in the earthquake and preoccupation with the scenes of the disaster are
still vividly experienced in many cases. Their psychological plight is
compounded by poor social conditions i.e. overcrowded housing in temporary
prefabricated rooms, especially for families with teenage girls, financial
hardship and lack of hope for a stable existence within a foreseeable future.
Approximately 1,700 teachers have survived the earthquake and they must work
extra shifts to teach more children in temporary classrooms while school
reconstructions are in progress. Following these findings, it became clear
that the teachers of Bam need help to cope with their own traumatisation in
addition to assisting their students. As a result, Dr. Saedi proposed a
program of treatment and counseling specifically designed for teachers in Bam.
For the first phase of the project, which has been funded by CISCO and World
Vision, twelve mental health professionals (psychiatrists, clinical
psychologists and social workers) have recently been recruited to work with
the teachers in Bam. The preparation program for these mental health
professionals is due to start on the 27th of November in Tehran and will be
led by two Iranian and two international instructors. Training will be based
on findings from the recent school visits and evaluations. Negotiations with
the Ministry of Education have been successful in allowing Bam teachers who
have volunteered for group intervention to participate in the program as part
of their continued service, this will also symbolically counter the teachers'
hopelessness and help them to think ahead to their future. The treatment and
counseling program itself will start in Bam on the 4th of December 2004 and
will last for a month, covering a total of 250 teachers from primary,
guidance, secondary and pre-university schools. The work will stop for three
days in order for the project workers to participate in the ceremonies planned
for the first anniversary of the earthquake on the 26th of December 2004.
Almost all the teachers in the schools visited so far have volunteered for the
program. While this exceeds the number of spaces available in the first phase
of the project, it is hoped that additional funding will be granted for
further intervention programs so that all teachers in Bam can be covered.
CHILDREN OF BAM PRESENT FIRST CONCERT IN TEHRAN
The Science and Arts Foundation's Children of Bam Music Ensemble
performed their first concert in Tehran on the 3rd of October 2004 at
the Vahdat Concert Hall. This event took place during the Hall's
Children's Music Night. The Children of Bam Music Ensemble formed
with the directorship of Ms. Sudabeh Salem, music instructor and
composer of children's music. The performing group consisted of 21
children, 14 girls and 7 boys. Ms. Salem has been working with these
students as part of SAF's music therapy program designed to
rehabilitate students traumatized by the December 2003 earthquake that
devastated the city of Bam. To view the concert film clip, please
visit here.
Further information regarding SAF's activities in the city of Bam can be found
at here.
SAF SUPPORTS ICT PROGRAMS FOR THE HEARING IMPAIRED
In September 2004, SAF supported a group of educators working with
hearing impaired students to attend the 1st International Deaf
Association Conference held in Istanbul, Turkey. The educators found
the conference events constructive and motivating. Upon their return,
the team of educators, along with their colleagues and SAF support,
has initiated work on ICT-based projects tailored for hearing impaired
individuals n Iran and the promotion of their interaction with
students around the globe. The goal is to establish a program that
encourages Internet-use by hearing impaired students across Iran. As
part of this program, students at the Nezam-e Maafi Technical School
for the Deaf have created a website on the subject of sign language.
To view this site, please visit
here.
Further information regarding SAF programs for hearing impaired students can
be found here.
SAF-SWEDEN LAUNCHES NEW CAMPAIGN
The Science and Arts Foundation's branch in Sweden has launched a new
campaign aimed at raising awareness of SAF's mission. This program
began in the month of October with a week long program of lectures and
activities, highlighted by the presence of Dr. Yahya Tabesh, President
of SAF Iran, in Stockholm. During his stay, Dr. Tabesh delivered a
total of 3 talks at Stockholm University, Stockholm City Hall and a
private gathering for SAF supporters. In addition, SAF-Sweden
conducted a successful fundraising event in support of the Kermanshah
ICT Center, a current SAF project. The new SAF-Sweden website can be
found at the following link:
September 2004
The 7th ANNUAL SCHOOLNET CONFERENCE
The Science and Arts Foundation's
7th Annual SchoolNet Conference was held at the city of
Isfahan's Shahid Mohajer Technical Institute from the 1st to 3rd of
September 2004. Over 850 high school and middle school students,
teachers and administrators participated, representing 50 schools from
31 cities and 17 provinces. In addition, there were over 120
participants that included students from Isfahan, representatives of
Isfahan and Tehran educational organizations and fellows from the ICT
department of the Ministry of Education taking part in the gathering;
the first such participation by the Ministry in an NGO organized
conference. Organized by SAF-Iran and SAF's partner, the Isfahan
Mathematics House, the conference also received support from the ICT
department of the Ministry of Education and the Shahid Mohajer
Technical Institute.
