Damascus, (SANA)-The third session of Global Exchange Program kicked off in Damascus on Sunday.
For 6 months, 16 volunteers from Syria and Britain will be paired up. They will live and work for 3 months in Damascus and for 3 months in Newcastle upon Tyne in Britain.
The volunteers will work with a number of non-governmental organizations in Damascus to develop and share skills and knowledge about physical disabilities and problems faced by adult learners. In Newcastle upon Tyne, volunteers will work on issues related to youth health, environment and refugees.
Four days a week, volunteers, who will be staying at Syrian families', will work as a team on a variety of local projects.
On the fifth day, work will be dedicated to unofficial workshops called /Global Citizenship Days/ organized by the volunteers to focus on global issues and raise awareness about development and dialogue among cultures.
The Exchange Program was organized by Damascus-based British Cultural Council office and Shabab Project.
Director of the Council Elizabeth White said the Program aims to create partnerships based on cooperation to develop skills of sharing ideas and opinions.
Coordinator of Projects Development at Shabab Leen Allati said "The Program provides an opportunity for highlighting the resources and potentials of young people. It will enable them to know about other cultures to make contribution to serving local community."
Volunteers will be working with a number of NGOs including Basma Association (for children with cancer), SOS Children's Village (for orphans and children in need), Shabab Project (supporting young entrepreneurship), Zaid Bin Haritha House (care for abandoned children), Aamal Organization for Disabled, Karim Rida Said Foundation (health, disability and education in the Middle East) and Association for Women's Role Development.
The Global Exchange program is a six-month exchange program which gives young people from different countries a unique opportunity to work together, to develop and share valuable skills and to make a practical contribution where it is needed in local communities.
H. Said /Idelbi
