Since 1991, International Classroom (IC) has gained a reputation of excellence in service to schools by offering interactive, cultural presentations to classrooms in the District of Columbia. IC, as well as all of Meridian’s Educational Outreach programs, is offered as a free resource to District of Columbia Public School teachers. International Classroom trains volunteers of the international community (or Cultural Consultants) to give dynamic, interactive presentations about their countries of origin in second through twelfth-grade classrooms.

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With over 100 volunteers from 50 countries, teachers have a wide range of presentation possibilities in order to meet the needs of their curriculum. Cultural Consultants are brought to the school and work with Meridian staff in the classroom. Each presentation is specifically tailored to meet the age of the students, lesson plan of the teacher and needs of the school.

Presentations focus on allowing DC students the opportunity to discover world geography and culture through their five senses, enabling them to experience traveling by seeing pictures, smelling spices, listening to music, tasting food, touching handicrafts and so much more! This enables youngsters to ‘Travel the world without passports or plane tickets.’ Furthermore, this is a unique and fun opportunity for cultural presenters (often international students) to share their culture and give back to the community. This two-way exchange provides an educational and enriching experience for both the American students and cultural presenters.

International Classroom is a cost-effective program that utilizes local resources to broaden the worldview of American children, improving knowledge of world geography and increasing awareness of global citizenship.

In the 2007-2008 school year, International Classroom worked with over 100 volunteers from 50 countries, reaching over 2500 students.

During a Columbia presentation, a student learns to find the country on a map of the world