During the dynamic three-day event, 88 papers were presented on a
variety of topics that included ICT, biotechnology, mathematics,
physics, archeology, astronomy, health, education, social and cultural
issues. (Click here for
the titles and shorts abstracts of the talks in both Persian and
English.) A scientific committee selected these presentations from the
570 papers submitted by students and teachers across Iran. Of the 88
accepted papers, 75% were by female students or teachers and 12.5% by
the visually impaired. Students had conducted their research online
and presentations were made via PowerPoint. In addition to
presentations, an exhibition center displayed the works of the various
SchoolNet e-clubs supported by SAF. The
SchooLiux,
Robotics,
Entrepreneurship,
Mathematics,
Chemistry,
Physics e-Clubs and History
of Science also conducted workshops on the activities and research of
their electronic communities.
This year's SchoolNet conference provided a forum where both school teachers and administrators as well as students had the opportunity to meet in person their counterparts with whom they had previously contacted through the SchoolNet portal. In addition, they were able to make new connections to develop future ICT projects via the Internet. Furthermore, the regional representatives of the Ministry of Education were introduced to a new concept of education, one that includes ICT, research and inter-disciplinary cooperation as part of the pre-university curriculum. It is anticipated that this conference will provide a guideline for the future development of Iran's educational system, one that gradually advances the national curriculum to meet the current global trend in student training and awareness. SAF founder Professor Abbas Edalat stated in the closing address that this conference demonstrated the fundamental educational and cultural changes taking place in Iran. SchoolNet encourages teamwork, educational exploration, collaborative research, international projects and ICT to enhance student initiative and creativity in the educational system.
Ms. Minoo Shamsnia, an active teacher within the SchoolNet program, remarked that the conference workshops and exhibitions provided her and her colleagues the occasion to discover the opportunities available in the various themes of the Science and Arts Foundation. Moreover, she noted that listening to the various conference speakers played an inspiring role in the development of future programs and activities.
For Tehran's Alzahra High School student Sara Adineh, the conference was an unforgettable experience where she was introduced to the work of SchoolNet communities such as the Astronomy e-Club and discussed the advances in ICT with international guests. Moreover, during this exciting event, she found that students and teachers had the rare opportunity to collaborate and learn from one another.
To view photos of the event, please visit here.
July-August 2004
IRANIAN DELEGATION SUCCEEDS AT THE 11th ANNUAL iEARN GLOBAL TEACHERS' MEETING
SAF supported a team of 23 Iranian educators and administrators at the 11th
Annual iEARN Global Teachers’ Meeting in Kosice, Slovakia from the 11th to 17th
of July 2004. The meeting attracter over 400 teachers, students,
administrators, public figures and leaders of the academic community from over
63 countries around the world. In addition to participating in scientific and
cultural discussions with peers from a variety of nations and attending a wide
range of conference workshops, presentations and special sessions, the Iranian
delegation provided 10 of their own widely acclaimed presentations, a paint
shop and a cultural exhibit on Iran. The Iranian presentations concentrated
on the innovative work of Iranian schools in information technology, national
and international collaborative projects as well as project-based learning. A
highlight of the event included the awarding of a special prize for Farzanegane
Zeynab Girls’ High School teacher and students participating in a Learning
Circles Project. A Learning Circle is created by a team of 8-10 classrooms
joined via the Internet. During an approximately 4 month period, global
projects are established along a common theme with the works published at the
end of the term. Farzanegane Zeynab students had the opportunity to work with
33 classrooms from 16 countries. The projects they proposed were: Special
Celebrations, My Dream World and Understanding Similarities Though Religious
Beliefs. (Projects can be viewed at
http://iearn.saf.ir/dreamworld/circle_files/circle.htm,
http://iearn.saf.ir/dreamworld and
http://iearn.saf.ir/religion).
