Missy Gluckmann, Founder of Melibee Global and Arnd Wachter, Founder of Crossing Borders Education
I had the pleasure of participating in a radio interview with Arnd Wächter (Crossing Borders Film) and Dr. David Owusu-Ansah (Professor of African Studies, James Madison University) on Tom Graham’s “Virginia Insight” show on WMRA.
You can listen to the recording here.
(If you would like to consider Arnd Wächter for a film screening or speaking event, please click here.)
I had the pleasure of presenting at NCAIE this past week with Carrie Wagner, Author of Village Wisdom and Bonnie Parker, Study Abroad Director from UNCA.
We crafted a session that was meant to be more interactive and less power point driven, as we all have had near death experiences caused by “too much powerpoint”!
Our session was described as follows: “Muslim”, “Israeli”, “African”, and “American” – the labels that we use to describe others come with heavy baggage and a tremendous burden. This session will provide resources that can be used in community programming and/or as part of the curriculum to create dialogue that will aid in demystifying and humanizing “the other.”
Note: The “other” in our training meant a person or culture that one did not have first hand experience with, or one that generated stereotypes due to limited first hand experience. It was meant to acknowledge that we each have limited understanding of certain people, places and cultures in this world, and as a result, we often relate to them through stereotypes. These stereotypes create a disconnect between us and “them.
That’s a lot to tackle in 75 minutes, right? Here was our approach:
Icebreaker: This was designed to create dialogue about “the other” and to help identify our own “others” or that of our students/community. We talked about the importance of setting up a trusting environment before doing this exercise. We had four different photos and asked people to go to the one that intrigued them. Participants were then asked to write down words that came to mind as a result of viewing the image and to discuss the image and the words. For example, a photo of two young people sitting on the side of a street with a musical instrument garnered words such as “poor” and “talented.” Then we briefly heard from each group – why did they choose those words?
1st Exercise: We worked in small groups and each read a specific section from Carrie Wagner’s book “Village Wisdom.” The groups each identified which phase of the cultural adjustment the section of the book related to and then discussed how that particular phase contributed to how the sojourner perceived “the other.”
2nd Exercise: We watched a 12 minute clip from the film “Crossing Borders.” In this scene, the students (American and Moroccan) visit the Sidi Moumen slum and met with local Moroccan youth who live there. The film clip illustrated the several layers of “the other” – the Americans experiencing a Muslim country for the first time and a slum for the first time, the Moroccan students meeting their fellow countrymen who live in a slum, which was a new experience for them as locals. We discussed how “the other” can be people in our own society or people half way around the world, and that often changes over time.
We also spoke about how these two educational tools can be used in schools – for example:
- Instead of a common read, have a common film experience and weave it into the curriculum. Assess the change in world view as a result of this experience, using a tool like the BEVI.
- Use these tools in orientation, pre-departure and re-entry meetings.
- Weave these tools into an interdisciplinary course. Push the boundaries of what the items on the list were originally intended for!
- Use these tools for STAFF training and retreats. We need to be inspired too!
- Create a book/film club and invite students and larger community to participate.
Bonnie, Carrie and I prepared a “toolkit” that is meant to be a living document that we can always update. What resources would you want to share for those interested in exploring “the other” further? How can the resource be used?
Free Download: Demystifying the Other Toolkit (PDF, 53.5kb)
Training at NCAIE was very rewarding. I love to interact with my colleagues and I always learn from each group. I hope that this little training module will inspire you to demystify “the other” on your campus and in your community.
Today marks the start of the House’s Homeland Security Committee’s “hearings” intended to investigate the radicalization of Muslim-Americans. Representative Keith Ellison, the US’s first Muslim American elected to Congress, wept today as he shared the story of Mohammed Salman Habdani, a young Muslim-American who died at the World Trade Center on 9/11. I wept along:
Ellison said, “Ascribing the evil acts of a few individuals to an entire community is wrong; it is ineffective; and it risks making our country less secure.” I could not agree more. He went on to say, “Throughout human history, individuals from all communities and faiths have used religion and political ideology to justify violence. Let’s think about the KKK, America’s oldest terrorist organization; the Oklahoma City bombing; the shooting at the Holocaust Museum by James von Brunn; and bombings at Planned Parenthood clinics. Did Congress focus on the ethnic group and religion of these agents of violence as a matter of public policy? The answer is no.” (Ellison’s entire speech can be read here.)
When this happens, this is the outcome – fearful people directing their misinformation and anger toward the WRONG people, such as CHILDREN and legal citizens who have been born and raised in this country, who have done nothing wrong. And lets be really clear here – it is NOT ok to call children TERRORISTS. Take a moment to watch this recent horrific “protest” of Muslim Americans in California. If you cannot watch the entire thing, I understand. It is sickening:
How can we combat this hatred in our country and this need by many to create a culture of fear?
