Month: September 2024

Charlotte, N.C., September 19, 2024 /3BL/ – The Peace Corps and Discovery Education are partnering to launch Global Learners, a free digital program that provides educators with standards-aligned lesson plans to foster students’ understanding of world cultures and global issues. The lessons provide a glimpse into everyday life in over 60 countries, from the perspective of Peace Corps Volunteers working with communities to promote world peace, friendship, and cultural exchange.

Through this program, educators can access activities, video series, and first-hand accounts from Peace Corps Volunteers and community members designed to support students’ development as it relates to intercultural awareness and competence.

“As we approach the United Nations International Day of Peace, this partnership is a reminder of the power of connection, both across borders and across difference,” said Carol Spahn, Director of the Peace Corps. “The program’s content will prepare the next generation with the skills and tools to be global citizens and leaders.”

The Global Learners program expands on the Peace Corps’ unique approach to international development, which is rooted in people-centered, localized impact. Since the agency’s founding in 1961, more than 240,000 Peace Corps Volunteers have worked side-by-side with communities around the world on locally-led projects, building meaningful and lifelong connections.

“Acts of service and supporting communities are a critical part of learning, understanding, and celebrating culture,” said Amy Nakamoto, Executive Vice President of Corporate Partnerships at Discovery Education. “We are proud to be partnering with the Peace Corps to bring no-cost resources fostering greater appreciation of world cultures and service-oriented careers.”

Through the Peace Corps’ Bold Invitation campaign, U.S. citizens from all backgrounds, who embody the spirit of service and cross-cultural understanding, are invited to become volunteers. The next application deadline is October 1, 2024. Interested individuals are encouraged to apply online to contribute to global peace and friendship.

Learn more about the resources from Global Learners at globallearnerspc.com or through the Discovery Education Experience.  

For more information about Discovery Education’s award-winning digital resources and professional learning solutions visit www.discoveryeducation.com, and stay connected with Discovery Education on social media through X, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

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About the Peace Corps 
The Peace Corps is an international service network of volunteers, community members, host country partners and staff who are driven by the agency’s mission of world peace and friendship. At the invitation of governments around the world, Peace Corps Volunteers work alongside community members on locally prioritized projects in the areas of education, health, environment, agriculture, community economic development, and youth development. Through service, members of the Peace Corps network develop transferable skills and hone intercultural competencies that position them to be the next generation of global leaders. Since President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961, more than 240,000 volunteers have served in 144 countries worldwide. For more information, visit peacecorps.gov and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.

About Discovery Education 
Discovery Education is the worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art digital platform supports learning wherever it takes place. Through its award-winning multimedia content, instructional supports, innovative classroom tools, and corporate partnerships, Discovery Education helps educators deliver equitable learning experiences engaging all students and supporting higher academic achievement on a global scale. Discovery Education serves approximately 4.5 million educators and 45 million students worldwide, and its resources are accessed in over 100 countries and territories. Inspired by the global media company Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. Discovery Education partners with districts, states, and trusted organizations to empower teachers with leading edtech solutions that support the success of all learners. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.

Contacts 
Karen Mascariñas 
Acting Director, Peace Corps Office of Communications 
Email: kmascarinas@peacecorps.gov

Grace Maliska 
Discovery Education 
Email: gmaliska@dicoveryed.com

Charlotte, N.C., September 19, 2024 /3BL/ – The Peace Corps and Discovery Education are partnering to launch Global Learners, a free digital program that provides educators with standards-aligned lesson plans to foster students’ understanding of world cultures and global issues. The lessons provide a glimpse into everyday life in over 60 countries, from the perspective of Peace Corps Volunteers working with communities to promote world peace, friendship, and cultural exchange.

Through this program, educators can access activities, video series, and first-hand accounts from Peace Corps Volunteers and community members designed to support students’ development as it relates to intercultural awareness and competence.

“As we approach the United Nations International Day of Peace, this partnership is a reminder of the power of connection, both across borders and across difference,” said Carol Spahn, Director of the Peace Corps. “The program’s content will prepare the next generation with the skills and tools to be global citizens and leaders.”

