“Sister School” Program to Bring Unity in the Community
CulturePrep launches first Evergreen/Uganda elementary school partnership

Clear Creek Courant
Idaho Springs, CO

CulturePrep Inc., a leading cross-cultural relations firm, based in Idaho Springs, CO, announced today the launch of its Sister School Pilot Program for Evergreen’s Grace Christian School. The program is designed to help prepare young students for global citizenship and expand students’ perceptions of the world through civic and classroom involvement.

CulturePrep has partnered Grace Christian School in Evergreen with Naama Elementary School in Mityana, Uganda East-Africa for the 2005-2006 school year.

“This is an extraordinary opportunity for both schools to get out of their comfort zones and reach out to a different community across continents,” stated Peter Vogel, founder and managing director of CulturePrep Inc. “Having visited both schools often, I saw that students in each country could benefit from learning from the other.”

During the school year, students in each country will write letters, create art projects and prepare a videotape of their school to send to the other. In addition to preparing their culture packet for Naama, Grace Christian students are selling Unity in the Community jar-openers to raise funds for both Grace and Naama needs.

“Fundraising is a great way for people to look beyond their own needs to the needs of others and that is just what our kids at Grace Christian School are doing with the jar-openers,” said Grace Christian School Board President Colette Standen. “Our students are very service-minded and are motivated to sell all of their jar-openers to help someone they have never met.”

After working with schools, businesses and communities from around the world to advance cross-cultural relationships since 1988, CulturePrep has volunteered to serve as the coordinating business and liaison for the one-year pilot program. CulturePrep will oversee the distribution, sales and collections of proceeds of jar-openers and serve as point of contact for the project between Grace and Naama schools. In September, CulturePrep will deliver the funds raised and culture packets from Grace, as well as previously-donated medical supplies, bicycles, books, backpacks and other items to the students of Naama Elementary.

This program is one element of reaching CulturePrep’s goal to make a positive impact regarding cultural boundaries and differences in order to promote diversity-friendly environments,” said Vogel. “Whether it be in education, corporate or community arenas, CulturePrep serves to encourage individuals to preserve and respect cultural differences.”

For more information about the Grace/Uganda Sister School pilot program, call Peter Vogel at 303.567.2424. To learn more about CulturePrep Inc., visit www.cultureprep.com