US embassy cable - 05MANAMA1558

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAMA 001558 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR ECA/PE/V/F, NEA/PPD, NEA/PI, NEA/ARPI, PA/SCP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, OEXC, SCUL, KPAO, BA 
SUBJECT:  Citizen-Teacher Ambassadors Reach Bahraini 
Educators and Youth with Message of Youth Empowerment and 
Civic Participation 
 
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Summary 
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1.  (U)  Youth empowerment and civic participation were the 
core messages of a three-day visit by ECA Citizen 
Ambassadors, nationally recognized award winning American 
teachers Shannon C'de Baca and Linda Plattner.  The Citizen 
Ambassadors visited six Bahraini public schools and met with 
over 400 students and nearly 300 teachers and education 
leaders in events that included school assemblies, 
professional workshops, technology demonstrations, and media 
appearances.  The visit and press coverage significantly 
advanced mission goals by opening dialogue with key 
constituencies in the Ministry of Education and youth 
societies, strengthening relationships with existing 
education partners, and crystallizing messages of youth 
empowerment and civic participation directly with public 
school students.  END SUMMARY. 
 
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First of a Kind Partnership with Bahrain Public Schools 
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2.  (U)  The Citizen Ambassador visit created a unique 
opportunity for outreach to youth and teachers in Bahraini 
public schools.  The keystone of the program included visits 
to six public schools.  Partnering schools organized school 
assemblies where the Citizen Ambassadors engaged youth on 
subjects such as planning for future careers, organizing 
youth groups, and education and life in America.  The 
assemblies culminated in the presentation of Shared Futures 
backpacks to the students, presented by the Citizen 
Ambassadors and US Embassy parents.  Following each assembly 
the Citizen Ambassadors held a roundtable discussion with 
teachers from the school to discuss techniques for 
developing youth leadership and engaging parents and 
community in schools. 
 
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Messages Shared with Education Leaders and Youth 
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3.  (U)  The themes of youth empowerment and civic 
engagement ran throughout the three-day program as Citizen 
Ambassadors engaged key educational policy leaders and 
professional educators in workshops and discussions.  The 
program included: 
 
 - A workshop with 30 social studies teachers selected from 
30 different Bahraini high schools to discuss strategies in 
civic education, student leadership, and project based 
learning.  Audience members indicated they would bring the 
ideas to their home schools to share with other social 
studies teachers. 
 
- A youth empowerment workshop with the Bahrain Youth Forum, 
the most prominent youth activist society in Bahrain.  The 
workshop focused on strategies for organizing and securing 
broad support for the organization's Youth Agenda, recently 
presented to the King. 
 
 - Two workshops and technology demonstrations with the 
University of Bahrain Department of E-Learning and the 
Ministry of Education's King Hamad Schools of the Future 
project.  Each of these emphasized the power of internet and 
computer technology as an information resource for students, 
and offered strategies for using technology to foster 
communication with students outside Bahrain. 
 
 - A roundtable discussion with the leaders of local NGOs 
and institutions devoted to youth empowerment and education, 
including INJAZ/Junior Achievement (entrepreneurship 
education), GLOBE Bahrain (science education), and the Court 
of the Crown Prince (youth leadership and volunteerism). 
 
 - A discussion with prominent English language teachers on 
the subject of building teachers' associations. 
 
4.  (U)  In all events, the Citizen Ambassadors made 
individual and personal connections with many of the 
students and educators they encountered.  In the first week 
after the visit, one of the Citizen Ambassadors received 85 
emails from contacts she had met.  Follow-up activities will 
include distributing science kits from American NGOs to 
selected schools, connecting contacts with online resources 
for professional development, and connecting Bahraini 
students with American counterparts by email. 
 
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Press Coverage 
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5.  (U)  Local print and broadcast media were invited to 
attend a school visit, followed by a roundtable discussion 
with the Citizen Ambassadors.  The event was covered in all 
six Arabic and English-language Bahraini dailies and was a 
community news feature on Bahrain TVs Bab Al-Bahrain evening 
news program.  (Comment:  This is only the second time 
Bahrain TV has carried a US Embassy event.)  Each 
publication highlighted the program themes while emphasizing 
a different aspect of the program activity.  For example, Al- 
Meethaq, Bahrain TV, and the Gulf Daily News focused on the 
presentation of Shared Futures backpacks to students.  Al- 
Wasat reported heavily on the technology demonstrations. 
Bahrain Tribune discussed student exchanges and study abroad 
opportunities.  Akhbar Al-Khaleej highlighted a workshop 
with the Bahrain Youth Forum. 
 
6.  (U)  Post thanks ECA for offering and supporting this 
excellent program.  The visit helped focus and intensify 
public attention on youth empowerment and civic 
participation.  The program enabled post to strengthen ties 
with existing education partners as well as forge new 
relationships with target youth constituencies.  ECA support 
in pre-planning and throughout the visit ensured a 
successful and substantive program.  Post looks forward to 
working with ECA on similar programs in the future. 
 
MONROE