Cindy Garruba, Suffolk County Community Counselor for Au Pair in America, awards Yujue a Global Awareness Certificate!
Tag Archives: Global Awareness
Celebrating Martin Luther King Day and the Inauguration of President Obama
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
– Martin Luther King, I Have a Dream Quote
Photo credit: Spin Cycle
Martin Luther King Day is a federal holiday held on the third Monday of January. It celebrates the life and achievements of Martin Luther King Jr., an influential American civil rights leader. He was a leader in the movement to end racial segregation in the United States. His most famous address was the “I Have A Dream” speech. He was an advocate of non-violent protest and became the youngest man to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He was assassinated in 1968. Shortly after he died, a campaign was started for his birthday to become a holiday to honor him. Following support from the musician Stevie Wonder with his single “Happy Birthday” and a petition with six million signatures, the bill became law in 1983. Martin Luther King Day was first observed in 1986, although it was not observed in all states until the year 2000.
Martin Luther King Day is seen as a day to promote equal rights for all Americans, regardless of their background. Some educational establishments mark the day by teaching their pupils or students about the work of Martin Luther King and the struggle against racial segregation and racism. In recent years, federal legislation has encouraged Americans to give some of their time on this day as volunteers in citizen action groups.
Today we celebrate the inauguration of President Obama, the first African American President of the USA, for his second term as President. This is the 57th inauguration of for President of the USA and President Obama is the 44th President. Martin Luther King Jr. paved the way for President Obama and for all Americans.
Here are some fun activities to do with children on this holiday:
Happy Boxing Day!
What exactly is Boxing Day?
Boxing Day is celebrated on December 26th. Boxing Day, also known as the Feast of St. Stephen (after the first Christian martyr), originated in England in the middle of the nineteenth century under Queen Victoria. It originated as a holiday for members of the merchant class to give boxes containing food and fruit, clothing, and/or money to trades people and servants. The gifts were an expression of gratitude similar to the bonuses many employers offer their employees today. These gifts, usually given in boxes, gave the holiday its name, “Boxing Day.”
Today, Boxing Day is a holiday in the United Kingdom, Canada, and many other Commonwealth nations. It is a time for family and friends to gather with lots of food and fun. Outdoor sports such as soccer, horse racing and hunting are popular on this holiday. Retailers offer huge savings on many items on this day, making it the biggest shopping day of the year in Canada.
Peace and Acts of Kindness
On this day of mourning for the victims of the Sandy Hook, we look for ways to honor the memory of those lost. At Au Pair in America, we promote global awareness and understanding. We must begin as the most local level, within ourselves. This video of children around the world singing “Let There be Peace on Earth” says it all:
Newtown’s heartbreak has a lot of us asking, “What can I do?” Thinking about this, Ann Curry took to social media and asked people to imagine what would happen if all of us committed to 26 acts of kindness to honor each life lost in Newtown. http://www.facebook.com/26acts
Host Families & Au Pairs Holiday Preparations!
1. Schools breaks during holidays; talk about how the work schedule will change during the holiday season.
2. Talk to your au pair about how you celebrate the holidays, ask her about how she celebrates, add au pair’s traditions into your holiday activities!
3. Talk to your au pair which activities you really want her to participate in if possible.
4. Discuss what time off she would like during the holiday season so you can put it on the schedule. New Year’s Eve is usually very important to au pairs, if possible give her off – it may be her only one ever in the USA!
5. Gifts for your au pair are normally given by families; she will give some to you too, though I encourage crafts, books or games for her to give the kids.
6. Au Pairs will probably be a bit homesick this time of year, so be sensitive to her feelings. Host families and au pairs will be stressed during the holiday season, be sensitive to each others’ feelings.
7. Try to keep the kids on as much of a regular schedule as possible. Kids will get over tired and cranky if there are too many activities in one day or several days in a row. Try to help limit the activities to a few a day or week.
8. Give kids downtime with quiet activities au pair can supervise, like reading a holiday story or watching a holiday DVD.
