AFS has been awarded the 2016 C. Herbert Finch Online Publication Award for The Volunteers: Americans Join World War I, 1914-1919 Curriculum. This award is given out to one project each year by the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference, which includes archives in the U.S. states of New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Delaware, and the U.S. capital of Washington, D.C. Previous recipients of the award include prestigious institutions such as the U.S. Library of Congress, Columbia University, and the U.S. National Archives.
The Volunteers: Americans Join World War I, 1914-1919 is a free curriculum aligned with U.S. Common Core and UNESCO Global Learning standards for secondary school classrooms worldwide. The curriculum helps students analyze the history of World War I through the lens of this volunteer service, both before and after the period of American neutrality. It also aims to continue the legacy of volunteerism established during World War I by encouraging students to engage in local, regional, and international service.
The Volunteers: Americans Join World War I, 1914-1919 Curriculum was created by AFS Intercultural Programs, together with a distinguished Curriculum Development Committee of historians, educators, and archivists. The received an official endorsement from the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission, and was generously supported by the General Representation of the Government of Flanders to the USA. The lesson plans were developed in partnership with the National World War I Museum and Memorial and the curriculum specialists at Primary Source, a non-profit resource center dedicated to advancing global education.
Visit thevolunteers.afs.org to download the curriculum and learn more!