The Iowa State International Resource Center will forge another international connection with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization when it sends a China cultural kit to the UNESCO’s Paris headquarters this week.

The kit — made up of Chinese artifacts and cultural items — was requested by Colin Power, UNESCO’s assistant director for education. In return, UNESCO will send the IRC samples of materials produced by UNESCO Associated Schools.

“This is a very exciting opportunity for Iowa State,” said Luiza Dreasher, IRC program coordinator. “We are thrilled that the IRC is involved, since our mission to enhance international understanding and promot[ing] cross-cultural education falls right in line with UNESCO’s program on education for peace, human rights and democracy.”

Dialogue between UNESCO and IRC began last April when Dreasher sent a letter to UNESCO’s director, Fredrico Mayor. Mayor was in Ames in November of 1994 for the signing of the UNESCO-ISU Memorandum of Understanding.

“The IRC is quite a unique facility, and we know of no other office like it in the world,” Dreasher said. “Since [ISU] entered a special relationship with UNESCO last year, I wanted Mr. Mayor to be aware of the IRC’s efforts to promote cross-cultural education at the university and in the surrounding community.”

The IRC offers nearly 200 cultural kits containing collections of artifacts and printed information from countries and minority cultures. The kits were developed by the IRC to provide ISU students, faculty and Iowa residents with a hands-on approach to learning about cultures.

“These kits bring the world to you in a box with tools to enhance cross-cultural understanding. It can be used to bring a country right into your hands,” said Femi Emiola, an IRC graduate assistant.

Most kits include clothes, shoes, cultural artifacts, spices and written and audiovisual information. The items are primarily donated by students, faculty and members of the community.

“People can try on the clothes and smell the spices certain cultures cook with to really get a feel for what that country might be like,” Emiola said. Kits are used for class presentation by ISU students and faculty, by international student groups on campus for cultural events they sponsor and as a tool for anyone interested in learning about other cultures.

The IRC checked out 1,354 cultural kits to ISU students, faculty and surrounding school and community groups during the 1994-95 school year, Emiola said. Cultural kits are loaned free of charge to ISU students, faculty or staff members. Off-campus clients can check out kits for a fee and some kits can be mailed to Iowa locations. The IRC’s China kit was recently updated by the IRC staff and Judy Tsai, a Taiwanese graduate student. The kit will be loaned to UNESCO for an indefinite period, and educational material sent by UNESCO will help bolster existing IRC culture kits.

“The situation is a very promising one and we look forward to future interactions with UNESCO,” Dreasher said.