Global Village showcases cultures to youths

Manama :  As many as 200 youngsters from 22 countries are expected to attend a cross-cultural programme to be held here in July. Global Village, a programme that encourages young people to celebrate the different cultures from around the world, will be organised by the youth-run organisation AIESEC. According to AIESEC, Global Village encourages social sustainability, world awareness and cultural understanding. 

AIESEC’s Batool Al Wedaei said the programme aims to help Bahraini youth celebrate the spirit of diversity. “It is an exiting programme where Bahraini youngsters get to interact with foreign youngsters, who come here to share their culture,” she said, adding, “It is possible that we could organise the event in a popular venue such as a shopping mall, which can accommodate a large number of participants. We will announce more details about it soon.” Earlier this month, AIESEC organised a smaller version of the Global Village programme at Amwaj Islands. About 74 participants from 12 countries attended the programme. The participating countries included China, Oman, Australia, Austria, Indonesia, Brazil, Pakistan, India, Kuwait, Egypt, Sudan and Turkey. “During the event, the participants were given a space and a table and they were divided based on nationalities. They represented their country at the table while other participants could visit the tables and interact with them,” Al Awadei explained.

“AIESEC is known for its cross cultural programmes delivered to the Bahraini youth, where they get the opportunity to volunteer or work abroad. In return, the organisation hosts international volunteers to work in community development programmes inside the country. These programmes result in cultivating a culture of respect for all cultures and religions in the world,” AIESEC stated. 

Muslim, who was one of the international participants, commented: “The global village is a fun event. We also learned about other cultures through the traditional performances and the food other participants share with us.” Sarah, a Turkish participant remarked, “This event was an opportunity for me to interact with the Bahraini community as well as the people from the Arabian Gulf. I have read about them only in books.”