1) reach out to your Muslim friends, neighbors and colleagues. Tell them you support them.
2) reach out to your faith community and ask them to facilitate interfaith dialogue opportunities and to share a message of support with the local mosque(s).
3) reach out to your schools. Ask them to address this issue by developing programming that will challenge the message of fear and hatred.
4) visit a local mosque. Ask to have a same gender member show you around the mosque. (If you are a woman, be sure to bring a scarf to cover your hair and to wear pants or a skirt that reach the floor, and cover your arms. This is a sign of respect in that faith.)
5) write to your local government and ask for their support in educating the community about every day Islam in the US.
6) Melibee offers a couple of different presentations by Muslim speakers. Contact me for more information at info@melibeeglobal.com if interested.
7) Attend the April 4th screening of the film “Crossing Borders” and participate in the follow up panel discussion afterward. (Here is more information – and I’ll be there so be sure to say hello!)
Today’s guest post is written by Arnd Wächter from Crossing Borders Education. Arnd writes about the transformative power of international experiences and he offers a glimpse into his personal experience on the subject. Arnd is one of the most fascinating people that I’ve met on this international education journey; we have talked for hours about how meeting people from other parts of the world and hearing different perspectives have shaped us. Arnd has not only become a friend to me and my family, but is also a part of Melibee Global’s international speakers series. He can be booked to present his film, Crossing Borders, and is scheduled to be in the US from mid-March through mid-April 2011, so reach out if you are interested. (His film is also available for screening in other parts of the world.)
As an educator, I believe that intercultural experiences have an important role to play in a world situation that is – to say the least – very confusing. This year, 2011, marks a decade since the tragic events of September 11. Today’s undergraduate college students were eight to twelve years old in 2001 and consequently have spent their intellectually formative years with post-9/11 media coverage, little of which addressed the need for intercultural understanding. I believe that we have the demanding opportunity to support this generation of students and future leaders to deeper understand the major challenges of cross-cultural conflicts and to develop the capabilities, commitment and grit to address them.
Personal experiences that are transformative are often the driving force behind the passions in our lives. I would love to share a glimpse of mine. I was born in communist East Germany and grew up next to the Berlin Wall. Sometimes my brother and I climbed trees to see boats going by on the river on the other side of the wall. We watched people having barbecue in their gardens but were never able to go there. I was 19 years old when the wall came tumbling down. At that time and in the following years, I experienced drastically in my own story the reality of the Anais Nin’s statement: “We see the world not as it is, but as we are.”
When traveling the world, I realized with amazement how much my images of history, countries and current affairs have been shaped by the context I had lived in. Intercultural experiences became one of the key teachers for my personal development and for learning about other cultures and people. My fascination grew about the process of what happens to our perception and awareness when we enter another culture with appreciation and open senses. I sensed that the world can look entirely different from a different cultural perspective when I am engaging openly in deep dialogue with people of other cultures. And I realized in these conversations that I am learning as much about the “Other” as I am learning about myself.
In the following years, I became passionate about intercultural immersion experiences and backpacked on tiny budgets across the world – often choosing solo trips in order to intensify the intercultural impact. These personal travel experiences became the vibrant background for my passion to create cross-cultural immersion programs, activities and films, which encourage, support and challenge university students to cross borders internally and externally. I would love to share a few of my observations on these activities:
Student Experiences on the Morocco Exchange programs of our organization triggered often very different responses of American students when they stayed at Moroccan family homes and interacted personally with Moroccan students. American students from a more liberal background were often surprised about the positive experiences they had. Some of them identified themselves as being very literate with critical thinking skills and were then surprised finding out how much they had been affected by images of Muslims in the US media.
Conservative students who traveled with us often had to process the shock of experiencing openness, hospitality and warmth in Morocco in sharp contrast to the hostile view their entire families held of the region. I remember a student sharing with me: “My parents and grandparents are not talking to me at the moment. They are evangelical Christians and are deeply upset with me that I am visiting a Muslim country.” After a while she added with a quiet voice: “They consider this religion as evil.”
Over the past years I saw in my own story and in the story of students that experiences themselves are the best teacher to confront existing preconceptions. It is a defining and creative moment when students encounter for themselves something that is in contrast to their accustomed perception, because it empowers them to discover themselves first hand and enhances critical thinking skills. It is powerful to experience hospitality in a Muslim country and then to reflect on: How come we hear so much about the reality of terrorism while hearing very little about the reality and beauty of the other culture? How come we saw post 9/11 on US media images of a small group of 10-20 Muslims celebrating, creating an image as if the entire Muslim world was celebrating? How come we saw these images repeated over and over again? How come we did not see 60,000 Iranians holding a Peace Vigil for the victims of 9/11? How come we did not see the images of over 1 million Moroccans demonstrating against the use of violence in the name of their faith after the bombing in Casablanca in which no American was hurt?
