United Arab Emirates Youth Program

Meridian International Center welcomed the Dhukhur Youth Program to Washington, DC, sponsored by the U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the UAE General Authority of Youth and Sports. The program brought a successful group of 15 university students from the United Arab Emirates for programming in Washington from Monday, August 15, to Friday, August 19. They explored topics in leadership, teamwork, self-development, and youth capacity building while gaining perspective on their academic and professional interests and goals, helping them become effective leaders in their communities. Over the course of the week, students participated in trainings and activities to help build upon their understanding of these topics while also meeting with leaders and professionals in the Washington, DC area. The group met with staff members at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, diplomats at the UAE Embassy, and Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Richard Stengel at the U.S. Department of State. They also visited several NGOs based in the DC area, including Youth for Understanding, Atlas Corps, the Heritage Foundation, and Washington Parks and People, where they participated in a volunteer activity at an urban garden in Northeast DC. This program has previously been hosted in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Turkey, and the Republic of Korea, and brought the group to the United States for their 2016 session.

The group visits the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. They discussed US foreign policy and the role of the Senate in shaping that policy with Dana Stroul, the Senior Professional Staff (minority) for the Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey, and Jake Alter, Graduate Intern for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and former Meridian Program Associate.

Students participate in a team building exercise led by Associate Program Officer Tania Jazynka. They competed among themselves to build the tallest structure, using only uncooked spaghetti, tape, string, and a marshmallow.

Hamza Awad gives the group a tour of major landmarks in DC. The students had the opportunity to see the White House, the Capitol Building, the Jefferson Memorial, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial.