Learning Life Holds First Live Middle East Dialogue

Samya: “I like that they [USA] have freedom of speech, and also,  I don’t like that in some states they have police brutality.”

Basma: “You have to come to Jordan first, and then decide about police brutality.”

(Laughter all around.)

This brief, softly-spoken interchange occurred between Samya, a 14-year old American girl, and Basma, a 12-year old Jordanian girl, who on Saturday participated in Learning Life’s first Middle East “virtual exchange” or live internet dialogue between families in Washington D.C. and Amman, Jordan.

Not all of this first Middle East dialogue broached political topics.  Indeed, much of this introductory dialogue – between three family participants in Amman, and six in Washington, plus observers and staff – focused on learning each other’s names, hobbies, and aspirations.  Basma, for instance, learned that 11-year old James also likes to draw, and asked him what he likes to drawn, so James drew a neighborhood road to show her.

Kaliah and Kristin, 7 and 8 respectively, spent much of their time during the dialogue drawing, and Kaliah also presented her drawing for the Jordanian family to see.

Basma and Samya also learned that they both want to become doctors, though of different kinds: Basma, a pediatrician because she loves children, Samya, a plastic surgeon because she wants to help people with deformities.

But the conversation did occasionally turn toward social and political issues as the families answered the questions we posed, particularly “what do you like about your own country?” and “what would you like to learn about the other family’s country?”  On the Jordanian side, Fawwaz, Basma’s uncle, and on the American side, Janelle, Kristin and Bianca’s mother, expressed their respective views on how children are and should be raised.  As one might imagine, there were differences.

Fawwaz noted that while American children are expected to strike out on their own upon finishing their schooling, Jordanian children are expected to live with their parents until they marry, and the expectation is often stronger for daughters than sons.  This is sometimes borne of economic necessity, as Fawwaz noted, but it is also expressed as a social custom intended to protect still young and vulnerable children.  Janelle, in contrast, expressed her interest in instilling independence in her daughters, to find gainful employment so that they “do not have to settle” for a partner who fails them or mistreats them.

This first Middle East dialogue was part of Learning Life’s Citizen Diplomacy Initiative (CDI), which engages lower-income American families in live, internet dialogues and project collaborations with similar families in other nations.  Learning Life launched CDI in August 2016 with a series of introductory dialogues between families in Washington D.C., Porto de la Libertad, El Salvador, and Dakar, Senegal.

This year, we are working to carry out the first project collaborations between families in D.C., Dakar, and communities to be determined in El Salvador, Jordan and/or Palestine.  Through CDI dialogues and project collaborations, Learning Life aims to nurture more informed, skilled, connected and caring global citizens in the long-term.

Stay tuned for more international dialogue news!

Thanks to Omar Batterjee and Sarah Bel Hadj Nasr for assisting with language interpreting and photo/video recording, respectively, during the dialogue.  Thanks also to John Mathena for connecting us to, and helping Learning Life to win a State Department grant to bring our Middle East dialogues to life.      

Seeking Foreign Partners to Co-Organize Live, International Dialogues

About Learning Life & Its Citizen Diplomacy Initiative

Based in Washington DC in the USA, Learning Life is an educational nonprofit that seeks to spread learning in everyday life beyond school walls.  Learning Life’s Citizen Diplomacy Initiative (CDI) engages lower-income American families in live internet dialogues and project collaborations with similar families in other nations free of charge.  Through these dialogues and project collaborations, Learning Life aims to nurture more informed, skilled, connected and caring global citizens in the long-term.         

How CDI Works

CDI puts eligible American families, starting in Washington, D.C.’s Wards 7 and 8, in live video dialogue with families in other nations.  The dialogues occur about twice times per month, usually on Saturdays or Sundays, and last about two hours.  The dialogues take place in the families’ homes, or in a quiet place nearby (e.g., library, office, community center) if more than one family is participating in the same locality.