In order to best utilize lessons participants learned at the meeting, the
Iranian team has planned the following activities for next year:
-Implementing best practices in education and teaching techniques based on
lessons learned at the conference
-Development of collaborative work and cooperation with domestic and
international counterparts
-Initiating new and innovative iEARN projects between students in Iran and
students abroad
SAF-SPONSORED CHILDREN OF BAM ART EXHIBITION ACHIEVES VICTORY IN VIENNA
Over 100 pieces of art created by children from the SAF sponsored Art Relief
Program in the earthquake stricken city of Bam were presented at the 11th
Annual Global Teachers’ Meeting in Kosice, Slovakia. During the well-received
art exhibition, a fund-raising program was also initiated with the help of
iEARN Taiwan’s Doris Wo and iEARN Japan’s Yoko Takagi. Following the meeting,
a team of three SAF representatives presented the artwork at the Children of
Bam Art Exhibition in Vienna, Austria. The exhibition took place at the
Avenida Culture of Peace Galleria, organized by the gallery’s director, Ms.
Joanne Tawfilis. Ms. Tawfilis is the facilitator of the iEARN Art Miles Mural
Project which is also an official component of the UNESCO Decade of the Culture
of Peach and Non Violence Among Children of the World. The opening ceremony
took place on 20 July 2004 in a warm atmosphere with visits by the Iranian
community and other interested individuals. “Kurier”, one of Vienna’s most
prestigious newspapers, covered stories on the exhibition while introducing the
Science and Arts Foundation to the community.
E-CLUB UPDATE
e-Clubs represent a key component of SAF’s e-Learning Platform. Sponsored by
SAF on the SchooloNet portal, the diversity and quality of electronic
communities meant to enhance student education improves day by day. Topics
range from Persian literature to chemistry with the newest addition being an
electronic club focused on astronomy. The following paragraph provides a brief
introduction and update regarding two of the leading e-Clubs.
The Java e-Club aims to promote advanced programming technology in schools
though both its website and weekly workshops. In addition, the program
supports the Zahedan IT Center Java Group. The Zahedan IT Center also houses
an incubator developing Java education intended towards entrepreneurship which
the Java e-Club supports as well. In order to learn more, please visit
here. Another e-Club with positive growth in the past
months has been the Math e-Club. The focus of this educational community is on
popularizing mathematics as a basic science through its website, contests and
workshops. Further information can be found here.
SAF'S VISION OF WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY MAKING PROGRESS IN IRANIAN EDUCATION
In an effort to connect an increasing number of schools to the Internet and
SchoolNet, the Science and Arts Foundation has embarked on a mission to develop
a wireless backbone for selected Iranian schools. Current progress includes
wireless technology for Roshd Girls’ High School as well as plans for the
Shohadaye Karegar Boys’ High School, Motahari Girls’ High School and Fatemeh
Girls’ High School.
PREPARATIONS FOR THE 7TH ANNUAL SCHOOLNET CONFERENCE WELL UNDER WAY
Preparations for the 7th Annual SchoolNet conference have been well underway by
the Science and Arts Foundation administration and SchoolNet affiliates. The
three day conference will take place from 1-3 September 2004 at Isfahan’s
Shahid Mohajer University. Over 100 articles will be presented to participants
at this gathering, with students making up a majority of the presenters.
Middle and High school students, educators, principals and administrators from
across Iran will attend the event in addition to special national and
international guests. International participants include teams traveling from
Germany, Japan and Russia. In addition, 8 workshops have been organized along
with robotic competitions.
May-June 2004
BAM SCHOOLNET WEBSITE LAUNCHED: http://bam.schoolnet.ir
SAF has launched the Bam SchoolNet website, which describes in detail
SAF’s current range of extracurricular school activities in the earthquake
devastated town and includes a picture gallery and a video about SAF’s program.
Following its ICT training course, the first phase of SAF’s psychological
rehabilitation program for children in the earthquake stricken city of Bam has
been established. SAF’s “Paint Shop” was launched on April 22, 2003 in a
prefabricated room adjacent to the SAF computer center. Instructors from SAF’s
SchoolNet project have traveled to Bam from across Iran to serve as volunteer
teachers and to train local staff. Positive results were observed in the
patterns and colors of the students’ drawings within a short time and the
program continues to draw new participants. In addition, on April 26, 2004, a
music therapy program was initiated in the prefabricated room of the paint shop
by a volunteer from Tehran under SAF support. The program utilizes the
beneficial effects of music with Bam children playing musical games,
experimenting with creative movements and creating poems about Bam. Parents
from across the city have brought their children to the center in order to
register them in the program. Finally, the most recent course to commence as
part of SAF’s program in Bam has been a series of English classes taught by
volunteer SchoolNet teachers from Tehran. Students have the opportunity to
learn and practice English by watching English language videos and engaging in
speaking/listening exercises. In addition to teaching a variety of skills, SAF
programs have played a significant role in relieving trauma by motivating and
inspiring the children.
