GAME CHANGERS

CREATIVE NEGOTIATION SKILL-BUILDING & INTERNATIONAL VIRTUAL EXCHANGE PROGRAM FOR FUTURE LEADERS

The Game Changers program is supported by the Stevens Initiative, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. Government, and is administered by the Aspen Institute. The Stevens Initiative is also supported by the Bezos Family Foundation and the governments of Morocco and the United Arab Emirates.

ABOUT

The Game Changers in Education program, conducted by PATHWAYS Institute for Negotiation Education, brings together undergraduate students from the United States and pre-service teachers from diverse communities in Israel for interactive joint learning and facilitated online exchange focused on developing and applying creative negotiation skills in their schools and communities. In paired exercises, group dialogues, and team-based project work, participants develop intercultural understanding and global awareness while acquiring practical pedagogical and professional tools based on a principled, problem-solving methodology for negotiation developed at the Harvard Negotiation Project. Through the experiential curriculum, participants build their skills and self-confidence while explore how cooperative, interest-based negotiation can be incorporated into their roles as change-makers and leaders.

JOIN THE PROGRAM AS A PARTNER

The Game Changers in Education program is supported by the Stevens Initiative, an innovative international exchange initiative. The program is offered free of charge to participating U.S. universities and colleges. As the program grows, we are open to welcoming new partners at schools of education in the U.S. Please submit the form below to explore offering this unique program to your students. 

SCHEDULE

Spring 2023

March 13 – April 24, 2023

Fall 2023 – TBA

 

PATHWAYS

PATHWAYS Institute for Negotiation Education is a non-profit organization promoting “negotiation education” for creative, shared and equitable societies through negotiation skills, leadership, and bridge-building programs for students, educators, and civil society leaders. Our mission is to nurture cooperative and shared societies in which people from different backgrounds and communities have the mindset, skills, and tools needed to creatively and constructively negotiate and problem-solve with one another. Our approach is based on methodology developed at the Harvard Negotiation Project. 

More information: www.pathwaysnegotiation.org

PAST PARTICIPANT QUOTES

“I loved all of the activities and negotiation practices. I also really enjoyed the people taking part in it.”

“The program is unique. I liked how it is well-organized and well-studied. The content was presented clearly and precisely.”

“I found the role play activities especially interesting and relevant because I got to actually be able to apply the skills taught.”

“It was super fun overall and I am glad to have met everyone there.”

ARTICLES

PARTICIPATING COLLEGES - MENA

PARTICIPATING COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES - U.S.

The program is run in partnership with the Massachusetts State University Council of Presidents. 

We are open to new U.S. universities and colleges joining us. Please contact us using the form below to start the conversation.  

PARTNERSHIP STEERING COMMITTEE - MENA

Representatives of participating academic colleges in Israel will provide input into program design and oversee their schools’ participation. The program will be offered to students as an elective, for-credit course. Students recruited to take part in the program will come from a variety of Arab and Jewish backgrounds and communities.

Dr. Janina Kahn-Horowitz

Oranim Academic College of Education

Chair of the Department of English Language and Literature

Dr. Wisam Chaleila

Al-Qasemi Academy - Academic college of education

Head of the English Department

Dr. Laura Major

Achva Academic College

Head of English Department

Dr. Manal Yazbak Abu Ahmad

Sakhnin College for Teacher Education

Lecturer and pedagogical supervisor

Haya Khaldy

THE ARAB ACADEMIC COLLEGE FOR EDUCATION

Head of External Relations and Resource Development

Izar Taha

THE ARAB ACADEMIC COLLEGE FOR EDUCATION

Lecturer

Hanny Fuks

Oranim Academic College of Education

Lecturer

PARTNERSHIP STEERING COMMITTEE - U.S.