The Global Learners program expands on the Peace Corps’ unique approach to international development, which is rooted in people-centered, localized impact. Since the agency’s founding in 1961, more than 240,000 Peace Corps Volunteers have worked side-by-side with communities around the world on locally-led projects, building meaningful and lifelong connections.

“Acts of service and supporting communities are a critical part of learning, understanding, and celebrating culture,” said Amy Nakamoto, Executive Vice President of Corporate Partnerships at Discovery Education. “We are proud to be partnering with the Peace Corps to bring no-cost resources fostering greater appreciation of world cultures and service-oriented careers.”

Through the Peace Corps’ Bold Invitation campaign, U.S. citizens from all backgrounds, who embody the spirit of service and cross-cultural understanding, are invited to become volunteers. The next application deadline is October 1, 2024. Interested individuals are encouraged to apply online to contribute to global peace and friendship.

Learn more about the resources from Global Learners at globallearnerspc.com or through the Discovery Education Experience.  

For more information about Discovery Education’s award-winning digital resources and professional learning solutions visit www.discoveryeducation.com, and stay connected with Discovery Education on social media through X, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

###

About the Peace Corps 
The Peace Corps is an international service network of volunteers, community members, host country partners and staff who are driven by the agency’s mission of world peace and friendship. At the invitation of governments around the world, Peace Corps Volunteers work alongside community members on locally prioritized projects in the areas of education, health, environment, agriculture, community economic development, and youth development. Through service, members of the Peace Corps network develop transferable skills and hone intercultural competencies that position them to be the next generation of global leaders. Since President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961, more than 240,000 volunteers have served in 144 countries worldwide. For more information, visit peacecorps.gov and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.

About Discovery Education 
Discovery Education is the worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art digital platform supports learning wherever it takes place. Through its award-winning multimedia content, instructional supports, innovative classroom tools, and corporate partnerships, Discovery Education helps educators deliver equitable learning experiences engaging all students and supporting higher academic achievement on a global scale. Discovery Education serves approximately 4.5 million educators and 45 million students worldwide, and its resources are accessed in over 100 countries and territories. Inspired by the global media company Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. Discovery Education partners with districts, states, and trusted organizations to empower teachers with leading edtech solutions that support the success of all learners. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.

Contacts 
Karen Mascariñas 
Acting Director, Peace Corps Office of Communications 
Email: kmascarinas@peacecorps.gov

Grace Maliska 
Discovery Education 
Email: gmaliska@dicoveryed.com

Originally published on Aflac Newsroom

September is National Childhood Cancer and National Sickle Cell Disease Awareness Month. Sadly, nearly 10,000 children in the U.S. will be diagnosed with cancer this year, and about 1 in every 365 Black or African American babies in the U.S. are born with sickle cell disease — about 1 in 13 are born with the trait. With this in mind, Aflac is on a mission to assist families and provide tips for how you can help bring some relief for those who are impacted.

Here are a few ideas on how you can comfort families when they need it most:

Provide a meal. It can be home-cooked, delivered from a restaurant, or a voucher for a meal delivery service. You can also share store-bought or homemade baked goods.
 Spend time together. Take a walk, see a movie together, offer to be a listening ear or just sit in silence together.
 Send a message of support. Share gentle empathy with a card, note, text, voicemail, email or private social media message.
 Offer to help with tasks. Ask if you can help clean their home, do laundry, water plants, get groceries, care for pets, take their car for a wash, or pick up their mail or newspapers.
 Help with caregiving responsibilities. Offer to babysit or stay with their other children while keeping things as normal as possible. If you have children of your own, set up a playdate.
 Drop off a favorite comfort item. Consider a magazine, book or board game.

“It’s easy to ask, ‘Can I help?’ But for those in the midst of a treatment journey — whether it’s their own or a loved one’s — it can be tough to determine what they need in that moment,” said Buffy Swinehart, senior manager, Aflac Corporate Social Responsibility. “Instead, try offering specific acts of service like, ‘Can I send you some dinner?’ or ‘Can I take care of the kids or pets this evening?’ This way, the other person can simply say yes or no.”

