Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get involved?
If your school has been selected as one of the six core participating schools, please contact the lead teacher in your school for th Global Impact Apprentice Application. Once you have completed the application, return it to the lead teacher and it will be reviewed by a selection committee.
If your school is not yet participating inthe GIA Challenge, you can still participate via webcast! Please visit the GIA website on the day of each videoconference and log onto the webcast page with a username of your choice. You can participate virtually through this site by asking questions of the judges and students through an instant messaging feature. In fact, two participants per webcast who ask questions will be selected to receive a prize. Please see below for the technical requirements for webcast participation.
If your school has been selected as one of the six core participating schools, please contact the lead teacher in your school for th Global Impact Apprentice Application. Once you have completed the application, return it to the lead teacher and it will be reviewed by a selection committee.
If your school is not yet participating inthe GIA Challenge, you can still participate via webcast! Please visit the GIA website on the day of each videoconference and log onto the webcast page with a username of your choice. You can participate virtually through this site by asking questions of the judges and students through an instant messaging feature. In fact, two participants per webcast who ask questions will be selected to receive a prize. Please see below for the technical requirements for webcast participation.
How do I become a team member?
Complete a Global Impact Apprentice Application, distributed by the lead teacher of each participating school. The application includes brief essay questions regarding your interest in the environment, cross-cultural dialogue and service-learning. The teacher and GIA selection committee will use th eapplication responses to determine who will be selected to serve on the school's team.
Complete a Global Impact Apprentice Application, distributed by the lead teacher of each participating school. The application includes brief essay questions regarding your interest in the environment, cross-cultural dialogue and service-learning. The teacher and GIA selection committee will use th eapplication responses to determine who will be selected to serve on the school's team.
How does my team join Skype?
How to Download and Use Skype
Skype is a free and simple way to keepin touch with your teammates abroad. The only requirements are that both parties have downloaded Skype, have a working internet connection, an internal or external microphone, and are logged on during the time of the call. Please refer to the instructions below if you are downloading Skype for the first time:
Using Skype
How to Download and Use Skype
Skype is a free and simple way to keepin touch with your teammates abroad. The only requirements are that both parties have downloaded Skype, have a working internet connection, an internal or external microphone, and are logged on during the time of the call. Please refer to the instructions below if you are downloading Skype for the first time:
- Visit http://www.skype.com and clik "Get Skype"
- Click the download button for your computer's operating system (ex. Mac or Windows)
- Once you find your computer's specifications, click "Download Now"
- Create your member profile, which will prompt you to start download
- Click "Save File" when given the choice
- Once the file has downloaded, click the file to open and sign-in usingyour username and password
Using Skype
- Add your friends' and teammates' Skype username to your address book by clicking the "+" sign at the bottom of your calll page. This way, you can see who is online at the same time as you. Someone is signed on if a green check mark appears next to their username
- When using Skype, it is best to pick a prearranged time to "meet" online
- To make a Skype call (which is free computer-to-computer), simply click on the username you wish to call and click the green phone button. This will connect you, just like a normal telephone call, to your desired contact
- To end the call, click the red phone button
Each team is expected to collaboratively create a Facebook page to represent their team and their environmental cause. The elected team co-captains from both schools should decide who will take the lead in creating the basic page, but all team members with access to Facebook are expected to regularly check the page and participate in any relevant discussions that emerge. Your team will use this page to communicate with one another and recruit participants for your service-learning project.
Below is a list of guidelines to aid your team in developing your Facebook page:
• To create a Facebook Cause Page, click “Ads and Pages” on your homepage, then “Pages,” then “Create a Page.” You should create a Community Page, and create a name for your team and environmental cause reflected in the page name.
• Under “Info,” please mention the mission of the GIA Challenge, the names of both schools, and, most importantly, describe your environmental cause.
• Please use the wall to keep in touch, update each other on any news or findings, and to just get to know each other better! Each co-captain and, if on Facebook, each teacher should serve as Page Administrators. In addition, please add the appointed Empower Peace staff, Krisanne Campos, as Page Administrator. *Page Administrators must keep a close watch on all wall postings to ensure they are appropriate.
• Under “Photos,” please post any relevant pictures of your team at work. Great pictures could document your community service project, team Skype meetings, interviews with local environmental experts, or any pictures exposing or further explaining your environmental issue. Be creative!
• You can use the “Discussion” tab to help keep communication flowing between meetings.
• Under “Links,” your team can post articles regarding your environmental issue, links to like-minded organizations, or anything else to further showcase your cause and to educate team members and your community.
• Under “Video,” please post any video documenting your service-learning activity, interviews you might conduct in the community about the environmental issue at hand, and any other interesting video evidence of your environmental problem and your project.
• Both schools within your team can use the “Events” tab to recruit volunteers within your community for your service-learning project. ‘
• Please use your page as creatively as you would like!
Who will go on the cultural exchange?
The cultural exchange component of the challenge will include selected representatives from the winning schools traveling overseas with a teacher chaperone for a set period of time (TBD). Representatives from the American half of the winning team willhave the opportunity to visit their teammates abroad and represenatives from the MENA portion of the team will have the chance to visit their teammates in the United States. They will stay with pre-screened host families from their teammates' school, recieve a cultural tour of their host country and participate in environmentally minded service-learning activities. An Empower Peace staff member will accompany students on all planned activities.
