The following is a list of local agencies that can serve as resources in the Western New York area to help support Global Education via their outreach programs, language classes, field trips, and guest speakers. 

The International Institute of Buffalo

The International Institute of Buffalo is a great local resource for promoting Global Education. The International Institute provides a broad range of cultural competency training opportunities to equip medical professionals, educators, students, law enforcement personnel, caseworkers, and many others to work more effectively with people of diverse backgrounds. The Global Education Department frequently teams with the Language Services Department to provide workshops that teach strategies and processes for improving communication and services to clients, customers, employees, students, and others who may not speak English proficiently or may not share your cultural understandings. Whether you need to alter your organizational procedures or train individual staff members, we can devise a program to meet your needs.

The International Institute's Model United Nations General Assembly regularly attracts more than 600 high school students from throughout Western New York and Northeast Pennsylvania. Student delegations choose a country to represent and research the laws, national interests and foreign policy of that country. Delegates then attempt to accurately represent the positions and interests of their adopted countries by writing, debating, amending and voting on resolutions in committee meetings that simulate those of the United Nations.

The Great Decisions Discussion Series is a set of dynamic discussions about global issues, as outlined annually by the Foreign Press Association. Moderators, who come to us from area universities and organizations, present information on their topic and then facilitate discussion between participants. 

As a local affiliate of Global Ties U.S., the International Institute frequently hosts participants in the U.S. State Department's International Visitor Leadership Program and the Open World Program. These international delegations in Western New York aim to:

• share best practices with their counterparts
• understand more about workplace issues in the United States that are relevant to their fields
• teach Americans about their countries and cultures
• learn about life in America
• contribute to mutual understanding between peoples and global cooperation

Professional hosts meet with delegations, usually during the workday to discuss issues of common interest and learn more about each other's workplace environment, successes and challenges. Meetings usually last approximately 60-90 minutes, but can be shorter or longer depending on the needs of the delegate's professional program, interests of the visitors and hosts, and time available.

The International Institute of Buffalo frequently offers opportunities to welcome international visitors into your home for dinner or homestays. Visitors are usually either participants in the U.S. Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program or students at the University at Buffalo's English Language Institute. 

For more information about the International Institute of Buffalo, visit http://www.iibuff.org/

El Buen Amigo

El Buen Amigo is a part of the Latin American Cultural Association which uses arts as a vehicle to inspire cross-cultural understanding, making the rich cultural heritage of the indigenous peoples of Latin America accessible to everyone through community education, cultural programs, and their fair trade store. They are a non-profit organization that invests all profits earned into artist collectives of Central and South America, as well as the local Buffalo community. Their social justice projects include fair trade workshops, End Human Trafficking Campaign, and the History of Human and Environmental Rights Mural Project. 

The Cultural Education Program is designed to encourage tolerance and appreciation of the arts and learning in students, as well as introduce them to Latin American culture and fair trade practices. Discussion topics include Latin American culture and the importance of cultural understanding, social and economic justice, and respecting the rights of all people around the world. Their presentation topics include: Latin American culture, globalization, fair trade vs. free trade, international economic policy, social justice issues, and human rights.Students will get a tour of the store and participate in a jewelry making workshops, a salsa dancing class, and lunch.

For more information about El Buen Amigo, visit https://elbuenamigo.org/

The Alliance Francaise de Buffalo

The Alliance Française de Buffalo (AFB), is a non-profit, non-political cultural and educational organization whose members are a diverse group sharing common interests in French language and others aspects of French culture, from art to architecture, cooking to fashion, books to films. 

The AFB is unique in the Buffalo area; neither an arts organization nor an ethnic group, not a social club or an educational association, but having some attributes of all these. It sponsors plays, lectures, films and concerts in both French and English which are open to the public. By offering the rare opportunity for the Buffalo public to see professional theater in French, it is an enriching component to Western New York's cultural resources. 

Other services to members are French conversational classes at all levels, informal discussion groups, a playgroup for young children and their parents. The organization also encourages the teaching of French in the area schools, and provides recognition to outstanding students.