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Recognizing the growing importance and influence of new media and technology on youth around the world, the second annual Bridges of Understanding conference, held on October 21st, 2008 in Washington, DC brought together leaders in the field of new media and technology to discuss the various media outlets that currently exist that are building bridges between youth in the Middle East and youth in the United States. Attended by over 100 guests, including Young Arab Leaders Fellows and participants in the U.S. Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program, the conference brought together a diverse group of individuals interested in and working with new media and technology.
Patricia Harrison, CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, opened the panel on "Building Bridges through Youth and Technology in the Middle East" by referencing the work that Her Majesty Queen Rania has done to support education in Jordan and throughout the Middle East, especially with the tools that new media and technology provide. Harrison recognized the importance of public television, discussing the influence it has on helping many people obtain their high school and college degrees and noted that radio and television are becoming much more accessible on a global scale. In the Middle East alone, "80% of children have access to television and radio," Harrison noted. Harrison set the stage perfectly for the following discussion panel on new media by stating that "new media has put the people formerly known as the audience in the driver's seat."
Ambassador Karim Kawar, President of The Kawar Group; Ambassador Stuart Holliday, President of Meridian International Center; Rita King, CEO of Dancing Ink Productions; April Delaney, Washington Director of Common Sense Media; and Isaac Solotaroff, documentary filmmaker and editor, discussed general trends in the Middle East surrounding the use of new media and technology by youth in the region. Ambassador Karim Kawar noted that 60% of the population in the Arab world is under the age of 18, showing the audience that as the youth population in the Arab world continues to increase the use of new forms of media and technology will expand with the growing demographic. Rita King provided commentary on the increasing popularity of Second Life, the online virtual world that allows people all over the globe to interact on a completely digital platform. King noted the ability of people to learn about different cultures and religious faiths by visiting synagogues and mosques in Second Life, which many people are hesitant to do in the real world. April Delaney discussed Common Sense Media's focus on promoting "cyber citizenship" among youth throughout the world to create safe, positive online forums for discussion and expression. Delaney also touched on the increase in blogging as form of uncensored expression among the youth of the Middle East and North Africa. Isaac Solotaroff showed a clip of his PBS documentary which focuses on the work of Naif Al-Mutawa, Kuwaiti cartoonist who created The 99, a superhero comic book where the 99 attributes of Allah are illustrated as superheroes.
Representatives from several of the initiatives supported by Bridges of Understanding were present to discuss their projects. Senator Bill Frist, Board Member for Bridges of Understanding, introduced Astrid Stuth and Michael Schoenleber of the Youth Initiative for Progress in Iraq. Stuth and Schoenleber gave a presentation on the conference held in July 2008 that brought together American and Iraqi high school students in Amman, Jordan to build ties and discuss the current situation in Iraq. Tonya Muro Phillips of the Global Nomads Group overviewed the work that Global Nomads does connecting schools all over the world through videoconferencing. Phillips also provided video highlights from the most recent videoconference, funded by Bridges of Understanding, that linked students at the Park Tudor School in Indianapolis, IN and the Jubilee School in Amman, Jordan. Finally, Farah Traih, the recipient of the first Marymount University Jordanian Scholarship, made possible through Bridges supporters and Board member Marlene and Fred Malek, spoke with the audience about her life growing up in Jordan and her goals and aspirations that are being made possible through her scholarship. Visit Projects We Support to see video highlights from these presentations and to learn more about the fantastic work that these individuals are doing in the arena of international understanding.
During the luncheon, Bridges of Understanding presented the first Building Bridges Award to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. The Building Bridges Award will be given annually to an individual or organization committed to building bridges of understanding between the Arab world and the West. The award was presented to Susan G. Komen for the Cure in recognition of their work which has made a tremendous difference in the area of breast cancer awareness, detection and research worldwide. Susan G. Komen for the Cure has demonstrated significant accomplishment and achieved life-changing impact through its efforts and programs. In so doing, the organization has built bridges around the world, including between the Arab world and the United States, specifically through the implementation of the U.S. Middle East Partnership for Breast Cancer Awareness and Research. David Bradley, CEO of The Atlantic and Board Member of Bridges of Understanding, presented the award to Tina Hone, VP of Public Policy for Komen, who accepted the award on behalf of the organization
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