9. Make sure the kids get plenty of sleep.
10. Encourage your au pairs to participate in the kid’s school holiday activities; class party, concert, etc.
11. Encourage your au pair to do a Global Awareness presentation about holidays in their country in your kid’s classroom. Introduce the au pair to the teacher.
12. Enjoy the holidays and participate in Cluster Activities!
Au Pairs Volunteer at Charity Event
This past Saturday, some au pairs from the Suffolk County Cluster of Au Pair in America volunteered at the Clubhouse of Suffolk Fundraiser. The Clubhouse helps people struggling with mental illness, many of them returning veterans with PTSD. The Au Pairs ran the children’s activities at the Clubhouse Chili Cook Off fundraiser.
The au pairs organized childrens games, crafts, and face painting. They applied Halloween and Global Awareness Tattoos to the children’s faces and hands. They ran a sack race, helped the kids with 2 pinatas and then led the kids in a Halloween Costume Parade. The best costume won a family 4 pack to Harbes Farm Fall Family Fun.
A lucky family won a gift basket filled with Halloween party supplies and a gift certificate worth $1200 off a year’s program fees for Au Pair in America!!!
The weather was perfect, the chili was hot and spicy, the kids had a blast. One of the au pairs, Natty from Thailand, came dressed as a pirate. Her Community Counselor, Cindy Garruba, awarded her a gift card to Bath & Body Works! Fun was had by all who attended, especially the au pairs who volunteered! They loved the music by the band, too!
Time for Au Pairs to Register for Classes
School Registration is NOW!
- Global Awareness Presentation by Bruna part of the UCLA Advantage Class course requirement.
August is lots of fun and it is easy to forget that September is quickly approaching. On the right hand column of this blog there are links to all the education opportunities for au pairs in Suffolk County. Make sure you register for your classes NOW!
Educare Au Pairs must take 12 credits or 160 hours of education at the college level for their year in America. All other Au Pairs must take 6 credits or 80 hours of education at the college level for each year in America. If you have questions, please email or call me!
Host families should assist their Au Pairs to make sure the classes fit into the schedule and works best for childcare and for your Au Pairs!
School is something that adds to the cultural exchange experience for the Au Pair and is a requirement of the Department of State for the program.
Today, June 14th is Flag Day
Today, June 14 is Flag Day, a day Americans honor their flag and celebrate their patriotism. 
The picture was taken by Kate Stroemel, au pair from Germany, at the June Summer & Water Safety Meeting held at the summer home of Cindy Garruba, Suffolk County Senior Community Counselor for Au Pair in America.
In honor of Flag Day, Global Awareness sponsored a Flag Day Contest in which au pairs were asked to submit their creative interpretations of their flags. The photos and descriptions are posted on the GA website www.globalawareness.com. Please take a peek-you’ll see cultural exchange in action.
To find out more about the history of Flag Day and what it means go to http://www.usflag.org/flag.day.html
Congratulations ESL Graduates!
Tonight is ESL Graduation at Suffolk Community College!
To all the Au Pair in America Au Pairs graduating tonight, CONGRATULATIONS! 
Global Awareness Peace Contest Results Announced!!
International Day of Peace was celebrated by countries around the world on Sept 21. In recognition of this day and 9/11, Global Awareness, a program of Au Pair in America sponsored a peace contest. Au Pairs answered the question, ‘What does Peace mean to you?’ Paint a picture, take a photo, write a poem, or sing a song. Entries were received from young women participating in the Au Pair program and were judged for creativity and message.
![306955_10150367909088792_684258791_9986715_489977307_n[1]](https://blogs.aupairinamerica.com/lie/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2011/10/306955_10150367909088792_684258791_9986715_489977307_n1.jpg)
Tatiana Dulcey from Colombia, an Au Pair for a family in East Hampton, took 3rd place in the Global Awareness for her painting “No Borders, No War.” 
You can see all the painting and poetry entries at