These are moments in which I have a lot of compassion with my students. I remember how much inner work it was after the Communist system imploded to come to terms with my entire education being incomplete or a distorted image. To change such perception does not happen in one conversation it needs eye opening experiences and time to reflect and process.
What I truly love about American students is the quality to get emotionally involved and care about issues and people. I noticed that most students who traveled with us knew very little about the region. I also experienced that the majority really cared from the moment they connected to a person or an issue on a personal level. It is a quality I deeply appreciate in the American culture.
The Educators Role: My experience is that most of the time we do not need to tell students what to think or do. We only need to encourage and support them to step into experiences that are challenging and widening. I experienced many times that the goodness within students takes over and makes them choose their next chapters of learning themselves by going into volunteer work, study abroad or long term services such as the Peace Corps. I experienced that students can discover their passion and task in this world where they are connected to their own power. So I would like to close with a quote that I love sharing with students when they ask “So what can I do?”, a quote which became key to my personal process of growing ideas and visions into creative realities.
“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs.
Ask yourself what makes you come alive
and then go and do that.
Because what the world needs
is people who have come alive.”
H. T. Whitman
About the Author: Arnd received his school education in Communist East Germany. As a conscientious objector to military service, he was not allowed to study at university and became a carpenter. After the fall of the Berlin Wall he started to travel the world beyond Eastern Europe and was able to study abroad in London. There he completed his MA in Religious Studies and Post Graduate Certificate of Education. Since 1996 he has worked and lived in the UK, Japan, Australia, the US, Spain and Morocco and traveled extensively on six continents. The impact these journeys had on him personally made him aware of the transformative power of cross-cultural interactions. Being on a visit to Morocco during the build-up to the US intervention in Iraq, he was deeply moved by personal conversations with Moroccans. This inspired him to create an educational NGO that by now has taken over 3600 American students on programs to interact with Moroccan families, students, professors, Peace Corps volunteers, and Fulbright scholars on a personal level. In 2007-2009 he produced and directed the feature documentary “Crossing Borders”as a cross cultural tool to initiate dialogue between students in the Western and Muslim worlds. The film was selected at 12 international film festivals and won several awards.
I’m delighted to share that Arnd Wächter will be screening his award winning documentary, Crossing Borders, at several NAFSA regional conferences this fall. There will also be a scholarship fundraiser in Washington DC.
Here is the 3 minute trailer:
If you would like more information about Arnd and this film, please see these postings:
An Update on Crossing Borders Film
Interview with Arnd Wächter, Director/Producer of Crossing Borders Film
Introduction to Crossing Borders Film (original post)
Here is the schedule, so mark your calendar:
* October 26, 2010 at 2 pm: Screening of the film at NAFSA Region 3 in New Orleans.
* October 26, 2010 at 4 pm: Presentation about using film in international education at NAFSA Region 3 in New Orleans.
* November 4, 2010 at 6:30 pm: Screening of the film at NAFSA Region 5 in Detroit.
* November 7, 2010 at 5 pm: Screening of the film at 5 pm at NAFSA Region 10 in New Brunswick. Please note that this is the day of pre-conference workshops, so if you want to see the free screening and meet Arnd, you should plan to arrive a bit early if you are not attending a pre-conference workshop. (Trust me, the film is spectacular and Arnd’s story about the making of the film and what was happening behind the scenes are well worth arriving a day early!)
* November 9, 2010 at 6 pm: Special Screening to raise scholarship funds for FEA. Reception at 6 pm, screening at 7 pm. at George Washington University, DC.
* November 10, 2010 at 6 pm: Screening of the film at NAFSA Region 11 in Providence.
* November 11, 2010 at 3:45 pm: Screening of the film at NAFSA Region 8 in Richmond.
* November 12, 2010 at 9 am: Presentation about using film in international education at NAFSA Region 8 in Richmond.
If you’d like to book a screening on your campus or in your community, here is more information on how to do so!
Map of Morocco
In these challenging times, Crossing Borders continues to be a film that I consider a “must see.” Crossing Borders documents four American study abroad students who visit Morocco to meet four local students. This film magically creates the opportunity for viewers to discuss how we perceive others who are different, giving us a framework to examine how young people work through some tense conversations and long standing stereotypes. We live in a world that increasingly rushes to equate Muslim with “terrorist” and this film addresses Islamophobia head on.
