A selection of participants of the Dialogue & Transition Programme

During the workshops of the Cultural Academy Libya, I learned the basics of project management. Getting to know other perspectives from other cultural managers in Libya and other countries as well as the networking itself, still help me in the projects of my institution up to this day. It feels like I was another person before participating in the program and returned home as a whole new person. It was a life changer for me; back then I was only 19 years old and still very young. The learning experience in the workshops, the connections I made with new people and the travelling, were very inspiring. But the most influential experience was to learn about similar and other institutions like mine and about how they started and developed until now. Currently I am planning a new project, which is about studying the issues of society through social science.
 

The program helped me to improve my skills in cultural management and also to deepen my knowledge about how cultural institutions work. It gave me a new perspective on art and culture and its role and impact on communities. I realized that it had quite some influence on society and that you don’t need huge amounts of money to create interesting projects. I really think that this program is what sparked my interest in art galleries and museums management. During the program, we had the opportunity to visit many amazing places and to talk to the people working there. I would advise future participants to hang out with the other participants as much as they can, because they will definitely learn a lot from them! This is how I got to know so much about the cultural scene in Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine and Jordan.
Next on my To Do List is to pursue a Master in “Art Curating” at Stockholm University. Currently, I am also working on some exhibition projects between Morocco and Sweden for next year.
 

The Dialogue & Transition Program gave me the opportunity to be part of a performance art show titled “Voyeurs”. I participated in that show during the Berlin Art Week 2017, where I had many interesting encounters with artists and curators. One of the most influential experiences I had in the program, was to get involved with an art collective and being immersed in the art scene of Berlin. My favorite memory there, was a scene inside a white cube, where I interacted with the audience in a proactive way. Apart from that experience in Berlin, I recently received a scholarship from the Goethe-Institut to do an intensive language and cultural course in Vienna in August. Furthermore, I plan to apply for a Master’s program in art and culture in Germany.
 

Attending the Civic Education Conference in Alexandria in 2013, helped me in widening my network and offered me an influential experience. If I could give one piece of advice to a person who participated in one of the Dialogue & Transition projects, it would be to make sure to attend the different workshops, which are offered in line of the alumni program, because they support you to grow your network and to stay updated on the work of civil education in Egypt. The next step for me is to complete the School for Educational Entrepreneurs, which started in September.
 

The Dialogue & Transition Program improved my communication skills a lot. I definitely gained more confidence, to take part in discourses about current events and debate about them with my friends and colleagues. However, the greatest benefit I gained from participating in the program, is the network I became a part of and I learned how to expand that network in the spirit of an intercultural dialogue. Now, I have the ability to plan, design and carry out many civic education activities, on diversity in communities and intercultural dialogue by myself. In addition, it was the first time I could network with my European colleagues professionally, discuss about cultural differences and how misunderstandings may lead to irrational feelings of hatred. I have learned how we can build real mutual intercultural dialogue to widen our views in different fields and I am very grateful for that experience.