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Chicago public high school students travel to Doha on Qatar Foundation International cultural exchange trip

Posted on 2011-10-01

Nineteen students enrolled in Arabic language programs and their teachers from Lindblom Math and Science Academy (LMSA) in Chicago will travel to Doha, Qatar to explore the country and participate in educational activities around the theme of water conservation and preservation.  Sponsored by Qatar Foundation International (QFI), the exchange trip will take place from October 3 – 14, 2011.

“These trips foster partnerships between schools in Qatar and the Americas and strong friendships between the students,” said Maggie Mitchell Salem, QFI’s Executive Director. “We have seen first hand with our past exchange trips the personal growth and lasting impact on the students and teachers in both countries.  We are particularly excited this year to support Chicago Public Schools and their commitment to critical language learning.”

Lindblom Math and Science Academy has one of the largest Arabic programs in the United States with more than 180 high school students studying Arabic.  During the trip, Lindlbom students and teachers will partner with Qatari students and teachers from two science-focused schools in Qatar: the Al Eman Secondary School for Girls and the Al Wakra Secondary School for Boys. Additionally, QFI has partnered with Ocean for Life (OFL) to bring marine conservation programs to the exchange trip. OFL is an educational field study program that brings together students from the Middle East and Western countries to enhance cultural understanding through studying ocean conservation and science under the theme of "One World, One Ocean."

The trip kicks off with a talk by environmentalist and filmmaker Alexandra Cousteau and QFI partner Blue Legacy. Cousteau and Blue Legacy’s expertise will support the students as they build leadership, academic and global citizenship skills by interacting with speakers, local and international experts, industry practitioners and each other.  Working together, the Qatari and American students will also develop solution-oriented projects and produce short films to capture that will serve as digital reflections of their time in Doha.

QFI is also working with strong partners in Qatar, such as the Doha Film Institute, Qatar Sustainable Water and Energy Utilization Initiative (QWE) at Texas A&M, Northwestern University Qatar, Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI) and the Environmental Studies Center at Qatar University.

The trip will kick off with three days of hands-on water awareness activities developed collaboratively between the U.S. and Qatari schools, including a visit to Doha’s desalination plant, a beach cleanup, laboratory water testing and developing a water preservation action plan for the U.S. and Doha.  

The second part of the trip will focus on exposure to the culture, introducing American students to Qatari history and culture and allowing the Qatari students to showcase their country to their new American friends. Highlights of cultural activities include a behind-the-scenes tour of Al Jazeera headquarters, a 3-D Calligraphy workshop at the Museum of Islamic Art, and a night camping in the desert.

The last part of the trip will feature interactive learning programs on marine life and ecosystems, revealing shared concerns and importance of oceans and its ecosystems, regardless of geographical location or culture. During the program, students will snorkel, explore the mangroves of Qatar, and conduct experiments illuminating the dangers of ocean acidification. The program is conducted by the experts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, partners from the Ocean for Life program, and in partnership with Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI) and Environmental Studies Center at Qatar University.

Throughout the trip, the American and Qatari students will work together in groups on a Media Project introducing students to photography, videography and digital storytelling.  QFI is working in close partnership with the Doha Film Institute and Northwestern University Qatar on guiding and supporting the students as they produce their own videos about their experience.

The learning experience for the students will not be limited to the trip itself. The Chicago students will be participating in colloquiums before the trip, acquiring skills to measure purity and usage of water and learning about the history of water use and extraction in Chicago. The American and Qatari students will exchange what they have learned about water in Chicago and in Doha during the trip. Finally, after the trip, students will use QFI’s expert-moderated online youth platform, YALLAH (Youth Allied to Learn Lead and Help), to continue working together on water-related action plans, comparing results via videoconference, and collaborate on video and photo projects.  YALLAH also assists the students become involved in their communities and service projects.

In the Spring of 2010, QFI launched the cultural exchange program as part of their Arabic language and cultural initiatives in two urban public high schools in the United States: the Washington (D.C.) Latin Public Charter School and the Boston Arts Academy.  This year the program has expanded to include Arabic language programs in Portland, OR; Seattle, WA; Chicago, IL; Honolulu, HI; and Sao Paulo and Curitiba, Brazil.

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