Dr. Wing-kai To

Bridgewater State University

Assistant Provost for Global Engagement and Senior International Officer

Dr. Emily Spitzman

Bridgewater State University

Assistant Professor of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)

Dr. Nancy Murray

Fitchburg State University

Dean, School of Education

Dr. Karen DeAngelis

Fitchburg State University

Assistant Professor; Undergraduate Program Coordinator in Special Education

PATHWAYS TEAM

The Game Changers in Education program is conducted and facilitated by PATHWAYS Institute for Negotiation Education.

Avi Goldstein

Project Lead & Facilitator

Avi Goldstein is the Founder and Director of PATHWAYS Institute for Negotiation Education, and has designed and led a variety of interactive negotiation education and exchange programs with thousands of students and educators across continents. He started his career in 2002 working with Vantage Partners, a consulting firm in Boston, MA spun out of the Harvard Negotiation Project. Over the past decade, Avi has been working in partnership with educators to establish problem-solving negotiation as a life skill taught as part of formal and informal education, from secondary schools to universities. He is now based in Brussels, Belgium and also lectures at a number of universities and colleges, including including Solvay Brussels School for Economic & Management, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, UCLouvain, Erasmushogeschool Brussel, Haute École Francisco Ferrer, Institut des Hautes Études des Communications Sociales, Odisee, and Haute École Galilée.

Chantay BenShimon

Project Coordinator

Chantay Ben Shimon is a Project Officer at PATHWAYS Institute for Negotiation Education and the Project Coordinator for Game Changers in Education. She is a recent graduate of the International MA Program in Conflict Resolution and Mediation at Tel Aviv University, where she also received certification in International Mediation from the United Nations Institute for Training and Research. Prior to Chantay pursuing her graduate degree, she completed her BA in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and completed a mediation training certificate program that allowed her to volunteer as a mediator at her local Neighborhood Justice Center. For over a decade, through volunteering and organizing, Chantay has passionately supported a variety of civil society organizations in the United States and the Middle East.

Christopher Malapitan

Facilitator

Christopher Malapitan is a creative facilitator and trainer based in Brussels. With many years of experience working in creative industries, he supports communities and teams to create impactful and meaningful work; as well as explore and unlock what drives them. He is passionate about creating experiences to help groups explore unknown opportunities and inspire each other to continuously learn to evolve and adapt to change. He leads Game Changers creative negotiation skills & exchange workshops with Pathways in a variety of schools and teaches how to create engaging presentations using visual storytelling techniques at Institut des Hautes Études des Communications Sociales. From design thinking to collaborative arts-based approaches, he applies a unique blend of innovative processes and practises to his facilitation work and training sessions.

Noa Maren Welling

Producer / Tech Host

Noa Maren Welling is a recent graduate of the BA Interdisciplinary Social Sciences at the University of Amsterdam. During her studies she explored a wide variety of topics ranging from sustainable development to social movements in the MENA region. She is currently based in Amsterdam where she works as Student Services Coordinator for CIEE Amsterdam, a non-profit organization that facilitates academic exchanges for students from the US. She’s passionate about experiential learning and believes in the power that certain experiences hold in transforming us. In her role as tech-host for the Game Changers in Education Program she aims to support the facilitator in running smooth sessions, while simultaneously engaging more critically with the material.

FAQ

The program is being conducted by PATHWAYS Institute for Negotiation Education, a non-profit organization focused on partnering with education systems and institutions to bring learning and practice of creative, problem-solving negotiation into education. The program is being run with support from the Stevens Initiative (see below for more details). 

The Stevens Initiative is an international effort to build global competence and career readiness skills for young people in the United States and the Middle East and North Africa by growing and enhancing the field of virtual exchange. Created in 2015 as a lasting tribute to Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, the Initiative is committed to helping to expand the virtual exchange field through three pillars of work: investing in promising programs, sharing knowledge and resources, and advocating for virtual exchange adoption. The Stevens Initiative has awarded 83 grants and, by summer 2023, will expand its reach to nearly 75,000 young people in 17 MENA countries and the Palestinian Territories, and in 47 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, one tribal community, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Washington, D.C.