The families first engage in a “get to know you” dialogue in which they introduce themselves and are free to ask respectful questions to learn more about each other.  After this introductory dialogue, the families have the opportunity to collaborate on varied projects (e.g., a photo album offering their international perspectives on community change) intended to develop their knowledge and civic skills (e.g., photography, video, research, writing, public presentation, event organizing) as they work together locally and internationally.  

Learning Life volunteer dialogue moderators, language interpreters and project consultants support the families in their dialogues and projects.   Families that stick with the dialogues and projects over months and years gradually build a portfolio of project experiences and products (e.g., photo albums, videos, articles, reports, art, events) that document their developing local and international interests, knowledge, skills, and social connections.     

Parents or families are not paid to participate; they must be interested in participating for the benefit of their children.  Benefits include the ability to practice English, learn more about American society, make valuable social connections, and work on skills-building and resume-enhancing projects that can open doors to better schools and jobs.      

Seeking Partners & Families

Learning Life is looking for interested (a) community organizations outside the USA willing to co-organize live dialogues between American families in the USA and families in their own community, and (b) families abroad willing to participate in the live dialogues.    

Families must have:

(a) At least one parent/legal guardian or mentor, and one or more children ages 10-18 willing to participate.

(b) A total household income of less than their country’s median annual household income.

(c) Parents with less than 4 years of university leading to a degree

(d) Taken no more than two vacation flights outside their country as a family.

(e) Have few or no contacts (family or friends) outside their country with whom the family communicates.

For more information, contact Learning Life’s Director, Paul Lachelier, via email at paul@learninglife.info. Please include a telephone number and/or Skype address at which you can be reached, and best times to call.

Anacostia International Inaugural Meal Features Senegalese Feast

Last weekend, Learning Life volunteers and D.C. families converged on a unique restaurant in metropolitan Washington D.C. for an extraordinary Senegalese feast.

The lunch last Saturday, generously sponsored by CoFunder, inaugurated an international meal series that is part of Learning Life’s Citizen Diplomacy Initiative (CDI).  CDI engages lower-income families in D.C. Wards 7 and 8 in live internet dialogues and project collaborations to nurture more informed, skilled, connected and caring global citizens in the long-term.  To help spread world learning in Wards 7 and 8, and to enrich CDI families’ international experience, Learning Life is this year initiating Anacostia International, which will offer CDI families free, sponsored meals and cultural conversation at metro D.C. ethnic restaurants, and country presentations free and open to the public at the Anacostia Arts Center on Good Hope Road SE in Anacostia.

Fifteen guests — including four CDI families from Wards 7 and 8 plus Learning Life volunteers and guests — enjoyed a variety of traditional dishes and drinks at Chez Dior, a well-regarded restaurant in Hyattsville, Maryland, and the only Senegalese restaurant we know of in metro Washington.  The feast included:

Drinks:

Bissap: a deep purple-colored juice infused with hibiscus flower

Ginger juice made with ginger root and pineapple

Pain de Singe: a sweet, silky juice made from the fruit of “monkey bread” trees

Appetizers:

Vegetarian Nems: Vietnamese-influenced fried spring rolls stuffed with vermicelli and mushrooms, served with a “nuoc mam” sweet pepper sauce

Fataya: Senegalese patties stuffed with seasoned minced meat

Main Course Dishes:

Yassa Chicken: Chicken legs in a delectable onion sauce

Tiebouzieune: Barjack fish served with carrots, yucca, eggplant and cabbage

Lamb in a Senegalese peanut sauce with sweet potatoes and carrots.

Besides tasting Senegalese cuisine, the four participating CDI families learned through invited speakers about Senegalese cuisine, the concept of “food culture” (the foods and food behaviors of a social group, including their ways of growing, processing, cooking, eating and disposing of food), food-related social entrepreneurialism in Africa, and more generally, the importance of Africa to Americans and the world.

The four families are currently learning about Senegal through live internet dialogues with two Senegalese families living in the nation’s capital, Dakar.  Soon, these families will begin their first skills-building project together, creating an electronic “photovoice” album of photos they take in their own communities in answer to the question “what is the past, present and future of your community?”

