NAMASTE!
Welcome to the Himalaya Summit

This project is an attempt to introduce high school students to contemporary issues of the Himalaya region.  The Himalayas are the homeland to peoples of a diverse and complex cultural and historical background.  The United Nations has declared the year 2002 as the “Year of the Mountains” to promote awareness of the ecological, cultural, political, and social concerns of the mountain regions.

The Himalaya Summit is designed to engage students in an analytical thinking process that will expose them to pressing concerns such as:  eco-tourism, refugees, cultural sustainability, revolutionary uprisings, sustainable development, and globalization.  Students will have an opportunity to analyze these issues from multiple perspectives and begin to broaden their world view of global issues of the Himalayas.  This project asks students to assume the identity of an individual from the Himalaya region.  Some students may play the role of a Buddhist monk from Bhutan who is trying to preserve his traditional culture since TV became legal in 1999, while other students may assume the identity of the director of the refugee reception center in Dharamsala, India, where many Tibetan refugees flee daily.  This project will expand students awareness and ability to look at issues of conflict and concern from another point of view.

To begin the Himalaya Summit click on the PROCESS and follow the Six Steps.  Student handouts, reading materials, and resource links are provided on this site. 
All the best with your quest in learning and teaching about the Himalayas. 

TASHI DELE!