For the second time in a week, students at the An-Najah National University were able to see into the lives of other students studying similar programs across the globe via a video conference with students from the University of New Orleans, Louisiana in the south of the United States.
The session is just one of over a dozen that are being implemented over two weeks by Recrear, an international non-governmental organization based in Berlin, Germany that focuses on helping youth around the world.
“We are here to inspire confidence in the youth of the world to carry out their own projects of international development,” said founder and project coordinator Gioel Gioacchino. The two weeks training workshop, ‘Recrear-Apply!’ is geared towards inspiring Palestinian students to improve their English skills and build strong resumes by researching and making connections to other Universities in the world.
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“The Recrear staff on the ground here in Palestine is comprised of students just like the ones we are helping at An-Najah. We want to connect the community of An-Najah to our home communities to help share our story and show where we come from. It’s important they see their possibilities are not limited as Palestinians, but instead, that they hold the power to create the future they aspire for,” said Kevin Potter, one of the Recrear organizers.
The video conference lasted almost an hour as the students volleyed questions between the two campuses. Food and culture were hot topics as both sides were eager to describe their favorite dishes such as the Palestinian dish ‘Upside Down’. With the fact the University of New Orleans is home to the top Naval Marine and Naval Architecture Engineering program in the US, the future engineers of An-Najah were very interested in departmental student organizations, student life, and real-world applications that complimented the curriculum in New Orleans.
The UNO students shared their passion and pride for their University programs and also discussed the differences in the two student bodies. “We actually had students from Palestine at our New Student Orientation yesterday,” responded Emily Srofe, an Orientation Leader present in the conference. “We have students from all over the world that come here to study with us.”
The Recrear-Apply! Workshop will end this Sunday with a global village at An-Najah University, all are welcome to attend.
-KP
