UNAOC Summer School

For a week at the end of the summer 2011, over 85 youth aged between 18 to 35 years old and from close to 45 countries came together in Lisbon for the second edition of the UNAOC Summer School.

The Summer School is based on the conviction that youth are the driving force for change. Also, a central principle behind the Summer School is that people have more in common with each other than divisive differences and when given the opportunity, they will explore their common interests, sparking collaborations and stimulating ideas that address the major issues of today’s life.

The objectives of the UNAOC Summer School are to 1. promote the empowerment of youth by strengthening intercultural skills and competences, 2. strengthen young people’s capacity to get involved in the preparation and implementation of cooperative action across divides, 3. facilitate moments of encounter and exchange between young people and 4. develop a network of participants in the summer schools.

The week-long Summer School’s design is based on a process of mutual learning, using the participants’ experiences as the starting point of the training-learning process. Active participation and in-depth reflections are key methodologies used in the course. Participants compared their approaches to youth work, youth participation and youth role in our increasingly diverse societies, preparing them to become agents of change once back in their own communities.

Here are the some of the comments that young participants had regarding their experience at the 2nd edition of the UNAOC Summer School which took place in Lisbon, Portugal.

Testimonials

Maryem Axeem – Pakistan
We all came as strangers and with the passage of time we became friends. We ate, laughed, learned, lived together and tomorrow when we will leave, we will leave as a strongly bonded family. The UNAOC Summer School is not a one-time school; it is a life-time experience. It taught me dynamic attributes of various and colorful cultures. To know each other and connect, we need to come closer. This is the only way that bridges can be built; hearts can be brought together and distances can be diminished through intercultural dialogue. One important belief is that every one is different and being different does not mean you are wrong. Life is too short so let’s not discriminate …lets just celebrate diversity!!! PS: The best thing is I learned is Egyptian eye make up (!!!) from my sweet roommate who doesn’t say a word even when I snore all night.

Waleed Rashed – Egypt
Really, I was lucky enough to attend the 2nd summer school of Alliance of Civilizations. I can’t explain to you how I enjoyed it, how it was very very useful to me. It’s a new critical point in my life. In received new credit in my subjects through our discussion, lectures and workshops, but to be honest with you, the best credit I got from this summer school actually was you, the new friends I now have and the new experience I heard from you, the new visions and hope I learned from you. I now understand the meaning of the “alliance of civilizations”, i.e. that we must accept each other, especially if we are from different ideas, countries and religions. We are all one hand, one spirit, one world and became now one family and we should keep it always in our minds. The last words I want to share with you are the words for Nelson Mandela: ‘Change your thoughts and you change your world’.

Abdrahaman Ouedraogo – Burkina Faso
The Summer School was a unique experience everyone should have in their lives. Having in the same place over 40 nationalities representing all part of the world during one week was just incredible. We, as participants, have already taken a big step towards looking to know each other and successfully tackle common stereotypes. The challenge remains how we will make use of what we’ve learnt to significantly impact our respective communities. My doors in Burkina Faso remain opened to each one of you I met in Lisbon and I am very looking forward for a joint project with one or more of you.

Kimia Maleki – Iran
One week has passed since the week of the second UNAOC summer school in Lisbon, Portugal. I can’t even write how much we got close to other youth of this world in just a few days. We became friends, brothers and sisters and now we just know the world as our hometown. This means that we are one family with one world. I learned the diversity in unity. What this means is that even with all the variety of countries, religions, colors and languages, what we all want is just to make the world a better place to live. And I have to add that I’ll never forget President Jorge Sampaio’s words about this “Having patience is one of the important things.”

Mohamed Osman – Egypt
The Summer School was a great experience for me. I have been to a number of summer schools before, but this time it was different, especially after the revolution. The Egyptian revolution had a great impact on me; it changed how I look at my rights and duties. The summer school gave me a great chance to observe how people think about my country, the revolution and the history of our civilization. I noticed that a lot of people are interested in the Middle East generally, and in Egypt specifically. For me, the most important experience I had was meeting people from conflicting countries, getting to know how they think, and I knew that conflict is a choice of governments not people. For the next participants in the summer school, don’t worry, it is not always about lectures and sessions, we had lots of fun too!!

Anne Makena – Kenya
Some wise man once said that we can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them. The young people of today live in a world full of problems and they may or may not have been involved in the creation of those problems. Despite the circumstances we live in, we all have a chance to make a positive and lasting impact in the world around us. The Summer School was for me an avenue to learn about the impact the young people all over the world are making and their great contribution toward social, political and economic development of their countries and the entire world. The experience was enlightening, empowering, inspiring and very enjoyable! The knowledge gained, experiences shared and the networks established will surely be a great tool to influence sustainable change all over the world. Long live the Alliance of Civilizations!

Kine Nordstokka – United Kingdom
The Summer School exceeded all my expectations. The program was full of inspiring talks and interesting analysis of issues related to cross cultural and inter-religious dialogue and co-operation. We also had plenty of time to discuss, ask questions and enter into dialogue with each other. It was great meeting people from all over the world and from many different backgrounds. I’ve met so many new friends that I look forward to keep in touch with and to collaborate with in the future.

Gugun Gumilar – Indonesia
I know the cultures from diverse countries which brings me a lot of knowledge. I am preparing myself to be a leader for Indonesia to implement and share my actions for society.

Mateusz Trybauski – Canada
My objective was to exchange best practices and form working relationships with the youth organizations. I was particularly interested in learning from the experiences of young leaders in emerging democracies. I was inspired by participants that have confronted civil conflicts and other social challenges becoming drivers of change. Learning about their projects also reinforced my appreciation for the global consequences of local actions.

