The Global Experience

In 2005 a group of students and teachers from the Schillergymnasium in Münster founded the association Solar Net International e.V with the aim to support the intercultural dialogue of young people around the globe. In 2006, the organization was awarded the "North-South Prize" by the city of Münster.[http://www.presse-service.de/data.cfm/static/635911.html Presse-service.de] In 2011, counting by then almost 8000 members in more than 160 nations, the organization changed its name to The Global Experience in order to set a stronger focus on the organizations main goal, which is enhancing intercultural learning experiences across the globe.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXTwt2wAC9A Official The Global Experience YouTube channel][http://www.eine-welt-netz-nrw.de/seiten/1299/ Eine Welt Netz NRW]

In 2006 the group opened an online forum that allows members to post reports about their daily lives to share with others.[https://archive.today/20120802131005/http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,4158975,00.html%7C Deutsche Welle World] Through publishing language learning videos on YouTube the online community has been growing constantly. In 2011 the website was awarded with the World Summit Youth Award that promotes best practice in e-content putting the UN Millennium Development Goals into action.[http://www.wsis-award.org/sites/default/files/PR_WSYA%202011%20_Nigeria_Into%20the%20spotlight%20with%20Hip%20Hop%20and%20R'n'B.pdf WSYA Press Release 2011] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160125100325/http://www.wsis-award.org/sites/default/files/PR_WSYA%202011%20_Nigeria_Into%20the%20spotlight%20with%20Hip%20Hop%20and%20R'n'B.pdf |date=2016-01-25 }}

The Global Experience initiates and supports projects in the field of Education for Sustainable Development

and intercultural learning. Above that the different national groups also run own projects to improve the

access to education in their local communities.

Besides the German group, members in other countries have been forming their own associations and

projects under the name of The Global Experience, amongst others in Poland, Vietnam, Belgium, Colombia

and Zimbabwe.

Since 2007 the organization annually holds international youth conferences that invite young members from

across the world for a two weeks program to Germany in order to develop and initiate common projects.[http://www.unesco.org/archives/multimedia/index.php?s=films_details&id_page=33&id_film=501 UNESCO Multimedia Web & Services]

In summer 2011 The Global Experience launched a new project called "International Reporters". On their

website www.internationalreporters.org an international editorial team with students from 20 countries report

about issues of cultural awareness, sustainable development and social change. The project was recognized

in November 2011 as a good practice project for Education for Sustainable Development in Germany.[http://www.weltweitwissen2011.de/?id=125 WeltWeitWissen 2011]

Since its founding, this group has received recognition from several entities:

• The North-South Prize of the city of Münster 2006
• UNICEF Junior Ambassador[http://www.younicef.de/solarnet.html Younicef.de] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719114826/http://www.younicef.de/solarnet.html |date=2011-07-19 }} 2007
• The Dieter Baacke Preis (Prize) 2008
• Official Project of the UN Decade Education for Sustainable Development in Germany 2009/2010 and 2010/2011[http://www.bne-portal.de/coremedia/generator/unesco/de/02__UN-Dekade_20BNE/02__UN__Dekade__Deutschland/02__Dekade-Projekte/Dekade-Projekt_20der_20Woche/1975__the_20global_20Experience.html bne-portal.de] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120126001035/http://www.bne-portal.de/coremedia/generator/unesco/de/02__UN-Dekade_20BNE/02__UN__Dekade__Deutschland/02__Dekade-Projekte/Dekade-Projekt_20der_20Woche/1975__the_20global_20Experience.html |date=2012-01-26 }}
• Winner of the World Summit Youth Award 2011 in the category "Create your Culture"[http://www.youthaward.org/taxonomy/term/48/33 WSYA Winner Projects 2011] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111112021643/http://www.youthaward.org/taxonomy/term/48/33 |date=2011-11-12 }}

• [http://www.theglobalexperience.org The Global Experience]
• [http://www.internationalreporters.org International Reporters] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190421012922/http://www.internationalreporters.org/ |date=2019-04-21 }}

Category:International environmental organizations

Category:Münster