Want more information on how you can lend a hand to those in need? Visit Aflac.com/BridgeToBrighter for inspirational stories about My Special Aflac Duck®, an award-winning, free robotic, comforting companion, that provides comfort and joy and is clinically proven to help reduce stress for kids and for parents. You can even request one for a child age 3 or older with pediatric cancer or sickle cell. You can download tips for providing comfort to families in need (available in English and Spanish), as well as images that you can share on social media to encourage your followers to help inspire action.

Since 1995, Aflac has been committed to help support those who care for children with cancer and blood disorders like sickle cell disease. Over the last three decades, the company has donated more than $184 million to these causes. But the support isn’t just monetary, Aflac also created My Special Aflac Duck in 2018 to provide children with cancer comfort through a robotic companion designed to help them express their emotions and help normalize medical procedures. In 2022, the company adapted My Special Aflac Duck with special accessories to support children with sickle cell disease. To date, Aflac has distributed more than 32,000 of these ducks — free of charge — to children ages 3 and up with cancer or sickle cell.

Join us in building a bridge to a brighter future at Aflac.com/BridgeToBrighter.

This content is for informational purposes only and is not a solicitation for insurance. Aflac includes Aflac and/or Aflac New York and/or Continental American Insurance Company and/or Continental American Life Insurance Company.

Aflac WWHQ | 1932 Wynnton Road | Columbus, GA 31999

Z2400834

Originally published on Aflac Newsroom

September is National Childhood Cancer and National Sickle Cell Disease Awareness Month. Sadly, nearly 10,000 children in the U.S. will be diagnosed with cancer this year, and about 1 in every 365 Black or African American babies in the U.S. are born with sickle cell disease — about 1 in 13 are born with the trait. With this in mind, Aflac is on a mission to assist families and provide tips for how you can help bring some relief for those who are impacted.

Here are a few ideas on how you can comfort families when they need it most:

Provide a meal. It can be home-cooked, delivered from a restaurant, or a voucher for a meal delivery service. You can also share store-bought or homemade baked goods.
 Spend time together. Take a walk, see a movie together, offer to be a listening ear or just sit in silence together.
 Send a message of support. Share gentle empathy with a card, note, text, voicemail, email or private social media message.
 Offer to help with tasks. Ask if you can help clean their home, do laundry, water plants, get groceries, care for pets, take their car for a wash, or pick up their mail or newspapers.
 Help with caregiving responsibilities. Offer to babysit or stay with their other children while keeping things as normal as possible. If you have children of your own, set up a playdate.
 Drop off a favorite comfort item. Consider a magazine, book or board game.

“It’s easy to ask, ‘Can I help?’ But for those in the midst of a treatment journey — whether it’s their own or a loved one’s — it can be tough to determine what they need in that moment,” said Buffy Swinehart, senior manager, Aflac Corporate Social Responsibility. “Instead, try offering specific acts of service like, ‘Can I send you some dinner?’ or ‘Can I take care of the kids or pets this evening?’ This way, the other person can simply say yes or no.”

Want more information on how you can lend a hand to those in need? Visit Aflac.com/BridgeToBrighter for inspirational stories about My Special Aflac Duck®, an award-winning, free robotic, comforting companion, that provides comfort and joy and is clinically proven to help reduce stress for kids and for parents. You can even request one for a child age 3 or older with pediatric cancer or sickle cell. You can download tips for providing comfort to families in need (available in English and Spanish), as well as images that you can share on social media to encourage your followers to help inspire action.

Since 1995, Aflac has been committed to help support those who care for children with cancer and blood disorders like sickle cell disease. Over the last three decades, the company has donated more than $184 million to these causes. But the support isn’t just monetary, Aflac also created My Special Aflac Duck in 2018 to provide children with cancer comfort through a robotic companion designed to help them express their emotions and help normalize medical procedures. In 2022, the company adapted My Special Aflac Duck with special accessories to support children with sickle cell disease. To date, Aflac has distributed more than 32,000 of these ducks — free of charge — to children ages 3 and up with cancer or sickle cell.

Join us in building a bridge to a brighter future at Aflac.com/BridgeToBrighter.

This content is for informational purposes only and is not a solicitation for insurance. Aflac includes Aflac and/or Aflac New York and/or Continental American Insurance Company and/or Continental American Life Insurance Company.

Aflac WWHQ | 1932 Wynnton Road | Columbus, GA 31999

Z2400834