Global Gateway Project

The Global Gateway program is a collaboration between Civitas, the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, and several other local non-profits.  Its goal is to provide students with opportunities to interact with working journalists who are covering international stories in crisis areas.

The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting was created in 2006 with the purpose of filling a void created by decreased international reporting because of the demise of many daily newspapers in the United States.  The Pulitzer Center identifies international crises that are “under-reported, not reported, or mis-reported.”  Each year it sponsors close to twenty stories in which journalists (usually a print reporter and a videographer) travel to global “hot spots” and provide new information on stories that are often below the surface of mainstream coverage.  The reporting is disseminated through print publications, PBS television, and a comprehensive web site that includes articles, video, photo galleries, blogs, and a host of interactive programs.

The Center is committed to making a special outreach to students, and because of the long tradition of Pulitzer publishing in St. Louis, a Global Gateway program was initiated in April, 2007 that partners schools and students in St. Louis with working journalists.  The outreach in St. Louis is coordinated by Civitas Associates.

Civitas works with teachers to prepare students to learn about the crisis areas and begin blogging with the journalists.  Students ask questions, post comments, and even open debate amongst one another.  Each project culminates with the journalists coming to St. Louis and meeting directly with the students.  It is a rare and unique opportunity for students to learn about contemporary issues and history from observers who have directly covered the news.  It broadens student knowledge, enhances their critical thinking skills, and provides opportunities for follow-up work, often directed at helping people in peril in countries thousands of miles from St. Louis.

Currently thirteen high schools and two middle schools are participating in the program.  Projects for the 2008-2009 school year are "Water Wars in East Africa" (October, 2008), "Class Struggles in Emerging Nations such as India and Brazil" (January, 2009), and Oil Exploration and Drilling in the Amazon Valley (April, 2009).

In 2007-2008, the projects were the plight of refugees from Iraq, the stories of former child soldiers in Liberia, and new efforts to combat HIV / AIDS in the Caribbean.

The first Global Gateway story was in April of 2007: the reclamation of a national park in Mozambique.

Each academic year there will be three more projects.