A Kalispell student and teacher have been chosen from more than 180 applicants to participate in a fully-funded U.S. Department of State program in Cambodia this summer.
Kelly Hendrix and Mary Critchlow, a physical education and health teacher at Glacier High, will join a group from Montana leaving home on June 16 for a program in Cambodia for three weeks. There are only seven programs like this in the country, and this is the first time it has been offered in Montana.
The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center at The University of Montana has been awarded a $175,000 grant by the U.S. Department of State to implement the American Youth Leadership Program in Cambodia, which focuses on environmental issues and climate change.
In Cambodia, the group will study cultural and environmental issues in the capital city of Phnom Penh and its nearby beaches, the forests of the Cardamom Mountains, the villages of Battambang, and the floating villages and ancient temple complex at Siem Reap. They will compare and contrast the many environmental issues affecting both Montana and Cambodia in such areas as water, forestry and ecotourism.