The Middle East Expedition reached its destination

Aboard the Middle East Expedition cross-cultural bridges were built, cross-cultural friendships arose and both Arabs and Danes learned that their opinions matter and that ideas can turn into real projects.

By Heidi Catherine Born, Khadije Nasser, Helene Stæhr, Gry Hvass-Pedersen and Parvaneh Ghorbani

20. October 2010

During July and August, 73 young and creative people (mainly students and new graduates in their twenties) from Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and Denmark travelled through Jordan, Syria and Lebanon in three big buses. And via different projects such as media, gender and kitchen, gardening, music, writing, painting, theatre and photography they created activities and events seeking to facilitate discussion and awareness on civic engagement in a new way in the cities they arrived in.

Workshops were organized to last three days, culminating in an eventful, vibrant and atmospheric ‘Engagement Day’ on the fourth day. On this day the participants invited other people to watch, experience, and contribute to the various exhibitions, theatre plays and discussions going on.

My opinion matters

The aim of the project, the Middle East Expedition, was to provide an example on how young people can engage in their local communities and facilitate the engagement of the people around them and in their communities.
"I hope the Arab participants will bring the learning from the expedition with them into their local contexts, and will create projects on their own afterwards too", Ann-Sophie Jespersen, one of the Danish project leaders, says.

Interviewing  the Arab participants, it is obvious that the expedition has really stirred and moved something in them.
"It’s the first time that I’m a part of something where my opinion matters and where people listen to me. During the MeXp, I have felt that I can make a difference in society. The MeXp has made me believe that I can move something locally. And since we’re young people from different countries, I feel we can move something globally as well", Sarah at 24 from Jordan says. A Jordanian guy adds:

"The most important thing for me when it comes to the Middle East Expedition is that I can learn something from the other participants, both culture-wise and mentality-wise, and that they can learn something from me. Acceptance of the different other is the keyword for MEXP", the Jordanian guy says.

Encouraged to express my ideas
Also in Syria, where the most successful part of the expedition took place,  according to the MS ActionAid evaluation reports, the Arab participants mentioned that the expedition had really affected them positively.
'The Middle East Expedition has been the most important experience in my life. Meeting Danes has made me so interested in the Danish society that I would like to get to know it better and I have now applied for a scholarship to studying in Denmark", Rima Ali (27 years) from Syria tells.
"Previously, I was afraid that people would reject my ideas and find me weird and I felt alone and not understood by my surroundings. But through the Middle East Expedition, I have been encouraged to express my ideas openly. And I have become less shy. And by getting to know the other Arabs and the Danish people, I have realized that we are on the same page and that I feel even more similar to some Danes than to some traditional Syrians. The Danes are my friends", Rima says.