Thus far, an extensive number of international non-governmental organizations
and heads of educational and health ministries have visited the site and
witnessed the remarkable results of these programs. Moreover, they have
expressed significant interest in supporting SAF in future phases of the
project. On May 23, 2004, a tour group visiting from France with Arvel Voyages
visited the site and donated toys, art materials, sports equipment and books
for the paint shop classroom. SAF has also received a grant from Mercy Corps
that will partially finance the psychosocial rehabilitation project through the
end of June 2004.
To view pictures of the program, please visit Bam SchoolNet Website.
A short film showing the children of Bam as they participate in the paint shop
activities and music therapy sessions can be viewed
here
NEW PHASE OF SCHOOLNET e-CLUBS LAUNCHED
As part of an on-going effort to advance the SchoolNet program
SAF has launched a new phase of its e-Learning
platform with the improvement of existing e-Clubs and the establishment of new
ones. Today, the SchoolNet portal boasts of a range of e-Clubs that include:
Robotics, Biotech, SchooLinux, School Java, Entrepreneurship, Music, Persian
Literature, Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry. Each e-Club consists of a web
site with relevant resources, news, forums and links. Program supporters
conduct regular workshops and contests that provide students across Iran the
opportunity to become familiar with these topics through both theoretical and
applied approaches.
The following describes some of the most recent e-Club activities.
Robotics:
Following the design and development of the educational pathfinder robot,
School Robot 1, SAF has begun distributing the unit through the Robotics e-
Club. With access to School Robot 1, high school students will have the
opportunity to learn more about the technology and to challenge their minds in
the field of robotics. Thus far, two 2-day workshops have been conducted by
SAF at Tehran’s Sharif University of Technology on April 24th and 25th and
April 28th and 29th with the participation of over 200 students from more that
25 schools across the nation. During these workshops, students received
instruction on the fundamentals of robotics and electronics with each school
receiving two School Robot 1 kits. The next step of this program requires
students at each school to assemble their robots in order to share their
results in workshops that will take place at a future date.
SchooLinux:
The SchooLinux e-Club aims to popularize the open source platform of the Linux
operating system among high school students across Iran. Thus far, selected
schools have had the opportunity to participate in workshops conducted in
Tehran as well a one-day workshop held in Rasht on April 22nd. The SchooLinux
agenda for summer 2004 includes the establishment of Linux labs in selected
schools and workshops on advanced topics. In addition to SAF sponsorship, the
Iranian High Council of Informatics has provided support for this e-Club
through the Farsi Linux project.
Entrepreneurship:
One of the latest e-Clubs activated on the SchoolNet portal has been the
Entrepreneurship e-Club that aspires to develop both theoretical and practical
approaches to entrepreneurship among high school students. In addition to
establishing a comprehensive website, program supporters have conducted
workshops at Schohadaye Kargar, Fadak and Farzanegan High Schools. Further
workshops will be held in conjunction with on-going competitions and projects.
IEARN/SAF TEACHER RECEIVES PRESTIGOUS STANFORD SCHOLARSHIP
Ms. Mitra Fathollahpour, a teacher at Kherad school in Tehran, a SAF
activist and an iEARN-Iran coordinator, having made a significant contribution
in cultivating positive use of ICTs in Iranian schools in the past few years,
has recently been awarded a prestigious scholarship to participate in the
University of Stanford’s Digital Vision Program here.
The mission of the Digital Vision Program is to develop practical ICT solutions
and encourage innovative applications of communications in the developing
world. Ms. Fatolapour will have the opportunity to join 12-15 other experienced
educators, technologists and social entrepreneurs from around the globe for the
nine month fellowship and to complete an individual project. SAF would like to
congratulate her on this achievement and wish her every success in the
fellowship program.
March-April 2004
CHILDREN OF BAM WELCOME SAF'S ICT TRAINING PROGRAM
On April 12, 2004, SAF launched an ICT training program for the children of
Bam at its computer site in the center of the earthquake devastated town.
