We are setting up a virtual language and cultural exchange program, which we are calling Tabadol, the Arabic word for an equal exchange of ideas, in cooperation with a non-profit Palestinian community center, ISNAD Community Center in the West Bank. Raed Eshnaiwer, the center’s founder and professor at Birzeit University, outlined the need for intercultural connections for Palestinian students, given the fact that many of them never leave the boundaries of their own city. We want our partnership to be equally balanced, and are thus letting the students and their director take the lead in creating the ideas that we organize and implement together. In that context, he suggested that not only do we start planning for language tutoring, but also plan for monthly conferences on debates and discussions between Sciences Po and ISNAD CC students, and a Model UN training program, outlined below.

We will be setting up one student at Sciences Po, Campus de Menton, most of which learn Arabic as part of the curriculum, with a Palestinian student. They will hold weekly virtual meetings in order to create networks and practice their language skills with each other. The students at Sciences Po will currently be helping the Palestinian students with English primarily but we plan to expand to include the diversity of other languages that students speak. For my part, I am interested in tutoring French and Spanish, which I speak fluently, if there is an interest. In addition, we will hold cultural events such as debates and panels. We have not been able to hold one yet, but we plan to have a discussion on a topic such as the right to education within the next three weeks.

Finally, for my part, I am currently on the board of Mediterranean Model United Nations, my campus' annual Model UN Conference, the biggest MUN in the Mediterranean region, offering committees in English, French, Spanish, Italian, Arabic, and Turkish. For next year's conference, after speaking with Mr. Eshnaiwer, we are interested in forming a partnership between MEDMUN as an outgrowth of our own organization, spearheaded by me. We would offer Model UN masterclasses throughout the year, as many of the students are beginners in MUN, thus giving interested students the opportunity to gain valuable experience in the fields of diplomacy and international relations.