OPPORTUNITIES: ALF Euromed Bloggers Training on Intercultural Dialogue

The Euromed Anna Lindh Foundation for Dialogue between Cultures is organizing between the 27^th and 28^th of July the first phase of the Hyperlink Project, “the ALF Euromed Bloggers Training on Intercultural Dialogue” on the margin of the campaign Restore Trust – Rebuild Bridges which was launched by the Anna Lindh Foundation and the Alliance of Civilizations to encourage a culture of peace and coexistence in the Euro-Mediterranean Region.

The “the ALF Euromed Bloggers Training on Intercultural Dialogue” aims at providing 20 Euromed bloggers with an interactive 2 days training about intercultural dialogue, and Informing them about the Anna Lindh Foundation, its work, its. The project also would like to contribute in building a network of bloggers who believe in the necessity of Restoring Trust and Rebuilding Bridges and who are able to duplicate the messages as a starting point to more comprehensive programs with bloggers. The training is designed to result in conducting an online campaign to support Restore Trust and Rebuilding Bridges by associating the bloggers community in the region to the values of coexistence and culture of peace.

“The ALF Euromed Bloggers Training on Intercultural Dialogue” will take place in Luxembourg in cooperation with the ALF Head of Network in Luxembourg, the Abbey of Neumunster Cultural Centre on the 27^th, 28^th July 2009.

The training targets influential bloggers from the 43 Euromed countries who share the values of dialogue and coexistence, and are committed to promote mutual understanding between the countries of the region. The chosen 20 bloggers will be given the title of Cyber Ambassadors for Dialogue and would be asked to participate through there blogs in the one shot online campaign on the 18^th of September on Restore Trust – Rebuild Bridges, in order to encourage exchanges between people from different communities, promoting a culture of mutual respect, reconciliation, non-violent conflict resolution and peaceful coexistence inside and between the 43 member countries of the Euro-Med Region.

The training will be delivered by 2 highly professional trainers, one from the north and one from the south of the region. The methodology of the training will try to combine between plenary informative presentations, tools and games used in non-formal education on intercultural dialogue, and working groups to design the online campaign. The training will also include a Cultural Night where the participants will have the opportunity to discover each others cultures more closely. There will be also a Blog Souk where the participants can present there blogs and there blogging experiences and how intercultural dialogue is treated in their local blogs.

If you are a blogger yourself or know any influential bloggers from your country you would like to recommend, please send the details of your blog and the contact information of the person in charge of the blog to sarah.zaaimi@bibalex.org before the 30^th of June.

Please note that the Anna Lindh Foundation will cover the total costs of transportation, accommodation and meals for the selected applications.