Civilizations Exchange & Cooperation Foundation Resource

From AFSWiki

Needing an additional cultural resource for YES students? The Civilizations Exchange & Cooperation Foundation (CECF) is available to our constituents (hosting coordinators, host families, hosted students, support volunteers, staff, potential host families), and provides support and information about hosting a Muslim student. CECF provides consulting services to AFS-USA. They provide counseling and support services to students and families currently hosting YES participants (both Muslim and non-Muslim) and to those who are considering becoming a host family of a Muslim participant. They are easily accessible by email and telephone at cecf1@aol.com or 410-944-6077. Feel free to call any of the YES Specialists (Alexis, Sanaa and Tamara) if you have any questions or you can contact CECF directly.

CECF provides its unique services and support to the YES Program in the following areas:

• year round guidance and 24/7 on-call support for host families and students
• training and support to staff and volunteers
• on-line resources and extra reading for the host families and students on specified issues relevant to the exchange program
• presentations and orientations during annual coordinator conferences, seminars and workshops
• arrival & re-entry orientations for the students
• enhancements activities
• developing other useful activities, programs, tools or ways to disseminate information to students, host families, volunteers and staff

CECF arrival orientation sessions, workshops, presentations, and other support/resource services during the year focus on:

• clarification in Arabic and English of the intricate relation between religion and culture
• theologically based interpretations and references to the religious texts, which accommodates the necessary cross-cultural adjustments and communication
• how diversity is an important element of prosperity in our global world
• interfaith, pluralism, religious & cultural practices in America
• values and principles of the founding fathers of the American society and people
• basic education about Islam, Muslims and the diverse backgrounds of students

CECF re-entry orientation focuses on:

• upon returning home, how to incorporate values and principles, which they experienced in America, into their lives/cultures
• seeing religions and cultural diversity as part of solutions, not part of problems
• stressing that “tolerance” and/or mutual respect for the “freedoms” are key to the success of the American society
• other concepts that add success to the Americas society such as (volunteerism, hard work, human rights and transparency)

Better Understanding for a Better World Conference

CECF, its mission and activities on both a local and global level, has worked to bridge the gap of ignorance and misunderstanding in the human family. We try to

"Provide activities that will increase and enhance students' understanding of the importance of tolerance and respect for the views, beliefs, and practices of others in a diverse society."

Since 2006, CECF has structured the Better Understanding for a Better World Conferences in both Orlando and Baltimore, and beginning in 2010 on the West Coast, to function as enhancement activities. It focuses on and integrates the following:

• a broad view of the society, values, principles and diverse cultures that make up the U.S.A
• the importance of tolerance for other believes by realizing the similarities which way supersede the differences through the visits to a mosque, church and a synagogue.
• aspects of leadership, elements of success for the future generation in an ever shrinking world and the leaders of tomorrow
• unique opportunities of interaction and exchange of cultures, traditions and life styles for American high school students and YES, FLEX, ASMYLE and CBYX exchange students

A few specific samples of requested CECF Services, in addition to those listed above:

• students requesting assistance to identify verses from the Qur’an, which speak to a specific topic for their school presentations or projects
• host mothers, who try to figure out what aspects of the student’s behavior or expectations are religiously based and need to be supported and what aspects are purely cultural and perhaps there is some room for compromise
• coordinators, who have students that would like to discuss the issue of covering and need some help
• coordinators, who review incoming student profiles and need clarification on terminology
• students, who are puzzled when it comes to dietary issues and need guidance
• students, who may be emotional as they try to answer the very sensitive questions for their host families
• host families, who call and need help for a student, who is going through a difficult experience and needs help
• staff members, who are moving a student from one host family to another and think the student might benefit from personal counseling with one of our Imams (religious and cultural advisors)

CECF - 7745 Paddock Way ● Baltimore, MD 21244 ● 410-944-6077 ● cecf1@aol.com ● www.cecf-net.org