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February 12, 2002 US, Middle East High School Students Discuss Solutions to Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Via Videoconference New York (12 February, 2002) --"How do you solve a conflict? By talking about it." At least that is how Global Nomads Group sees things. GNG (http://www.gng.org), an educational non-profit organization that promotes cross-cultural understanding among youth, is hosting a videoconference around the topic of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for American and Middle Eastern high school students. On Thursday February 14th, (9.00 a.m. CST) students from Wylie High School, (Wylie, Texas), Clover Park High School (Lakewood, Washington), and the Baccalaureate School (Amman, Jordan) will congregate for 2 hours over videoconferencing to share their knowledge and personal views on the conflict, explore its roots, and discuss possible ways to solve it. Via a series of prep classes and coursework downloaded from GNG's website, participating classes have extensively studied and researched their counterparts' country and culture. Says Mark von Sponeck, Program Director and Global Nomads Group co-founder: "Learning about something is good, but it's only when you encounter someone face to face that you can begin to understand them. This is why this meeting is so important." The conference is part of a program initiated by GNG to encourage American students to learn more about the seemingly distant conflict, and about Middle Eastern culture in general. It is one of several sessions dealing particularly with the issue of violence in the Middle East and will be closely followed by a session joining American participants with an Israeli school. By encouraging participants to envision solutions to the conflict and bring these into the discussions, organizers hope this program will impart conflict-solving and diplomacy skills. Additionally, "This experience will make them more keenly aware of what's going on outside their country and awaken their sense of connectedness with the rest of the world," says Mr von Sponeck. The conference has been made possible thanks to contributions from the Bezos Family Foundation, the Joseph and Sally Handleman Charitable Foundation Trust, and in-kind donations from Wire One, Inc. (http://www.wireone.com). About Global Nomads Group Global Nomads Group is a 501c(3) non-profit organization dedicated to promoting cross-cultural dialogue and understanding among youth. Using videoconferencing and satellite communications technology, GNG moderates conferences between K-12 classes in different countries, organizes virtual lectures, and conducts remote broadcasts from the world's historical and cultural sites. |
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