GEM is now working with a second generation of students.
Founded in 1981, GEM's mission of promoting a global perspective in all aspects of learning has never been more important. Our interdependent global community demands it.
GEM was one of the first educational organizations to focus on developing global education programs for both schools and the local community.
Established as an educational non-profit organization, GEM was born as a 501©3 private non-profit corporation out of a need to help teachers and students deal with their interdependent world, looking at both its promise and its problems. GEM, now operating as a public foundation, was one of the first organizations to "bring the world into the classroom" and drew the interest and support of many people such as:
- television's Fred Rogers whose "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood" liked GEM's approach of "know thyself, know thy neighborhood, know thy world".
- Paul Simon, former US Senator from Illinois who supported GEM efforts to strengthen the use of foreign languages in the schools through various forms of international communication exchanges
- Dr. Robert Muller, former UN Assistant Secretary-General and now Chancellor Emeritus of the University of Peace in Costa Rica who lauded GEM for its efforts to bring the UN into the classroom,
- Dr. Jane Goodall for GEM's human rights, environmental, and endangered animals education, and
- UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan for GEM's various UN educational programs.
GEM was founded by educators and is directed today by educators, servicing schools and communities throughout the United States and abroad.
GEM has always maintained a close association with the United Nations. GEM became an NGO (a non-governmental organization) in association with the UN Department of Public Information in 1986 and received the UN Peace Messenger Award in 1989 for its work on behalf of the UN and world peace.
Recent years have seen the addition of several new affiliations and associations added to GEM's expanding network.
These include: (1) the Association to Unite the Democracies (2) the Euro Atlantic Institute (3) the John C. Ford Program (4) the Multi-Youth cultural eXchange (MYX) (5) Social Responsibility in Business (SRB) (6) the Southern Sudanese Refugee Relief Foundation (7) Sterling Educational Institute (SEI) and (8) We the Peoples 2000.
Since 1989, all of the above has been done out of GEM's main office at Chestnut Hill College where college and university level programming have also been developed.
From the beginning GEM has maintained a close association with the United Nations. GEM became an NGO (a non-governmental organization) in association with the UN Department of Public Information in 1986 and received the UN Peace Messenger Award in 1989 for its work on behalf of the UN and world peace. GEM created UNISER (United Nations Information Services), an on-line UN database that it managed for the UN before the advent of the Internet. GEM has helped various UN Missions and NGOs get a basic introduction to the Internet to learn how to access and efficiently use the various databases of the United Nations.
A key component of the work of GEM is supporting communication among people in various ways such as with data support and technology needs. GEM's services have developed into three divisions: