Past Forward in Los Angeles: A Professional Mission
The following is a blog post by artist and designer Khalid Shafar, whose work is featured in Past Forward: Contemporary Art from the Emirates.
Spotlight Interview: Meridian Social Innovation Fellowship
On May 4, 2015, Meridian welcomed the inaugural cohort of the Meridian Social Innovation Fellowship to Washington, D.C. The eight Fellows – who hail from Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, and Spain – are global problem-solvers who bring together networks and resources to solve critical challenges facing their organizations, communities, and countries. Meridian has brought together this distinguished group to drive ground-breaking advancements in the fields of youth and women empowerment, cultural integration, entrepreneurship, science, technology, and education. For updates on the Meridian Social Innovation Fellows’ experience in the United States, follow Program Associate Eirene O’Connor on twitter @EireneOC...
ContinuePeople-to-People Exchanges Build Network between U.S. and Zimbabwe Entrepreneurs
Budding entrepreneurs are often looking for new tools and resources to make their businesses a success, but the best tool may be standing right in front of them.
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Community Comes Together to Paint Mural in El Viejo, Nicaragua
I’m participating in the Mural Arts Exchange Program through the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, currently traveling throughout Nicaragua to meet with youth and other community groups from five different cities. In each location, we’ll be creating murals together. As of now, we’ve completed three and have two more to go. Here’s a recap of the first mural, in El Viejo.
IYLEP High School Alumni Inspire Youth Volunteerism in Baghdad
Written by Abdulaziz A.
Alumni of the 2013 Iraqi Young Leaders Exchange Program (IYLEP) reconnected this past February in Erbil. Alums from both the High School and Undergraduate programs gathered to reflect on their experiences and participate in workshops and panel discussions that built upon the skills students developed last summer in the United States. Meridian invited IYLEP alumni to submit a blog post describing their personal experience and growth with the program. We selected the winning entries to post on The LEAD. Abdulaziz was selected as one of the winners for the IYLEP High School group.
When Khalid, Maryam and I returned to Baghdad after the 2013 Iraqi Young Leaders Exchange Program (IYLEP) in the United States, we decided to start a project to help poor people in Baghdad. We looked for students in our schools that had the same interests. We were really surprised to get support from a lot of the students. We collected used clothes and contributions from neighbors, friends and family in a 2-week period. We chose a neighborhood where poverty is really high. In order to distribute the goods, we had to get permission from the police and be escorted. Unfortunately, distribution points, where many people gather to receive charity, are often the targets of terrorist groups. The police were not helpful, but one of our cousins recommended we approach the Iraqi army. The army wants to build up and encourage more civic action, so we made a search for the areas in Baghdad that are under control of the army. We found really poor families living in houses made of mud.