Bilateral US-Arab Chamber of Commerce Announces 2nd Annual TEACH Fellowship to the Middle East.

HOUSTON -- Imagine being in a land where you can see camels and skyscrapers on the same street, and ancient wooden fishing boats in the same waters as multi-million dollar yachts. A group of teachers will have the opportunity to embark on such a journey to the Middle East this December sponsored by the Bilateral US-Arab Chamber of Commerce (BUSACC) in Houston. Teachers Educating Across Cultures in Harmony (TEACH) is a fellowship offered to high school, community college and university educators interested in a cultural exchange program that gives them firsthand knowledge about the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the State of Qatar.

"Our objective is to facilitate the exchange of ideas, visions and objectives between educators in the US and Arab world," says Aida Araissi, Founder of BUSACC.

While in Saudi Arabia the group will meet local teachers and visit schools, museums, marketplaces and meet Americans living and working in the kingdom. They will get a behind the scenes look at Aramco, the world's largest energy company and learn about the role the company plays both in the local economy and the global marketplace. They will learn about education initiatives and the delicate balance between conservative social mores and the modernization efforts underway in their education system.

The trip will continue to Qatar one of the world's fastest growing economies. In Qatar they will visit major U.S. universities that have set up satellite campuses such as Texas A&M, Georgetown University and Carnegie Mellon among others. They will visit charter schools modeled after U.S., British, French and Indian systems and exchange ideas on best practices, methodology and motivation techniques used to inspire a multi-cultural student body.

"As the world's cultures are being brought together by international trade and the off-shoring of jobs, the need for cultural tolerance, understanding and cooperation is of utmost importance. Educators in the U.S. will benefit greatly from learning how their counterparts in other parts of the world address these issues. They can bring back what they've learned into the classroom here in the U.S. and better prepare the next generation for an increasingly complex world," says Araissi.

The application deadline is this September 21st and can be found online along with information and images from last spring's trip. BUSACC is an organization dedicated to fostering mutual respect and understanding between the United States, Middle East and North Africa through commercial and educational exchanges. For more information, photos or interviews please call or visit www.bilateralchamber.org.