>> View* the West Bank Global Connections and Exchange newsletter.

The West Bank Global Connections and Exchange Program, implemented by Relief International-Schools Online (RI-SOL), acts to provide students with access to Information and Communication Technology (ICT), to integrate ICT and active learning methodology into mainstream teaching, and to promote cultural exchange and understanding both within Palestine and abroad. During the first phase of this project (2004-2005), extensive teacher training, a U.S. exchange program and a global network of collaborative online projects focusing on civic education and global citizenship benefited six schools in the West Bank. More than 2,000 students and 50 teachers were thus connected with their counterparts in the U.S., the Middle East and Central and Southeast Asia. Since then, two community centers have been established; one in Jenin and one in Hebron - and new partnerships have been formed with private schools and schools serving the refugee population in the West Bank. Through after-school activities, the program integrates local community initiatives into education projects to involve and empower disadvantaged youth from isolated communities. In addition, a three-week student exchange program in the U.S. will enable participating Palestinian students to gain insight into and understanding of the U.S. and cultures which are very different from their.

American students will also have the opportunity to learn firsthand about the lives and cultures of their Palestinian counterparts, as well as about Arab-Israeli schools, through an exchange trip to Nazareth in northern Israel. An exciting addition to the U.S. portion of the program is the introduction of an Arabic language component, which will allow American students studying Arabic in the U.S. to practice and improve their skills through personal communication with Palestinian students in partner schools in the West Bank.

U.S. schools interested in participating in this program should contact Robin Shields at robin@ri.org. For more information, please visit http://www.connect-middleeast.org/intro.html.

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