IDEA and Willamette University's Advocacy Institute to Prepare Future Environmental Advocates

    SALEM, OR, April 03, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Applications are now being accepted for the first-annual Advocacy Institute in China. Hosted by the International Debate Education Association and Willamette University, the institute is a two-and-a-half-week program designed to equip university students with the necessary tools to advocate for cultural and environmental sustainability. It will take place June 7-23, 2010 at Xiamen University in Xiamen, Fujian, China.

Curriculum for the institute includes service learning projects, cultural excursions and courses that focus on sustainability, tangible and intangible cultural heritage, argumentation and debate, and new media. Courses will be taught by professors from Willamette University, as well as other instructors from the People's Republic of China and the United States.

The Advocacy Institute will carry one course credit from Willamette University and upon graduation from the institute, each participant will receive a certificate of completion. All participants are required to read, write, and speak fluently in English. Applications are now being accepted, and financial aid is available for those who qualify. For more information, visit the Advocacy Institute website.

The International Debate Education Association inspires young people to claim a role in the democratic process. Through debate, young people develop the tools of civic involvement: leadership, advocacy and a command of complex and controversial issues. IDEA targets countries with histories of genocide, war or oppression. IDEA works in the former Yugoslavia, Uganda, China and more than 50 other countries around the world.

Willamette University is a top-ranked private liberal arts university located directly across the street from Oregon's Capitol. Home to 1,800 undergraduates and 760 graduate students in law, management and education, Willamette University's campus, centered on the Mill Race and festooned with ancient trees and ample green spaces, strongly reflects the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest. The Willamette University motto, "Not unto ourselves alone are we born," captures the essence of this distinguished university.

Website: http://www.idebate.org

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