Foundation Uses Innovative Education to Bring the West and Middle East Closer

Doha, May 29 (QNA) - Linking the learning of a foreign language to its people, culture, history and encouraging youth exchange programmes would help bridging the social and cultural divide between the West and Middle Eastern societies, key officials of an organisation that works towards the betterment of individuals and communities through innovative education said.
Speaking to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Qatar Foundation International's (QFI) Executive Director Maggie Mitchell Salem said, "Learning other languages can help bridge communities when two critical components are included culture and youth exchanges, both real and virtual."
Linking language to people, history and society of the region, and having exchange programmes between young people in the West and those in Middle East would help in clearing misconceptions and build bridges, she said.
Founded in 2007 and Washington-based the QFI is a non-profit organization which promotes education as a force that facilitates collaboration across geographical, social and cultural boundaries. The QFI is funded by Qatar Foundation (QF) and works to build a network of global citizens who communicate effectively and together find solutions to global problems.
QFI Board member Khalid Mubarak Al Kuwari said, "We are trying to bridge the cultural divide through the medium of education and teaching Arabic language in an innovative way. Rather than just teaching Arabic language to students in the US and Latin America we have complemented the traditional teaching methods by including mathematics and science to make it more interesting for students."