Bridge the gap between the. arab and western. culture

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1 INFOBOOKLET

2 Bridge the gap between the arab and western culture

3 Nour Project WHY THE NOUR PROJECT? Because we live in a multicultural society, where people from many different cultures live side by side, it is important that we aim to create a peaceful environment where people understand the differences of another culture and accept each other. Reaching an understanding of the Arab culture enables people to have a nuanced opinion, instead of blindly following the picture that the media paints. HOW DOES THE PROJECT WORK? The Nour Project is an initiative by AIESEC in the Netherlands, and aims to create mutual cultural understanding between the Western and Arab world. Our goal is to challenge prejudices and to bridge the gap between the Western and Arab culture. We do this by sending a number of highly motivated students to a country in the MENA region (the Middle East and North Africa) twice a year. The programme is more than just spending a couple of weeks abroad, which is why the Nour Project is unique. To prepare, the students will participate in a Preparation programme. After the project, the students will take part in the reintegration programme, where they share their experiences of their time in the MENA region. In this booklet you ll find more information about the different stages of the Nour Project. The last pages of the booklet consist of practical information about costs and requirements.

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5 THe project THE PREPARATION PROGRAMME To prepare the students for their summer or winter abroad, we provide them with trainings on a professional and cultural level during the Preparation Programme in the months before going to their destination. THE EXPERIENCE During the months July and August or January and February, the students will go on a Project in a country in the MENA region. THE REINTEGRATION PROGRAMME To complete the cultural exchange, back in the Netherlands the students share their experiences on a local platform they have created themselves the purpose of this project is to create mutual understanding between the western and the arab culture and narrow the gap between the two cultures.

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7 Preparation Programme The aim of the Preparation Programme is to provide the Nour Participants with experience and knowledge on a cultural, as well as on a professional level, for their time in the Arab Culture. It takes place from November to December (Winter programme) or April to May (Summer programme). It consists of two days in which you will follow 8 to 10 workshops, lectures, and trainings given by various companies and experts. One should think about a workshop creative writing by de Correspondent, a lecture by documentary maker Floor van der Meulen or a workshop by experts on the MENA-region. During this period, the participating students will also be working on finding a suiting Project. In total, the Preparation Programme will approximately demand about five hours a week. Most of the trainings will take place on Saturday or Sunday, so that students are able to attend the trainings without missing any university lectures. Often, meetings take place in Leiden, Amsterdam or Utrecht.

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9 THE EXPerience The Summer Project will take approximately 6-8 weeks between June and September, depending on your availability, so there is no study delay. The Winter Project lasts 4-8 weeks, taking place in January and February. The project is a tool to work with locals and truly dive into the Arab culture. The projects are chosen by the Nour Participants themselves during the Preparation Programme and are mainly developmental: working at SOS Children s Villages in Jordan, helping at children s summer camps in Morocco or advocating for women s rights. We also have other options such as writing a local NGO s business plan in Tunisia or helping make the Rammadan a festive month for people who cannot afford it otherwise. These are all examples of the projects of the past few years. During the weekends the students are free to travel and explore the country! While abroad, the participants update their friends and relatives, and others that are interested, by regularly writing blogs about their experiences and discoveries or other expressions via social media. The links to these blogs will be posted on the Nour Project Facebook page throughout the projects. This blogging contributes to the Nour Project s mission: Building bridges between the two cultures and create multual understanding.

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11 reintegration Programme Before the participants go on their exchange with the Nour Project they will all think of an individual project that they want to realize. The purpose of this project is to create mutual understanding between the western and the arab culture and narrow the gap between the two cultures. This will be done by motivating the participants to create their own reintegration project, for example, making a documentary or creating an Arabic cookbook. During their experience the participants will be tracked and guided by the Reintegration Manager. When the participants come back from their experience they will be highly encouraged to spread the Nour message. They will do this through a local platform that they have created themselves. The reintegration programme has become a more local and personal project. It won t feel like an obligation anymore, instead it will offer a chance for the participants to share their experience in a fun way with the people close to them. Through this newly addapted method the participants will, ultimately, be more flexible and creative in realizing their reintegration project.

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13 practicalities SAFETY Every year we carefully choose our countries of destination and judge whether the political situation is stable. We have contact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Dutch Embassies and the local AIESEC organizations abroad. When the situation in a country changes to unsafe, we will think of a back-up option for the Nour Participants. COSTS 299 as the regular AIESEC exchange fee, for the Nour Project this is including the costs of the preparation programme Flight ticket: price varies Cost of living, which is generally lower than in the Netherlands WHAT DO YOU GET? Around 10 professional preparation activities A personal student coach of the Nour team that guides you in choosing a project Pick-up from the airport Arranged housing by the local AIESEC entity (note that the rent on some destinations is excluded from the Nour fee) Optional social activities organized by the local AIESEC in your country of destination.

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15 how to apply To apply for the Nour Project, it is required to study in the Netherlands, and to be older than 20. Both Dutch and international students can apply, but you have to be available to take part in the Preparation Programme, Winter Project and Reintegration Programme. To apply, fill in the form that you can find on the website. YOU CAN FIND THE APPLICATION DEADLINE ON OUR WEBSITE! Do you want to know more about the Nour Project, or would you like to keep updated? Kwww.nourproject.nl BNour Project Vnour.aiesec

16 Colofon DESIGN Jasmin de Leeuw TEXT Mats Reijman Maud van den Oetelaar Jasmin de Leeuw PHOTOGRAPHS All photo s in this booklet are made by Nour participants OFFICE International House Kaiserstraat GN Leiden T: Powered by