QATAR FOUNDATION INTERNATIONAL In the Los Angeles Community
Washington, DC | 202.652.0147 @QFINTL | fb.com/QFINTL www.qfi.org
Connecting Cultures for Global Good
MISSION / Qatar Foundation International
MISSION Qatar Foundation International, LLC (QFI) is a US-based member of Qatar Foundation (QF). Its mission is to connect cultures and advance global citizenship through education. A not-for-profit organization headquartered in Washington, DC, QFI focuses on grant-giving and programmatic activities that promote education as a reliable facilitator of collaboration across geographical, social, and cultural boundaries. QFI's innovative educational and volunteer programs inspire lasting exchanges of experience and knowledge. By placing young people from diverse social, economic, and cultural backgrounds into effective, collaborative learning environments—inside and outside
2 qfi.org
the classroom; in person and online—QFI provides K-12 students in Qatar and the Americas with skills that will enable them to be engaged global citizens. Within three core program areas—Arabic Language and Culture, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math), and Youth Engagement—QFI equips students to address the major global challenges of this century. Using Open Educational Resources and innovative online technologies, the students in QFI's programs prepare to tackle problems such as climate change, insufficient access to education around the world, and the need for cross-cultural dialogue, both globally and in their own communities.
➜ GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP
➜ OPEN EDUCATION
QFI is committed to teaching
Open Education provides un-
➜ PROGRAMMATIC THEMES Four key themes—Commu-
the next generation to collab-
encumbered access to digital
nity, Challenge, Access, and
orate across cultures and
resources, encouraging life-
Dialogue—inform and unite
between communities. Using
long learning from anywhere.
QFI's programs. We work to
interdisciplinary learning, we
We utilize Open Education
build a global community,
teach young people to work
to develop learner-centered
address pressing 21st-century challenges, make education
together to creatively solve
experiences and promote
problems, so they may effect
dialogue between classrooms
easier to access from any-
change both in their home-
and communities spanning
where in the world, and foster
towns and around the world.
great physical distances.
cross-cultural dialogue.
qfi.org 3
LOS ANGELES / Qatar Foundation International
Qatar Foundation International / PROGRAMS
OUR PROGRAMS
ARABIC EDUCATION IN LOS ANGELES IN MAY 2013, STUDENTS FROM THESE THREE LA–AREA SCHOOLS TOOK THE COPI* ARABIC TEST.
100
129
44
BELL HIGH SCHOOL
STUDENT EMPOWERMENT ACADEMY
GRANADA HILLS CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL
QFI IN LOS ANGELES QFI is committed to preparing young people to collaborate across cultural and national boundaries and between communities. In its first year working in the Los Angeles area (2012–2013), QFI sponsored programs in Arabic language and culture at three high schools—Bell High School, Granada Hills Charter High School, and Student Empowerment Academy. The 150–plus students enrolled in these programs are working to develop language fluency and cultural literacy, equipping them to be engaged global citizens. In addition to funding youth programs, QFI works to support collaboration and innovation among Arabic-language educators. The Greater Southern California Arabic Language Teacher Council—made up of local K–12 teachers—
4 qfi.org
shares resources and ideas and assists schools looking to start Arabic programs. QFI is proud to have supported the council since Spring 2012. But why LA? The city is a prime location for this kind of community involvement, being a center of education, culture, entertainment, and collaboration. Hoping to inspire impactful exchanges of experience and knowledge, QFI continues working to spread Arabic language and cultural understanding in the area.
*The Computerized Oral Proficiency Instrument (COPI) is a semi-adaptive exam that assesses native English speakers' oral proficiency in Arabic.
ALCI
YOUTH ENGAGEMENT
STEAM
Responding to the need for deeper, more positive engagement between people living inside and outside the Arab world, QFI created the Arabic Language and Culture Initiative (ALCI). The program provides opportunities for students from a wide variety of backgrounds to acquire language skills and learn more broadly about the Arab world’s history and culture. QFI is the only foundation with a systematic approach to significantly expanding the study of Arabic language and culture among public-school students in the US, Brazil, Argentina, and other countries.
QFI’s youth-engagement programs focus on three areas—education, leadership, and service—to spark action and curiosity in the world's next generation of leaders and educators. Utilizing technology and language, QFI readies young people to investigate parts of the world both near and far, understand varied perspectives, exchange ideas, and tackle community and global issues. During student-led projects, youth practice assuming leadership roles and collaborating to accomplish common goals.
STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) projects enhance classroom education and emphasize global, 21st-century challenges—climate change, biodiversity, and water conservation, among others. QFI utilizes hands-on, experiential approaches and problem-based learning (PBL) to provide effective education and connects educators and learners from around the world to promote collaboration between classrooms. This cross-cultural communication enhances science and math education for all involved.
➜ Expanding access to Arabic
➜ Investigating the world.
➜ Connecting students and
education for youth in the
➜ Understanding varied
scientists around the world.
Americas.
backgrounds and
➜ Distributing high-quality,
➜ Providing Arabic teachers
perspectives.
usable educational materials.
training, networking opportuni-
➜ Communicating and
➜ Providing enrichment and
ties, and classroom materials.
exchanging ideas.
service-learning activities—
➜ Using technology to support
➜ Acting decisively to address
youth ambassadorships,
instruction and collaboration.
community and global issues.
learning expeditions, and more.
qfi.org 5
Qatar Foundation International / ÁBER
“This project creates a space for dialogue about language, identity, and culture among youth. The hope is that through youth collaboration, we will be able not only to represent culture and community, but also create lasting ties.”
"I cannot really adequately express how amazing and life-changing the trip was. I never knew I could make friends so quickly and with people from so many different places. QFI has really changed my life with Arabic. I've made longlasting friendships and, honestly, have learned a lot about myself." SAGE SMILEY Student
ÁBER: EXPRESSIONS OF CULTURE, IDENTITY, AND LANGUAGE
CYNTHIA HERRERA Artist Photographer and the Art Project Director
“At QFI, we believe that learning critical languages and engaging cross-culturally provides students with life-long learning opportunities. We chose the Arabic word Áber for this program, as it perfectly reflects our mission: to bridge cultures and provide students with the skills they need to express themselves and become global citizens.”
To celebrate the intersection of American and Arab cultures, QFI is hosting an art exhibit June 24–July 13 at ADC Contemporary & Building Bridges International Art Exchange in Santa Monica. The artists—high schoolers from Doha, Los Angeles, and Portland—recently explored cultural identity and language together during a week-long exchange in Doha. Using graffiti, calligraphy, and photography, the students have created ten panels that celebrate their cultures and environments as well as their shared journey. Their exhibition, Áber: Expressions of Culture, Identity, and Language, asks viewers to imagine that the decades of misconceptions and stereotypes between cultures have been broken down and replaced by an exploration of common bonds.
MAGGIE MITCHELL SALEM QFI Executive Director
6 qfi.org
Participating American schools—Southern California's Bell High School, Granada Hills Char-
ter High School, and Student Empowerment Academy, and Portland, Oregon's Lincoln High School—are part of QFI’s Arabic Language and Culture Initiative (ALCI). This initiative funds programs that teach Arabic and promote cross-cultural understanding, based on the belief that cooperation between the two parts of the world is vital. The Áber exhibition shows that Arabic–language programs in US schools can promote partnership, though funding for such programs is being slashed everywhere. QFI bridges the funding gap by supporting new Arabic programs, and this exhibition is an early example of the important educational initiative's results.
Áber is an Arabic word that means to express feelings and thoughts or to move across from one side to the other.
qfi.org 7