Over the course of a semester, Connect Program participants:

• Engage in weekly facilitated dialogue sessions with peers from universities around the world
• Discuss important social, cultural and political issues such as identity, stereotyping, immigration and foreign policy
• Follow a rigorous academic curriculum, which includes readings and group activities that supplement the materials used in accredited university courses into which the  program is integrated
• Develop media literacy skills by creating, sharing and discussing their own news reports (produced from raw news footage provided Al Jazeera and the Associated Press)

The Connect Program has provided over 3,000 young people – in countries as diverse as Egypt, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Qatar, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and the United States -  with opportunities for deep cross-cultural engagement using new media technologies through more than 80 prestigious institutions that include Al Azhar University, Yale University, The American University of Afghanistan, Dar El Hekma College (Saudi Arabia), Gadjah Mada University (Indonesia), Aarhus Unviersity (Denmark), Al Quds University (West Bank), University of Florence (Italy), and many more.

Soliya has ambitious plans to take the Connect Program to scale by developing partnerships with university networks, English Language training centers, and local NGOs.

Terana
Building on the success of the Connect Program, Soliya’s best and brightest alumni are now establishing Terana, a diverse online community of young people who are using new media to capture and share diverse perspectives and foster intercultural understanding in their communities.  The founding members of Terana represent a broad spectrum of political, religious, ethnic and socioeconomic diversity, but share a fundamental belief that differences between people, communities, and cultures should be addressed with respect for our common humanity. 

Terana combines the best of online media, social networking and citizen journalism.  Through this program, young adults:

• Gain access to media training, media tools and partnerships with broadcast outlets
• Create media content designed to share diverse perspectives with a global community of their peers
• Amplify diverse narratives by disseminating the media content they produce through traditional and new media networks
• Engage their societies in constructive conversations about divisive global issues through community outreach activities