CAIRO: It’s safe to say Soliya s Connect Program is could eventually lead to true better interaction between the Arab World and the USA, which could lead to a change in policies and perceptions in matters of conflict between the two regions.
The cross-cultural education program, provides an opportunity to students in the United States and the Middle East to communicate online by using videoconferencing technology to debate the latest developments on the political front.
There are two types of benefits offered by this program, said Ahmed Zahran, an ex-facilitator who used to help monitor discussions and assist participants, and is currently working with the program to help recruit more facilitators. He was in Cairo to train two potential facilitators.
One benefit is personal, whereby participants get the chance to meet people from different cultures and backgrounds without having to leave their homes, says Zahran.
And for facilitators, they learn how to manage students and control discussions so that they do not erupt into arguments, Zahran added.
The other type of benefit, as Zahran indicated, is the output of those discussions which are compiled into a report that is eventually sent to decision and policy makers for consideration.
The program provides insight into how the Arab world sees the US and its opinions on America’s policies and strategies.
The program has only been running for ten years and hence no real change can be felt in such a short time span. However, Zahran believes that in the long run Soliya s cross cultural dialogue will definitely lead to something.
The program engages around eight people in various online groups. Each group consists of four university students from the US and four university students from the Middle East. These groups meet with two trained facilitators once a week for two hours throughout the course of the semester via Soliya s online technology, according to Soliya s official website.
Each group of students has its own webpage with online resources that include news, articles, websites, and lectures from experts as well as a space where students can send messages and communicate.
Soliya has established agreements with primary partners including universities that have added the program to their academic curriculum to be offered as a course. This is true at the American University of Beirut, Tufts University and Virginia Commonwealth University. Al-Akhawayn University in Morocco, the American University in Cairo as well as other esteemed facilities all over the world.
For more information you can contact Solyia at [email protected] and if interested in applying for the program you can email them on [email protected].
