as reported by MEPi Regional office Tunis

Top of the Class: Arab Civitas Spreads Civic Education

From Oct. 22-31, delegates from six countries in the Middle East and North Africa visited Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles to meet with U.S. leaders and civic educators to discuss their achievements promoting civic education programs, according to a press release on the Arab Civitas website.

Through MEPI funding, the Arab Civitas program, run by the Center for Civic Education (CCE) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), supports civic education for young people in elementary schools in 13 countries and territories throughout the region.

“We are here to share information about our programs and the progress we have made with the support of MEPI and USAID and invite them to increase cooperation in the future,” said Amara Benromdhane, president of the Arab Civitas Board of Program Directors, during the visit to the United States.

According to the press release the delegation, which included “educators, directors of nonprofit organizations and award-winning journalists, met with representatives of MEPI, USAID and the U.S. Department of Education, as well as House and Senate Foreign Relations Committee staff and staff of research institutions, foundations, and diplomatic missions.”

The Arab Civitas program utilizes CCE’s Project Citizen curriculum and materials, as well as its Foundations of Democracy.  Students actively participate in their school and local communities through service projects that work to solve real world problems.

In Morocco, this program has proven especially successful over the past few years.  Under the direction of Elarbi Imad, president of the Moroccan Center for Civic Education, several training workshops were conducted earlier this year in various cities for teachers, supervisors, university students, and others who lead Arab Civitas programs in Moroccan classrooms. 

According to Elarbi Imad, hundreds of students from different institutions work in teams to identify community problems, gather information, examine alternative policies, and propose public policy recommendations  and action plans, which they present during local, regional, and national showcases before panels of judges.

“The showcase events are excellent opportunities for students to display the efforts of their education and hard work,” said Elarbi Imad.  “The events are well attended by students and parents, with the final showcases regularly televised for much larger audiences.”

Since its inception, Arab Civitas programs have reached more than 140,000 students and 4,000 teachers in the region, while CCE’s international and domestic programs reach more than 5 million students per year, according to the press release.