The computer site, equipped with a cooling unit, consists of a server, 15
workstations, a printer, scanner, video projector, cameras and furniture in a
36 square meter prefabricated room in the yard of the Enghelab Primary School
in zone four of Bam. In the first week of the project, over 240 primary school
boys and girls and local women were given ICT training. According to Mr. and
Mrs. Ghajargir, two teachers from Hemmat School in Tehran who formed SAF's
first Computer Training team in Bam, the school children, who on the first day
of training were lethargic and somber, gradually became energetic and high
spirited in the course of one training week. The boost in the children's mood
has been reflected in the substantial increase in their concentration and pace
of learning as well as in the pattern of their drawings and the colours they
use with the paint software. SAF's program in Bam has been supported by Dr.
Kamran Saedi, a consultant child and adult psychiatrist based in London, with
extensive experience in Bosnia and Kosovo, who visited Bam for three weeks in
February and March 2004. Mr.Ali Zangiabadi, the head of Bam’s Department of
education, visited SAF’S Computer site on 18th of April and declared that SAF’s
project is the most effective educational program for the reconstruction of Bam.
Please see photos at
here.
The project has been funded by donations received from iEARN children in Japan
and Canada and by SAF UK and SAF USA. In order to replicate the project in
other zones of Bam, SAF is now appealing for donations. The Iranian American
Volunteers Association is organising a cultural event in Washington DC on
Sunday, April 25th, whose benefits will be donated to SAF's Bam project; please
see
here.
SAF CELEBRATES FIVE YEARS OF ACHIEVEMENTS
In March 2004, the Science and Arts Foundation celebrated its 5th year of
activity in the fields of information technology and development. Registered
in Iran, France, Sweden, the United States and the United Kingdom, SAF has
achieved remarkable results in Iran. To learn more about SAF's past and
present programs, please read SAF's 2002-2003 report, available from here, which was prepared for
the UN's World Summit on the Information Society held in Geneva in December
2003.
SIX ICT CENTERS AND SCHOOLNET IN SISTAN AND BALUCHESTAN
The Science and Arts Foundation has provided the necessary hardware, software
and training to establish six ICT Centers in the towns of Khash, Zaboul,
Saravan, Nickshahr, Nousratabad and Iranshahr and set up computer sites and
connected 30 schools in the province of Sistan and Baluchestan to SAF's
SchoolNet program and the world wide web. During the first stage of this
project, a group of SAF ICT specialists traveled to Zahedan, home of SAF's
first ICT Center, in order to initiate computer assembly and training
courses. A team of 25 ICT students from Zahedan University also joined SAF for
advanced courses in hardware and the assembly of 30 computers. In stage two,
SAF provided networking and SchoolNet membership for 30 schools as well as full
support for six ICT Centers. The Zahedan IT Center will maintain the network
at these sites with SAF support. Please see
here.
SAF LAUNCHES COMPUTER SITE FOR DISABLED IN KAHRIZAK
On December 30, 2003, the Science and Arts Foundation inaugurated a fully
equipped computer site for residents of Kahrizak in Shahre-Ray. Kahrizak is
home to 1,600 handicapped and elderly residents, the largest facility of its
kind in Iran. In addition to 10 computers, a server, printer and scanner, SAF
has also provided Internet and Windows training courses on an on-going basis.
These courses have been specifically designed to meet the needs of the
residents. The Kahrizak computer site offers another example of SAF's
commitment to providing ICT equipment and training for the disadvantaged.
Photos available here.
SAF SUPPORTS CULTURAL EXCHANGE BETWEEN CHILDREN IN IRAN AND THE NETHERLANDS
cultural exchange program between children in Iran and the Netherlands was
launched with SAF support at center number 15 of the Institute for Children's
Cultural Development (Kanoon Parvaresh Fekri Koodakan) in Tehran on February
16, 2004. In the opening ceremony, Mr. Morteza Haji, the Minister of
Education, and the Dutch Ambassador took part. Key actors in its development
have been the KIT Museum of Amsterdam, the Science and Arts Foundation-Iran and
the Shell Company in Iran. Throughout the project's 3 years, students in Iran
and Holland will have the opportunity to form friendships by communication via
the Internet as they discover each other's culture and customs. 32 students in
Iran present their culture to friends in Holland by way of activities that
include animation, art, photography and pottery during their weekend holiday.
