Dace Zoltners
I came to IHE because I was looking for an advanced degree that would bring meaning to my life. I knew about other programs that offered an MBA in business, but that wasn’t what I wanted my life to focus on. I was looking for answers to the questions many of us have been asking: I am one person, what can I do? What are small steps anyone can take and make a difference? Why is there so much poverty in the richest nation in the world? How can we educate our children to be problem solvers and not add to the world’s problems? Being ethnic Latvian, I knew that I wanted to give back to my mom and dad’s home country, but wasn’t sure what that would look like. After completing the readings for Introduction to Humane Education, a vision started to form. Then on April 26, 2007, the opportunity appeared in my e-mail inbox. The “Green Alternatives Society” in Latvia was taking applications for volunteers to teach English to children through Humane Education activities. It was a way to be able to use what I am learning now and give to the country my parents left as children.
I am so very fortunate to be able to turn to the Latvian community for some support on this journey. I particularly wish to thank and acknowledge the Latvian Welfare Association of Minnesota for sponsoring a portion of my trip. During my formative years, this organization has assisted Latvians in exile with maintaining their cultural heritage. Now that Latvia stands free with the other nations of the world, they understand the need to bring back to Latvia reverence, respect and responsibility to the land many of them left over 50 years ago.
(Note: Dace wrote this bio in preparation for volunteering for the Green Alternatives program in Latvia, in order to teach English to children through Humane Education.)
Watch and share IHE President, Zoe Weil's TEDx talk -- an inspiring vision of how to create a just, compassionate, healthy world for all through solutionary education.
April 28, 2012 - 8:30 am to April 28, 2012 - 5:00 pm | Location: Nightingale-Bamford School
How can we best prepare our students for the important roles they must play in meeting the challenges of today's world? How can we help youth to become creative and critical thinkers who embody the qualities of wisdom, compassion, and integrity and who focus their grea...
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