8.30 – 10.00am:
Introduction of fellows and partners
Partners:
– The goal of the program is to help building a solid network of young leaders that can share the same vision of a society where everyone has a place.
– A quote that reflects the spirit of the fellowship “We live in a world of diversity. The legitimate, realistic aim of international education and leadership is neither to convert nor indoctrinate, but rather to encourage empathy and understanding between cultures.” (William Fulbright)
– There is a lot of work to do in the US to fully understand what is happening in the Middle East with the Arab Spring.
Fellows’ expectations:
– Increase intercultural understanding capacity
– Free Arab and Islamic terminology from all stereotypes and find new ways to redefine controversial terms such as jihad or Muslim
– Create virtual space of encounter for youth and train bloggers on intercultural dialogues
10.15 – 11.00am:
Visit of the UN Security Council and General Assembly
11.00am – 1.00pm:
UN inter-Agency meeting
– Mrs Lee O’Brian – Department of Political Affairs: In order to change the United Nations, State members themselves have to change. They are the UN. Such a change can only happen with a vibrant and active civil society asking for significant changes within international institutions.
– Mrs Anne Marie Goetz – UN Women: Women’s lack of education has been proven to have a critical impact on a country’s economy and society. One of UN Women’s biggest ambitions is to promote the gender agenda as one piece of UN reforms. It is also to create an agency like UNICEF focused on women that would be dedicated to improve gender equality.
– Dr Azza Karam – UN Population Fund: Religious organizations are now massively investing to promote development. In some countries they are giving more money than government and non-religious NGO. This evolution has been acknowledged by donors and is changing development-funding mechanisms on a global level.
2.30 – 5.00pm:
The Bronx Transformation Project. Boricua College
– Health conditions in the Bronx are the worst in New York City. Infant mortality is atrocious and a woman of the South West Bronx has twenty times higher risk of dying from diabetes than a woman from the Upper East Side. Health statistics are terrible in the Bronx because of the lack of free and universal health care and education in the borough.
– There is a breakdown in the educative system. Incoming teachers are not trained properly and lack of skills in grammar and conversation ability. They are also losing their respect for their own profession and their student.
5.00 – 6.00pm:
Bronx Visit – Al Imam Community Center
– Only full Islamic school in the Bronx, it wants to form its students both as perfect American citizens and Islamic scholars. Created on September 11, 2001, this center also provides social care, foster care, and adoption services. It also runs a political organization whose aim is to help American Muslims to be heard on national levels.