In ancient folklore going back to the original reports of Marco Polo in his travels across Asia to the Middle Kingdom of Kublai Khan, those who crossed the great Gobi Desert often found themselves spellbound by the "singing sands," whose strange melodies led many a wayfarer to experience the ecstasy of a place so mysterious and distant from the rest of the known world, that many who heard these stories did not believe that such fantastic places even existed. Come with us today, and you will see a China that is rarely seen by westerners, and even more rarely appreciated for its place in the past and future of China today. The Silk Road and northwest China, with its mix of cultures and peoples, will come alive as never before through the educational programs and cultural exchanges offered by New School Student Ambassadors, Inc.



Denis Belliveau and Francis O’Donnell took a wild idea – retrace Marco Polo’s entire 25,000-mile, land-and-sea route from Venice to China and back – and spent two incredible years of their lives making their dream a reality. They documented their incredible journey, just as many of our Student Ambassadors have documented their own experiences in China and in participatory learning projects. Watch the full program by clicking on the picture below. It is a wonderfully filmed adventure and shows what courageous and committed people can do to learn, spread goodwill, and take on super-human challenges.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks about 21st century statecraft. Go to http://www.state.gov/video for text transcript and more video.

We're preparing our next series of international Service Camp Experiences for educational and cultural exchanges. Keep your eyes on this space and check back periodically. Over the course of 2009-2010, we're planning some very exciting Service & Camp Experiences for US and Chinese students.

New School Student Ambassadors, Inc. is proud to offer the following line-up of Service & Summer Camp Experiences!

* MOJO - An all encompassing term for Travel, Multi/Media Work, Mobile Journalism & Community Service

WATCH OUR VIDEO!

Why is northwest China important and why do our programs focus on this area? Watch and listen as Steve Wilmarth narrates pictures and stories that answer the question.

WATCH A SAMPLE DOCUMENTARY VIDEO CLIP!

Want to know what qualifies as a good documentary video, worthy of submitting to a contest like the 9th Media that Matters Film Festival? Check out this edited clip from YouTube that demonstrates how short documentary videos can help bridge cultural understandings and build greater global awareness on many levels.


Here's a short video of a Chinese rock group called 21Grams. While there's no "story" or narrative to this video other than their music, there is an expression of culture. See if you can find anything in this video clip that helps you to understand Chinese youth at the dawn of the 21st century.