As part of Anacostia International, Learning Life is planning more international meals this year at Latin American, Middle Eastern and Asian restaurants in metro Washington.   Stay tuned for more!

Thanks to Samson Williams of CoFunder for helping to germinate the idea of an international meal series, and for making this inaugural lunch possible. Thanks also to Learning Life volunteers and guests Emilie Mondon-Konan, Hellen Fissihaie of F3Global, Issa Ndiong of the Senegalese Association of the DMV, and Mamadou Fall, owner of Chez Dior, for their contributions to this inaugural Anacostia International meal!  

Interested in sponsoring a future meal, or getting involved in Anacostia International?  Contact us at email@learninglife.info.

Chez Dior, a well-regarded Senegalese restaurant

Intern Spotlight: Erin Birmingham

This is the first in a series of spotlights on our spring 2017 student interns.  Learning Life’s student volunteers this spring are translating documents, conducting research, fundraising, and doing outreach locally and internationally for our Citizen Diplomacy Initiative (CDI), among other activities.  Erin Birmingham, interviewed below, is helping with CDI research, writing, fundraising and social media.     

Where were you born and raised?

I grew up in a military family, so while I was born in California, I moved around a lot within the States and also lived overseas. In the United States, I lived in California (four times), Georgia, Hawaii, and Virginia until I was 12 years old. I then spent two years each in Moldova and Saudi Arabia.

What school do you attend, and what is your year and major there?

I currently go to the University of California-San Diego.  I am a fourth-year International Studies-Political Science major with a Middle Eastern focus and Russian language proficiency.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I enjoy exploring museums, spending time with family, and finding new places to eat!  Some of my favorite foods belong to Pakistani and Syrian cuisines, though Mexican food is probably my favorite.  I also love to play sports (soccer, softball, and volleyball), watch movies, and read when I get the chance. My favorite movie has got to be “Catch Me If You Can,” with Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks.  My favorite book is definitely The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini.

Is there a life experience you have had that has particularly shaped you as a person thus far?  If so, what is it, and how has it shaped you?

Eleventh grade was a particularly influential year for me, as I had just moved to Saudi Arabia and enrolled in the International Baccalaureate Program.  My school facilitated a program called “Week Without Walls,” in which students traveled to Ghana, China, or the Philippines. I went on the Philippines trip, and spent five days volunteering in Manila.  I helped build houses for impoverished communities through Gawad Kalinga, dividing my time between physical labor and getting to know the local children. I had seen poverty living in Moldova, but spending time with those Filipino children, and seeing how happy they were with what little they had, inspired me to be thankful for every privilege I enjoy.  It also inspired me to spend my entire college career giving back to my community.  I’ve spent the last four years volunteering with organizations who help the homeless, children with AIDS, men and women with breast and ovarian cancer, and children with muscular dystrophy, among many more.

What are your career plans?

My career plans are uncertain at the moment, but I know I’d like to do something internationally focused.

Why did you choose to intern with Learning Life?

Learning Life’s Citizen Diplomacy Initiative is what caught my eye.  Having been a diplomat myself, I understand the importance of education. When I lived in Moldova, I met many people who did not know their rights and so were exploited through forced bribes and corruption.  I witnessed a revolution against Moldova’s Parliament in which people resorted to violence because
their lack of education prevented them from taking a peaceful, intelligent stand on the issues. In addition, what we see on the news isn’t always the case, but many people do not have the means to experience other cultures first-hand.  Educating the less-privileged through diplomacy is an incredible mission, and I’m so glad to have the chance to be a part of it.

What is the most beautiful place you have seen on Earth, and why is it so beautiful?

There’s a large canyon in Moldova that my nanny took me to one night which overlooks the entire city of Chisinau. I remember it vividly, as I sat on the edge and took in the fantastic sight. Many would not consider a third-world country with dilapidated remnants of the Soviet Union to be beautiful, but that night it was spectacular.  Sitting atop the canyon, a circus gleamed in the light of the Planet Hollywood store next door, and apartment lights twinkled in the distance.