Mohamed Tahir Sakhi – Afghanistan
The Summer School has enlightened my understanding of cultural diversity and has highly contributed towards a change in the way I see the world!

Aseel Yousef – Jordan
I’m taking a life-long souvenir with me from the Summer School, a scar on my chin (due to a sidewalk accident) that will remind me of the wonderful group of people that supported me and made me feel at home. In the end, this is what the Summer School is all about, to feel you’re not alone!

Soumitra Subinaya – India
In this Summer School, I have realized that we all are connected with one and other not through a common consciousness BUT trough a common unconscious. It was thus a very spiritual experience for me that enabled me to understand diversity.

Mohammad Asideh – Palestine
The most important thing for me was getting motivation from so many different people, educating the participants on the Arab-Israeli conflict and getting inspiration for my work.

Iram Parveen – India
I am privileged to be part of the Summer School program. It has given me an opportunity to interact with different people, know their cultures and their efforts to promote youth programs. It’s a beginning for me to start my new life!

Hawa Said – Kenya
On arrival to Lisbon I found out that my luggage was lost. The organizers and participants – no, my friends were amazing in helping me deal with this situation. They made it very easy by lending me scarves and jackets etc. In a nutshell, their support made my difficult situation very easy. This experience truly showcases that friendship, partnership, empathy and understanding know no boundaries. There is hope for the world to experience this oneness regardless of the challenges that diversity presents.

Anna Magnand – Austria
I’ve met great people involved in visionary projects around the world and definitely people working for global peace. I will take with me that however difficult the situation is, you can work for positive change. We are not alone and people are there to support us.

Khaled Jawish – Lebanon
The Alliance, though named that of civilizations, is actually that of humanity. If you realized that already, I salute you. If not, then you must open up for change of concepts and conducts before the world becomes hijacked by our own devils of greed, hate and biasness. Think of your fellow human as simple as that, a human and allow yourself to be stolen into a week of accepting everything different and challenge some of what you held dear. Have no rules hold you from loving your fellow human to realize that you yourself are human. Then, at that point, you might have grabbed a small part of what we felt on our trip, not to a foreign place, but our home of origin, humanity.

Sara Reef – USA
What I found most inspiring about the Summer School was the presentation projects by other participants. I was particularly moved by a film from an Afghan participant that challenged some stereotypes I held in regards to US-Afghan relations. This presentation along with others has challenged me to continue to breakdown barriers which I may hold towards other cultures.

Ganeswar Sahoo – India
I don’t have word to express my gratitude and don’t know how to praise the organizing committee for their great endeavor in this Summer School. I traveled and participated in some events earlier but this was the best experience of my life. I understood the true meaning of ‘diversity and intercultural dialogue’ after meeting together with participants from 44 countries. In today’s world, it is very necessary to develop an improved and sustainable intercultural dialogue that can help better understand different civilizations and cultures in order to bring equality and balance among different.

Amadou Djibril – Niger
After this Summer School, where I met young people around the world and learned a lot from them about intercultural dialogue, I feel that I’m not only from Niger, but citizen of the world.

Mariana González – Mexico
I have learned in the Summer School that we all face the same problems but with different faces. In Mexico, the problem is not about the recognition of different or external cultures, is about our own ancient culture and indigenous people who do not have full rights recognized, even now.

Anush Hayrapetyan – Armenia
Difference in cultures, religions and nations can easily be converted into an effective tool for building a better future. I strongly believe that we, the youth, are the creators of a brighter future for us and for the next generations. Unite our diversity in many more Summer Schools and you will definitely see the change for a better world where the understanding, tolerance and peace will be the dominants.

Arevik Hayrapetyan – Armenia
The Summer School was an unforgettable and life-changing experience for me. I had a great opportunity to meet people from around the globe, interact with them, tell my success stories as well as listen to them and learn from them. We had a fascinating week of dialogues, exploration and fun. I am deeply persuaded that young people, when gathered around a common goal, can make positive changes on global level as one more step towards building a better world that all of us are dreaming of.

Deniza Georgieva – Bulgaria
I do not know if this Summer School turned to be an Alliance of Civilizations but it was indeed a great meeting of different cultures and people, a very enriching and mind opening one! In the positive and safe environment of the school, we could connect beyond the limitations of cultures, religions and ideologies; as the very people we are. The opportunity for a firsthand experience and live dialogue gave room for new intellectual and spiritual discoveries, where broadly held stereotypes were changed into new forms of understanding and knowledge, and diversity turned into togetherness and closeness

Mónica Gabriela Alanis Rojas – México
The Alliance of Civilizations is one of the most valued United Nations’ initiatives, and above all, its Youth Programming, which open ways to change agents for build a better world. The Second Summer School was for me an incredible experience; it changed my life. Of course, the content was very good, but the best for me were my classmates. Everyone taught me a lot. Every experience, word, smile, every second shared with them was really enriching and inspiring. In just one week I got friends forever, and we know… we are in this together… we are changing the world. The 2nd Summer School Class ROCKS!!!

Amina Abdi – Somalia/Holland
Having been fortunate enough to have participated in the 1st Summer School, I honestly didn’t know what to expect from this year’s edition. I had secret hopes of it being similar to the first one but I learned that remarkable experiences can never quite be the same. I was taught so much by people that are my age, with similar stories but with completely different backgrounds. Learning from their experiences gave me the strength to face my challenges at home. Sometimes we need to look deeper than color, religion, political views or even taste in music to realize that a total stranger is possible of becoming a brother or sister, that is, if only we take the time to look deeper. If there’s one piece of advice I can give to the participants of the 3rd Summer School its to benefit as much as you can from the lectures and workshops but not to forget to take the time to get to know the stranger next to you. Wouldn’t you want to leave this experience with brothers and sisters from all over the world?