Washington, DC – The National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations (the Council) and Reach the World (RTW) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding establishing a framework for cooperation on educational programming and international exchange initiatives designed to broaden understanding of Arab and Islamic cultures among American K-12 students and educators.
The partnership is expected to provide American K-12 classrooms with enhanced opportunities to learn about the Arab and Islamic world; and, their societies, cultures, and activities of their young people.
To do so, these two organizations will work together to identify, recruit, and engage Council-affiliated educators, students, alumni and travelers in RTW-organized virtual exchange programs that focus on the Middle East and North Africa.
“We think this is an exciting opportunity to bring our insights and knowledge about this part of the world to a broad audience of young people and their teachers. It will also enable us to collaborate with RTW to bring the Council’s work to the attention of those who might not know the range and depth of our studies, webinars, our Model Arab League programs and summer internships,” said John Pratt, Chair of the Board of the Council.
Heather Halsted, the founder and Executive Director of RTW, commented, “Partnering with NCUSAR will allow Reach the World to connect young Americans directly to opportunities to learn about the Arab and Islamic world through reciprocal correspondence, enabled by technology. We are proud to partner with NCUSAR in this critical work.”
About NCUSAR:
The National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations (NCUSAR) is a non-profit, educational organization established in 1983 to improve American understanding of the Arab world. Its mission focuses on raising awareness through leadership development programs, people-to-people exchanges, conferences, research, and publications.
The Council envisions a strong U.S.-Arab relationship grounded in mutual respect and cooperation in areas like politics, economics, and defense.
Learn more at https://ncusar.org/about-ncusar/.
About RTW:
Reach the World (RTW) makes the benefits of travel and global networks accessible to all students, inspiring the next generation of curious, confident and compassionate global citizens. Founded in 1998, RTW is a pioneer in the field of virtual exchange. RTW travelers explore the world with purpose, sharing their experiences with U.S. K-12 students through video calls and custom content.
Learn more at https://about.reachtheworld.org/.