Chicago International Charter
Chicago International Charter, USA
In 2010, Chicago International Charter School (CICS), a charter public school network in the United States, became the first SATW school to be adopted outside Europe and the SATW partnership is already proving popular with the participating students. CICS has over 9,000 students enrolled in its fifteen neighbourhood campuses with a curriculum that offers exposure to world cultures, philosophies, and achievements. With ages ranging from 5-17, students come from a broad range of ethnic backgrounds, and often times, from financially challenged households.
There were over 100 applicants for the SATW programme, and CICS helped select a group of 20 from the Northtown Campus. On the launch day in October 2010, C&W volunteers helped excited teams prepare presentations to promote ‘the hidden gems’ of their neighbourhoods. The winners hosted a tour in January 2011 that included an art gallery visit, sampling the cuisine in Chinatown and finished with ice-skating in Millennium Park. A panel discussion and lunch at C&W’s downtown office in May culminated in a tour of the Chicago History Museum. Many of these students rarely leave their own neighbourhoods so exploring all that Chicago has to offer has been an important opportunity prior to venturing outside the US.
