AFS Intercultural Programs and AFS Tunisia are proud to announce the AFS in Africa: Global Citizenship Education Forum which will connect educators, intercultural learning practitioners and researchers with schools, universities, governments, policy-makers and others interested in advancing global citizenship education in Africa. The Forum is organised under the official patronage of the Tunisian Ministry of Education. The forum will be the highlight of the AFS in Africa Meeting bringing together leaders of the five AFS partners in Africa (Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, and Tunisia).

This is the first Forum of its kind in Africa, working to build a sustainable future of the continent through education. Following the Arab spring of 2010, Tunisia emerged as a champion of peace and democracy. These efforts were also recognised with the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to a group of four organisations working towards the common good and founded on the principle of equality. This context sets the stage for the engaging discussions planned for the inaugural AFS in Africa: Global Citizenship Education Forum, where one of the keynote speakers will be Ms. Wided Bouchamaoui, one of the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize laureates. This event builds on the legacy of other global events organised by AFS Intercultural Programs (see more at afs.org/events).

photo by Facundo Mendez

The AFS in Africa: Global Citizenship Education Forum will address the status of and possibilities to advance global citizenship education in Africa, as well as the competencies teachers need to be able to work towards global citizenship education. The Forum will include interactive workshops about experiential learning activities that help create meaningful interactions and enhance intercultural skills. Attendees can choose to participate in these workshops in one of the four languages offered, Arabic, English, French or Italian.

A distinguished group of keynote speakers will address the Forum, including:

  • Ms Wided Bouchamaoui, Head of the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts (UTICA), and one of the Nobel Peace Prize laureates for 2015,
  • Dr Souad Halila, Assistant Professor at the University of Tunis El-Manar,
  • Ambassador Hatem Atallah, Executive Director of Anna Lindh Foundation,
  • Dr Roberto Ruffino, Secretary General of Intercultura Foundation, and
  • Mr Moncef Moalla, UNICEF Deputy Representative for Algeria.

Participants in the AFS in Africa: Global Citizenship Education Forum will have a unique opportunity to network with regional leaders from the education, policy and civil society sectors, gain a better understanding of intercultural skills and global competences, and identify and adopt strategies for incorporating intercultural learning in school curricula. Participants will also exchange the latest methodologies, research, programming opportunities and resources on global citizenship education, and learn how to use intercultural skills to move our societies beyond polarization. Interactive workshops facilitated by experts from AFS Intercultural Programs will provide the participants with the key practical tools and knowledge on experiential and intercultural learning.

All interested stakeholders are invited to register until 15 June 2017 by using the registration form available on the Forum’s website. More information is available at the Forum’s website.