The activities of students from both countries have been placed on
http://www.kids-at-iran.nl. On the website, students place information
regarding themselves and their families as well as photos and drawings they
have completed as part of the project. A similar website has also been
established in Iran, http://www.kids-at-nl.ir. Thus far, students have
introduced Sinterklaas, the Yalda celebration of Iran and presented drawings
from children in the Netherlands for children in the earthquake stricken city
of Bam in Iran.
Please see photos at here.
SAF CANADA DONATES BOOKS
The Science and Arts Foundation has received over 1,650 contemporary
novels and academic books from Canada. These English language texts
were collected from a number of universities across Canada and were
subsequently distributed to the Universities of Guilan and Kashan.
Please see photos at here.
Febuary 2004
SAF Launches the First Phase of its Educational ICT Center in Bam
SAF has initiated the first phase of its project to set up an
educational center in Bam on the basis of three site visits to the
earthquake devastated city by our team in Iran. Please see
here (PDF document) for a full description of
the project. The initial phase, which is scheduled to become
operational in two weeks, consists of establishing an ICT site with 15
computers and Internet access in two pre-fabricated rooms for the
training of school children and teachers and the launching of Bam
SchoolNet, which will link Bam's children with schools in other parts
of Iran and the whole world. The initial phase will also include a
paint shop for art therapy (see below). SAF is now mobilizing teachers
from SchoolNet to assist in the operation of these
programs.
The next phase will include the establishment of a Discovery Center at
a permanent location, which will provide ICT training on a large scale
and will incorporate SAF's SchoolNet programs, including e-clubs on
robotics and biotech. The Discovery Center will also establish a
rehabilitation e-club for the special needs of the Bam children and
will run special courses on trauma and rehabilitation for
teachers. SAF has been successful in securing a donation of land for
this permanent phase of the project.
The project will be implemented in partnership with the US chapter of
the International Education and Resource Network (iEARN)
, a well-known non-profit organization with over 15 years
of experience in promoting innovation in education.
The success of this project depends upon your generous support. If
you or your organization is interested in sponsoring a component of
this program or providing financial support, you may do so at:
here If you have questions or
need additional information, please do not hesitate to contact us at:
info@science-arts.org.
Report from iEARN Iran
In the aftermath of the devastating Bam earthquake, Iran has witnessed
remarkable international support from various organizations, groups
and individuals. The first organization to contact the Science and
Arts Foundation with offers of assistance was the international
iEARN network.
As a result, iEARN Iran immediately
provided a forum on the
iEARN Iran website where students from different countries could post
messages and pictures for the children of Bam. While teachers and
students from all different countries responded with an exceptionally
large number of heartfelt messages, the following are two remarkable
actions taken by students in Japan and Canada in order to help their
fellow students in Bam.
(i) Japanese students and teachers were among the first to place
messages for the victims of Bam. iEARN Japan members posted a number
of letters with suggestions on how to cope with such a tragedy using
their own experiences from the Great Hanshin Earthquake. Moreover,
students collected over $2,650 through various fundraising methods by
students and teachers. One example includes the collection of unused
postcards from classmates, societies and nearby schools that were then
changed to stamps at the post office. Later, some Japanese companies
supported the work of these children by exchanging these stamps for an
equivalent amount of money that the students have already donated to
SAF Iran for the children of Bam. The money from Japan will be used to
support SAF's paint shop for the therapy of Bam's children through
art. To learn more about iEARN Japan's support of Bam, you can visit
their website at here.
(ii) Students from iEARN Canada also made a special effort to aid the
victims of Bam by sending over $2,100 Canadian dollars for the Bam
relief effort. The Jack Hulland School in Whitehorse, Yukon raised
this money through a penny drive, bake sales and a recycling drive.
Students from K-7 participated in these projects by collecting pennies
(with Grade 6 students collecting and rolling all the pennies), four
bake sales and by collecting recyclable objects at their recycling
center. To view pictures of these students hard at work, please visit
here.
These stories truly represent the vision of iEARN as shared by
iEARN-Iran to bring youth together to make a difference!
December 2003, January 2004
Science and Arts Foundation
Responds to Needs in Bam
Following two site visits to Bam by the team in Iran, SAF has
initiated the first phase of the project <link
for proposal> to set up an educational center
in the earthquake devastated city. The project will be
implemented in partnership with the US chapter of the International
Education and Resource
Network (iEARN) www.iearn.org, a well-known non-profit organization
with over 15 years of experience in promoting innovation in
education.
