Soliya

“There is nothing quite like conversation with your peers. Soliya creates a safe environment for us to talk about controversial issues we might not bring up. Having this dialogue made me more aware of other opinions and of my own. I learned so much. ”
— program alumna, University of St. Thomas, USA

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“Serving as a facilitator was a tremendously inspirational experience. Beyond reinforcing my commitment to cross-cultural education, facilitating has helped me to become a better listener and empathizer. ”
— Chelsea, Soliya Facilitator

“I’ve learned to embrace the unexpected and to lean into the uncomfortable moments because these are the opportunities to learn more about each other and to problem solve together. ”
— Soliya Facilitator

“Their eyes were opened to a reality with which they had previously had no contact, except through the media. They discovered through direct contact with young people of their age the events and emotions associated with the realities of the Arab world. In short, Soliya is my students' window on the Arab world and is simply indispensable in that context. ”
— Dr. Robert Crane, École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées, France

“It is fine to talk about theories about “engaging the other” or “increasing understanding across cultures”, but Soliya puts the students on the front lines of intercultural relations. They will learn more about themselves and their place in the world in the Soliya sessions than in a semester in International Relations classes. ”
— Ambassador Cynthia Schneider, Georgetown University, USA

“The Connect Program offers sustained cross-cultural exposure over longer periods of time. And it has been very fruitful. So, thank you for offering this program to a community of middle and low-middle class students who are in need to see others as they really are: human beings sharing common fear, love, and hopefully understanding. ”
— Dr. Osama Madany, University of Menoufeyya, Egypt

“The Soliya program was phenomenal in terms of its impact on the students' capacity to engage, learn, and, quite frankly, be transformed [...] Across the board, all of the students displayed a heightened consciousness of the diversity and multiplicity of perspectives. […] the aim is to open up minds and spur young people to taking their responsibilities as global citizens more seriously. ”
— Dr. Junaid S. Ahmad, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Pakistan

“[What I learned most is] to have self-confidence and to give my opinion freely without any fear. ”
— program alumnus, Al Azhar University, Egypt

“The best thing about the Soliya program was being able to meet and interact with people from around the world. To have a global network is invaluable in this day and age. And then to be able to have intellectual conversations within the group was priceless to our education and life perspectives. ”
— program alumna, University of Northern Colorado, USA

“Never before have I been able to discuss such interesting topics with so many people all living in different countries at the same time. Our discussions were always really fertile and I feel that they broadened my personal horizon a lot. ”
— program alumna, Basel University, Switzerland

“Soliya allowed me to open the box that I was living in for a long time and see the world around me. It taught me never to judge people according to where they live…It made me discover my personality all over again. ”
— program alumna, University of Jordan, Jordan

“The first semester is always overwhelming, but you learn to relax and roll with the punches. I love meeting new people each semester. I get a lot out of Soliya on a personal level and the skills are useful and transferable. ”
— Keith Williams; Soliya Senior Facilitator, coach, and ambassador; USA