Sister city delegates from Morocco talk jobs, education in Somerville
Courtesy University of the Middle East
Student at the Arthur D. Healey School await a visit by the delegation of Moroccans who concluded a five-day visit to Somerville Tuesday.
In the latest round of cultural dialogue between Somerville and sister city Tiznit, Morocco, a group from the North African city concluded a five-day visit Tuesday, planners said.
The Moroccan delegation follows a parallel trip by 20 professionals from Somerville April 15 to Tiznit, organized through the University of the Middle East, a Somerville-based group that organizes educational development programs for Middle Eastern and North African teachers.
"The basic idea is getting people to get together and meet each other," said Ray Matsumiya, the university's executive director. "Between the mayors, they both have strong visions of internationalism."
Tiznit is one of four Somerville sister cities. The others are Gaeta, Italy; Nordeste, Portugal; and Yucuaiquin, El Salvador.
"We both have the same vision of how to design and conceive the modern city," said Oammou, through a translator. "It works around the high quality of human beings. We really believe in the human capacity."
Together, the dual exchange sought to evoke ideas, partnerships, and understanding between the two cities, during a time of increased uncertainty in the Arab world, the university said.
The groups came together to talk youth unemployment, which played a key role in some of the popular uprisings in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, and other North African countries, drawing a stark backdrop for the discussions, the university said.
The initiative "tackles one of the most vital and timely topics in the Arab world and is just one component of the extraordinary Sister Cities relationship," according to the university.
"As the world gets more interconnected there is a need to work more with people from other cultures," said Matsumiya, the executive director.
The delegates visited Somerville High School, City Hall to meet with Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, toured studios in Teele Square, and visited the Massachusetts State House.
"Both are small cities, similar populations, lots of artists and many engaged people," said Samira Idelcadi, an English teacher from Tiznit who attended a University of the Middle East program in 2006, and facilitated the sister city agreement that was formalized in December 2009.
Idelcadi said most of the students in Tiznit graduate from secondary schools and go on to university or other post-secondary schools, leaving many with fewer options without advanced education.
"We're more interested in finding vocational work," she said in an interview Monday night at Brickbottom Artist Studios, where about 100 gathered for a potluck reception.
"I'm taking lots of ideas," Idelcadi said. "Connecting our youth, our schools, and how we plan."
Waiting for Twitter to feed in the latest...