The Stevens Initiative is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. Government, and is administered by the Aspen Institute. It is also supported by the Bezos Family Foundation and the governments of Morocco and the United Arab Emirates.

In 2021, The Stevens Initiative announced support for 19 virtual exchange programs that will prepare young people to be leaders in our interconnected world. The 2021 Stevens Initiative Grantees will engage nearly 19,000 young people, middle schoolaged to young professionals, in dynamic and innovative virtual exchange programs designed to promote connection and learning. Depending on the program, participants will learn about the UN Sustainable Development Goals, mental health, codingCOVID-19, and more through dialogue- and project-based activities.  

The Game Changers in Education program is open to enrollment by undergraduate education majors and pre-service teachers studying at partner universities and colleges. Universities must become official partners of the program for their students to be eligible to enroll. 

The program is covered by a grant from the Stevens Initiative. There is no cost to accepted partner institutions or students to participate. 

Through interactive exercises, role plays, and group work, students participating in the program will learn a problem-solving approach to negotiation developed at the Harvard Negotiation Project, which they can apply to their work in education. They will connect with peers from diverse backgrounds and build key professional and intercultural competencies. Students completing the program will receive certificates of completion and will be invited to enroll in the Department of State’s International Exchange Alumni Network and the Localized international professional development platform. Students will also receive invitations to additional learning, exchange, and networking opportunities from PATHWAYS and Empower Peace. 

Partner institutions in the U.S. recruit cohorts of students to participate in the program, create incentives for student participation, and supervise their students’ participation. Each partner school assigns one point person to help coordinate the program and students’ involvement. 

Through the program, partners will be able to provide their students with a unique, interactive, and rewarding virtual learning and international exchange experience – especially valuable during a time when international travel and exchange is limited.

Schools will be publicly recognized as partners of the Stevens Initiative and U.S. Department of State and gain visibility and access to additional exchange and networking opportunities.

Please complete the form below and we will be happy to discuss with you.

We are currently seeking  Massachusetts-based universities and colleges to join the program.

We currently have all spots filled in MENA for the upcoming edition, but to express interest in participating in potential future editions, please contact us.

The program is typically planned to run over 8 sessions (synchronous & asynchronous), with two weekly 75-minute sessions. Timing is set together with partners in order to best fit into appropriate courses and academic calendars. 

The following is an outline of the current curriculum model. Synchronous program sessions include interactive joint exercises and role plays, as well as facilitated intercultural exchanges and discussions between participants from different countries and schools. Asynchronous sessions focus on creative intercultural communication using video to open a two-way window into participants’ schools, communities and perspectives. 

  • Know your Game – We will get to know each other and then, through interactive exercises and a high-stakes role play, explore key choices in negotiation and identify how our assumptions influence our results.
  • Creative Negotiation – We will discover and experiment with the seven elements framework developed at the Harvard Negotiation Project through a variety of targeted exercises and role plays.
  • Preparing to Negotiate – We will practice methodically preparing for a negotiation using the seven elements framework. Students will work in groups to practice team-based preparation and then conduct negotiations in pairs.
  • Engaging with Disagreement & Conflict – What to do when things get tough? How do we say “no” when needed? We will exploring issues around having challenging conversations and build our repertoire.
  • Constructive Communication – We will take a deeper look at applying communication tools for understanding and navigating different points of view and for engaging in principled and productive persuasion, influence, and joint problem-solving.
  • Leadership – What impact can we have with these tools in our schools and communities? We will exchange insights and intentions as change-makers and leaders.
  • Final projects – At certain partner institutions, students write a brief reflection paper and  propose a teaching activity or educational initiative to bring to life values, concepts, and tools of the program in schools, communities, or the wider educational system. 

CONTACT US

Please write us for more information or to express your interest in joining the program as an institutional partner. 

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