A distinct group of people who live in the Middle East will bring their personal and professional perspectives to a panel discussion at the Community Library in Ketchum.
Called "Living in the Middle East: Personal Perspectives," the discussion will take place on Monday, Oct. 5, from 7-8 p.m.
The event is co-sponsored by the Sun Valley Center for the Arts and the Idaho Human Rights Education Center in Boise.
Attending as a panelist will be Khalil Radwan, a school development specialist for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East in Amman, Jordan. Dor Kaidar is the Seeds of Peace ambassador for Israel in Tel Aviv. Seeds of Peace was founded in 1993 by journalist John Wallach to give young leaders from regions of conflict the leadership skills to advance reconciliation.
Also attending will be Walid Thawabta, a teacher at the Child Development Center on the West Bank, which is Palestinian territory partly under Israeli occupation. The panel moderator will be Dan Prinzing, education director for the Idaho Human Rights Education Center.
All the panelists will be in the Wood River Valley in conjunction with Youth LEAD, a leadership exchange program for high school students from Israel, Jordan, the West Bank and Idaho.
The panel discussion will present an opportunity for attendees to learn about the Youth LEAD program and connect to the resources of the Idaho Human Rights Education Center and AFS (American Field Service) intercultural programs.
In June, 18 Idaho students, including four from Wood River High School, traveled to Jordan and Israel. During the students' three-week visit, they received leadership training, civic education, project-based learning, cultural heritage appreciation and intercultural skill building.
The student delegation was created as a joint effort between AFS high school exchange programs and the Idaho Human Rights Education Center. The delegation was funded by the U.S. State Department.
Wood River High School social studies teacher James Foster was a chaperone for the trip.
Sabina Dana Plasse: splasse@mtexpress.com
