DOHA: Thirty US high school students from cities across the country participated in an 8-day educational exchange trip in Doha, Qatar, the annual ABER (Arabic for “expression”) trip, hosted by Qatar Foundation International, a Washington, DC-based non-profit member of Qatar Foundation, dedicated to connecting cultures and advancing global citizenship through education.
From March 15–22, the students, from six states: Oregon, Hawaii, Washington, Illinois, Kansas and Massachusetts, participated in educational and cultural activities with 30 Qatari students from Doha, as well as 10 US and Qatari teachers. The students came together to strengthen their Arabic language skills by learning about Islamic art, Arab culture and participating in service learning activities.
Àber is an annual highly competitive educational exchange that is an important component of QFI’s Arabic Language and Culture programming, which expands the study of Arabic language and culture among public schools students in the US, Brazil and other countries. Aber explores different art themes each year but with the same goal of expressing one’s identity and culture through Arabic language. Aber 2014 was titled, Aber, What’s Your Story? and included 23 American students, joining 24 of their Qatari peers, on an educational adventure that focused on practicing and improving their Arabic-language skills through public speaking and the art of storytelling.
“I learned so much on this trip. I improved my Arabic skills; learned about another culture, its history and art; and was reminded that no matter what our backgrounds or where we live, we all have something in common,” said Emily Ehlers, student from Lincoln Park High School in Portland, Oregon. “We all come from different places and have different stories to tell, but we have a common goal. We want to come together and make new relationships and celebrate our differences. This was the most important thing I learned.”
To honor the third annual Àber cultural-exchange trip, QFI launched its first Arabic illustration contest, ÀberExpressions, for students to “Aber” or “Express” their favourite Arabic word, that best embodied the themes of the trip. Through this contest, students were invited to create their works of art and submit it on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with the #AberExpressions. This year’s top three winners were: Joelle from Westlake, OH; Tida from Chicago, IL; Leith from Merrimack, NH. “There are billions of people in this world. We all have something to give. If each one of us thinks of others, contributes a little and puts one puzzle piece in its place we can build beautiful and peaceful communities, countries and world” said Joelle of her winning illustration.
The Peninsula
