Teachers will travel to Turkey from July 10 to July 24 and create educational programs for their classrooms and the community upon their return.

Four teachers from across New Hampshire will depart for Turkey next month as part of the Teacher Study Tours program organized and sponsored by the Turkish Cultural Foundation, in cooperation with the World Affairs Council of America and the World Affairs Council of New Hampshire, based in Manchester. The local teachers, chosen by the World Affairs Council of NH based on their interest in and dedication to global education and understanding, are part of a group of dozens of middle school and high school teachers who will visit Turkey this summer from across the United State. The teachers selected to represent the Granite State in Turkey are:

    Holly Gladsden, a resident of Milford and teacher at Wilton Lyndeborough Coop in Wilton;
    Jeremy Hall, a resident of Manchester and teacher at Bishop Brady High School in Concord;
    Kelly Nelson, a resident of Littleton and teacher at Lin-Wood Public School in Lincoln;
    Peter Schmidt, a resident of Manchester and teacher at Pinkerton Academy in Derry.

Trip participants attended a professional development workshop offered by the World Affairs Council of NH before being selected to participate in the trip. Upon their return from the 14-day tour, the teachers will work with the Council to develop cultural and educational programs that introduce Turkey to their local communities and classrooms.

Since the program’s inception, TCF has introduced 291 American educators to the history, culture and landmarks of Turkey. As part of the same collaborative program, nearly 2,500 teachers across the United States have attended educational workshops on Turkey held by local World Affairs Councils. The Turkish Cultural Foundation was founded by Nashua residents Yalcin and Serpil Ayasli. The World Affairs Council of New Hampshire has sent six other teachers to Turkey since the partnership began in 2010.

The World Affairs Council of New Hampshire is the state’s only non-profit, non-partisan organization fostering learning, discussion and citizen involvement in world affairs by providing programs for the public, hosting international visitors and enriching global education in our schools. The Council is an independent educational organization located on the campus of Southern New Hampshire University, its mission partner. Find out more at www.wacnh.org.

For more information about the Turkish Cultural Foundation, with offices in Boston, Detroit, Istanbul, Sonoma, and Washington, DC, visit www.turkishculturalfoundation.org.