The cultural exchange component of the challenge will include selected representatives from the winning schools traveling overseas with a teacher chaperone for a set period of time (TBD). Representatives from the American half of the winning team willhave the opportunity to visit their teammates abroad and represenatives from the MENA portion of the team will have the chance to visit their teammates in the United States. They will stay with pre-screened host families from their teammates' school, recieve a cultural tour of their host country and participate in environmentally minded service-learning activities. An Empower Peace staff member will accompany students on all planned activities.
What are they technical requirements for participating in a webcast?
To view the webcast for each of the three videoconferences, the following requirements may exceed your current system configuration however, these specifications are recommended in order to provide an optimal experience listening to/and or viewing events powered by ON24.
Supported System Configurations:
Flash Webcasts
If you are using an unsupported version of a Windows, Mac, or Linux operating system, you may experience difficulty in viewing and/or listening to the event.
Media Players
If order to access the event, you must have one of the following streaming media players and versions installed on your computer:
Flash Webcasts
Click on the link above to download the appropriate media player for your event.
Internet Browsers
Flash Webcasts
Click on the links above to download the appropriate Internet browser if you require a newer version.
To determine the version installed on your computer, complete the following steps:
1. Open the browser
2. Click the Help menu
3. Click About
Internet Connection
Before you access the event, you should ensure that your browser is configured to sream media. For Audio events you will need a minimum Internet connection of 28.8 Kbps and above. For Video events you will need a minumum connection of 300 Kbps and above.
Cookies and JavaScript
In order to access the event, your computer must have cookies and JavaScript enabled. If your operating system currently does not have cookies or JavaScript enabled, contact your network administrator or reference the help links on the registration page.
To enable cookies support when using Internet Explorer, complete the following steps:
1. Run Internet Explorer
2. Click on "Tools" on the menu at the top
3. Click on "Internet Options"
4. Click on the "Privacy" tab
5. Click on the "Advanced" button
6. Select "Override automatic cookie handling"
7. Select "Always allow session cookies"
To enable cookies support when using Mozilla Firefox, complete the following steps:
1. Run Firefox
2. Click on "Tools" on the menu at the top
3. Click on "Options"
4. Click on the "Privacy" icon on the left column
5. Select the checkbox "Accept Cookies from Sites"
6. Click "OK"
To enable cookies support when using Safari, complete the following steps:
1. Run Safari
2. From the Safari menu, select Preferences. . .
3. Select the Security icon
4. Check the box marked Enable Java
5. Check the box marked Enable JavaScript
6. Select one of the two options that allow Safari to accept cookies:
7. Only for sites you navigate to
8. Always
9. Close window
Java Virtual Machine
If you are viewing a non-streaming version of an event or webconference, you may need to download the latest Java Virtual Machine. Go to http://www.java.com/getjava to download the latest Java Virtual Machine.
To view the webcast for each of the three videoconferences, the following requirements may exceed your current system configuration however, these specifications are recommended in order to provide an optimal experience listening to/and or viewing events powered by ON24.
Supported System Configurations:
Flash Webcasts
- Windows XP (Internet Explorer or Firefox)
- Windows Vista (Internet Explorer or Firefox)
- Windows 7 (Internet Explorer or Firefox)
- Apple Mac OS 10.5.x (Firefox or Safari)
- Ubuntu Linux (Firefox only)
If you are using an unsupported version of a Windows, Mac, or Linux operating system, you may experience difficulty in viewing and/or listening to the event.
Media Players
If order to access the event, you must have one of the following streaming media players and versions installed on your computer:
Flash Webcasts
Click on the link above to download the appropriate media player for your event.
Internet Browsers
Flash Webcasts
Click on the links above to download the appropriate Internet browser if you require a newer version.
To determine the version installed on your computer, complete the following steps:
1. Open the browser
2. Click the Help menu
3. Click About
Internet Connection
Before you access the event, you should ensure that your browser is configured to sream media. For Audio events you will need a minimum Internet connection of 28.8 Kbps and above. For Video events you will need a minumum connection of 300 Kbps and above.
Cookies and JavaScript
In order to access the event, your computer must have cookies and JavaScript enabled. If your operating system currently does not have cookies or JavaScript enabled, contact your network administrator or reference the help links on the registration page.
To enable cookies support when using Internet Explorer, complete the following steps:
1. Run Internet Explorer
2. Click on "Tools" on the menu at the top
3. Click on "Internet Options"
4. Click on the "Privacy" tab
5. Click on the "Advanced" button
6. Select "Override automatic cookie handling"
7. Select "Always allow session cookies"
To enable cookies support when using Mozilla Firefox, complete the following steps:
1. Run Firefox
2. Click on "Tools" on the menu at the top
3. Click on "Options"
4. Click on the "Privacy" icon on the left column
5. Select the checkbox "Accept Cookies from Sites"
6. Click "OK"
To enable cookies support when using Safari, complete the following steps:
1. Run Safari
2. From the Safari menu, select Preferences. . .
3. Select the Security icon
4. Check the box marked Enable Java
5. Check the box marked Enable JavaScript
6. Select one of the two options that allow Safari to accept cookies:
7. Only for sites you navigate to
8. Always
9. Close window
Java Virtual Machine
If you are viewing a non-streaming version of an event or webconference, you may need to download the latest Java Virtual Machine. Go to http://www.java.com/getjava to download the latest Java Virtual Machine.