On March 2nd at the Flanders House in New York City, the American Field Service (AFS) Intercultural Program launched The Volunteers: Americans Join World War I, 1914-1919, a free, online curriculum for teaching World War I history in secondary school classrooms worldwide. The new online resource includes images from the Hoover Library & Archives Committee for Relief in Belgium collection. The curriculum helps students analyze the history of World War I through the lens of volunteer service, both before and after the period of American neutrality. It also supports the legacy of volunteerism established during World War I by encouraging students to engage in local, regional, and international service.
At the opening event Margaret Hoover, the great-granddaughter of Library & Archives founder Herbert Hoover, discussed the humanitarian efforts of her great-grandfather using images from the Committee for Relief in Belgium collection. The event also featured a keynote address by distinguished Belgian historian Sophie De Schaepdrijver, associate professor at Pennsylvania State University. Attendees included members of the New York City and U.S. World War I Centennial Commissions, and the National World War I Museum and Memorial.
Images, lesson plans, and further resources for instructors can be found on the AFS website.
