arab civitas Delegation REPORTS ON SUCCESS OF DEMOCRACY education programs IN ARAB WORLD

Directors of Arab Civitas will use meetings in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles to strengthen education for democracy programs

Los Angeles (October 29, 2007)—Delegates from six countries in the Middle East and North Africa are visiting U.S. leaders and civic educators in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles to report on their success in implementing and institutionalizing civic education programs in their region.

The Arab Civitas regional civic education network promotes civic engagement among young people in 13 Arab countries and territories. It is supported by grants from the U.S. Agency for International Development through the Middle East Partnership Initiative, a presidential initiative to support economic, political, and educational reform in 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.

The Arab Civitas delegation, which includes educators, directors of nonprofit organizations and award-winning journalists, will spend Oct. 29–31 meeting 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.

In California, delegates participated in a weeklong financial sustainability workshop hosted by the Los Angeles–based Center for Civic Education—a nonprofit organization that promotes education for democracy in the United States and in more than 65 other countries. “The objective of the financial sustainability workshop and the Washington visits is to help Arab Civitas leaders sustain and expand their civic education programs and inform U.S. officials of the important progress made in promoting the cause of democracy and human rights in the Arab region,” said Richard A. Nuccio, director of the Civitas International Programs at the Center.

Arab Civitas is a unique regional network of Arab educational leaders focused on the implementation of civic education programs in schools and communities in Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, the West Bank and Gaza, and Yemen. Since their inception, Arab Civitas programs have reached more than 140,000 students and 4,000 teachers.

The Center’s international and domestic programs reach more than 5 million students per year. The Civitas International Programs, administered by the Center, are funded by the U.S. Department of Education under the Education for Democracy Act approved by Congress, with additional support from the State Department, USAID, and others.

For more information about the Center for Civic Education, see www.civiced.org. For more information about the Arab Civitas educational network, see www.arabcivitas.net. For more information about the Civitas International Programs, see www.civnet.org.