Fulbrighters from Around the World Visit Neighborhoods of Harlem
Metro International Brings Global Perspectives to NYC Kids and Families

New York, NY, November 1, 2001 - On Saturday, November 3, 2001 Metro International, a Tribeca based not-for-profit organization, will host a guided walking tour of Harlem. Participating in the tour will be 35 Fulbright scholars and other international students from more than 19 countries, including Brazil, Croatia, India, and Mali.

The afternoon tour, one of a series sponsored by Metro International to help visiting international students get out of the classroom and into the NYC community, is designed to promote a greater understanding of and appreciation for New York City's neighborhoods and, most importantly, for the people who live there. The Harlem tour will end at Copeland's where students will mix and mingle over a traditional soul food meal.

"The New York these students are experiencing now is not the New York they expected when they arrived," said Margaret Shiba, Executive Director. "The original purpose of our fall walking tour series, which we planned long before the attack of September 11, was to introduce newly arrived international students to NYC neighborhoods that may otherwise be inaccessible to them. Now we have added the goal of reducing the fear factor and showing these students how NYC is carrying on against the backdrop of its altered landscape."

The New York area annually hosts 50,000 international students, who contribute over $1 billion to the local economy. Many of these students arrived in New York for the fall semester just days before the attack on the World Trade Center. "Metro's mission of connecting international students with New Yorkers has taken on heightened urgency," added Shiba.

Schedule

1:00 pm - Group lunch at Copelands Restaurant (Take Out) 547 West 145th Street (between Amsterdam & Broadway)

About Metro International (www.metrointl.org)
Metro International Program Services of New York, Inc. creates global learning opportunities for students, educators, and the community in New York City and beyond. Metro's array of educational services and outreach programs promote interaction between international students and the residents of New York in settings as diverse as local neighborhoods, school classrooms, business, and cultural institutions. Metro serves as the officially-designated coordinator of enrichment programs for visiting Fulbright students and scholars in the New York area and is a nationally and internationally recognized leader in providing substantive and innovative educational programming.