The first phase will include the establishment of an ICT site for
the training of students and children and a paint shop for art
therapy. This phase, which will be established in a temporary
location using prefabricated rooms, is scheduled to become
operational in the next few weeks. SAF intends to mobilize teachers
from its SchoolNet program to assist in the start
up and operation of these programs.
The next phase will include the establishment of a Discovery Center
which will provide ICT training and will incorporate SAF's
existing SchoolNet programs, including e-clubs on robotics and
biotech. The Discovery Center will also establish e-clubs specific
to the needs of Bam's children, such as
one on rehabilitation. Special courses for teachers will be
offered, including
courses on trauma.
The success of this project depends upon your generous support
both financial and technical. If you or your organization is
interested in sponsoring a component of this program or providing
financial support, you may do so at: <link
to payment information>. If you have questions or need
additional information, please do not hesitate to contact us at:
info@science-arts.org.
Bam IT Center
On December 26, 2003, an earthquake devastated Iran’s city of Bam.
The magnitude of the earthquake necessitates a response pattern that
includes the capacities of the Iranian
government as well as the country's NGO community to work alongside
international organizations. SAF Iran has also decided to
contribute to this enormous task by addressing the short and
medium-term needs of Bam's educational sector. Using a concept
that is known to SAF, i.e. through the establishment of an IT Center
in Bam (http://bam.itcenter.ir),
SAF Iran intends to mobilize local and international funds and
resources to respond to the needs of schools, teachers and
students.The planned approach includes a short-term pattern of
response, mainly tailor-made to the immediate
relief and rehabilitation needs of the educational sector, as well
as a medium to long-term pattern of offering ICT courses and
initiatives to Bam's schools and general population.
Immediate rehabilitation programs will be conducted in collaboration
with expert individuals and/or organizations and will focus on
initiatives and courses that will be supported by IT or technology
content,
such as producing a website on trauma and an educational CD on
rehabilitation programs. Beyond the initial phase, which will
be designed to respond to the city's immediate needs, the Bam IT
Center will provide ICT hardware, software and training to Bam's
schools and educational institutions.
Furthermore, the center will promote SchoolNet (www.schoolnet.ir)
programs among all the city's re-emerging schools. This project will
rely heavily on financial support from domestic and international
sponsors as well as on SAF's collaboration with entities and
individuals that have the expertise in rehabilitation programs for
crisis-stricken communities.
The 6th Annual SchoolNet Conference a Great
Success
The 6th Annual SchoolNet Conference successfully took place at
Tehran’s Shohadaye Karegar High School on December 18, 2003.
Over 470 students, teachers and school
administrators representing all of Iran’s provinces were in
attendance. During this one day seminar, 60 academic articles
by students regarding various projects were presented. These
presentations were chosen
from the over 200 articles from 20 schools representing 15 provinces
that were submitted. The goals of these projects were to both
generate interest in academic research as well as to motivate
students to work in collaboration with each other. The opening
ceremony of this event consisted of speeches by directors of the
Science and Arts Foundation, representatives from the
department of education and specialists in the field of education
and technology. Workshops regarding SAF’s Biotechnology
e-club, iEARN and Robotics e-club highlighted this event. At
these workshops, students and teachers had the opportunity to learn
more about the activities and
opportunities available to them in the fields of biotechnology,
international collaborative projects and robotics. To learn more
about the day’s programs, please visit
www.schoolnet.ir/~shohada/.
SAF Attends WSIS 2003
Three representatives from the Science and Arts Foundation traveled
to Geneva, Switzerland to attend the first phase of the World Summit
on the Information Society held from December 10-12. WSIS is
an initiative of the United Nations and the ITU. During this 3
day event, SAF members met with various representatives of
international organizations, private businesses and non-governmental
organizations and made positive contacts for future collaboration.
In addition, SAF contributed to the World Bank’s exhibition through
displays and conducted a presentation entitled “Bridging the Digital
Gap: A Model” which described the activities of the Science and Arts
Foundation. On the final day of the summit, SAF members
participated in the United Nations School Networks Alliance
Conference where Dr. Tabesh, SAF’s Director in Iran, spoke as part
of a panel on “Educational content and resources for building
cross-cultural understanding and raising awareness of global
issues.”