The film’s Director, Arnd Wächter, has asked me to share the following information with Melibee Global readers:
* Crossing Borders will be screened at several regional NAFSA (Association of International Education) conferences this fall. In addition, it may be screened online, for free, through October 10th at vimeo. Simply click here and then enter the password “mutear 2010″ (do not include the quotes).
* The Crossing Borders Film website has been updated. Please share it with anyone who may be interested!
* Crossing Borders recently won “Best Documentary” at the Los Angeles Global Film Festival. (Congrats Arnd!) 
* Educational Screenings are available! ”Crossing Borders” is the key tool for the “Intercultural Awareness Initiative” - Crossing Borders Education has partnered with organizations (such as Search for Common Ground, Institute of Economics and Peace, Soliya/UNAoC, etc.) in order to create powerful intercultural events at campuses across the US. Educators are invited to utilize a screening of “Crossing Borders” as a transformative intercultural campus event. It is a PERFECT event for November’s International Education Week. These screening events aim to deepen intercultural awareness at campuses and inspire cross-cultural empathy in a post-9/11 world. (The 3 minute film trailer can be viewed at www.crossingbordersfilm.org.) If you are interested in a screening of Crossing Borders, please visit the website and contact Arnd and his team at: info@cb-education.org.
My previous post was about the journey of Aman Ali and Bassam Tariq from the 30mosques.com project. In my opinion, having a screening of Crossing Borders and then having Aman and Bassam speak on your campus (or in your community) is an ideal way to set the stage for authentic dialogue about the increasing anger that is being directed toward the Muslim community. Aman and Bassam have seen Arnd’s film – they watched it in the car on the long stretches between cities on the 30 mosques.com roadtrip during Ramadan, and they believe in the film’s potential for increasing interfaith dialogue that we are so anxiously in need of in the US.
Feel free to contact me if I can help to facilitate any opportunity for dialogue about this important issue on your campus or in your community. I am in touch with Arnd, Aman and Bassam regularly and promise to do my best to bring these educational tools to your students and community. Why is this important? Perhaps Rodney King said it best when he tried to calm the city of Los Angeles down during the riots: “Can we all get along? Can we stop making it, making it horrible for the older people and the kids?…It’s just not right. It’s not right. Please, we can get along here. We all can get along. I mean, we’re all stuck here for a while. Let’s try to work it out. Let’s try to beat it. Let’s try to beat it. Let’s try to work it out.”
Frankly, I believe we have no other choice!
I am a New Yorker. I am also a world citizen. Therefore, I have a responsibility to write about this horrific debate that has been brewing in New York City over plans to seek approval to build a new cultural center called the Cordoba House a mere two blocks from the World Trade Center site.
Approximately a week ago, there was an open community board meeting to discuss the plans for the Cordoba House. People came out in droves to voice their objections, claiming that Ground Zero is too sacred to put a “mosque that symbolizes the ideology that inspired the attacks of 9/11.” You’ll see in this interview and video on ABC news that the media continues to perpetuate the inaccuracy that Muslims “were cheering in the streets in streets in the Middle East and in America” on 9/11. I didn’t see any Muslims dancing in our streets? Did you? How about our friends in the Middle East? Were there droves of people dancing in your streets when the towers fell? What I do recall are images from around the world showing people crying and holding candle light vigils. I recall friends from all regions of the world, including the Middle East, sending their heartfelt condolences over the terrorist attacks and reminding us that this is not what Islam is about.
The same ABC news video clip shows Daisy Khan, Executive Director for the American Society for Muslim Advancement serving as a voice of reason. She states: “It is active ignorance at play, and a center like this will be dedicated to removing that ignorance.” Bravo to Ms. Khan for stating what needed to be said. It makes me wonder how many of the people condemning the Cordoba House initiative have ever SPOKEN with a person who is Muslim. I wonder if they’ve ever directly sat down and asked a Muslim person about their faith and what they do in a mosque when they pray. I wonder if they’ve ever seen anything about Islam that didn’t come out of Fox 5 news or any other conservative news source. I wonder if they have ever picked up an English version of the Koran or traveled to a place that is primarily Muslim? I wonder if they have ever visited the Cordoba House Initiative’s website which clearly explains the goals of the project and the legacy of work done on behalf of peace building around the world.
I was in New York on 9/11. I spent the day frantically trying to contact my family. I went to the local hospital to try to donate blood. My family awaited news of my brother-in-law who worked near the towers; he wasn’t reached for a few hours but at the time it felt like days. Thankfully he was alright, just difficult to reach. We watched as thousands died on that day in New York and in Washington DC. I tear up just thinking about how many people I know who lost someone close to them and I mourn the passing of a way of life in this country that died on that day. While I can’t completely understand the grief and pain of those who had family members and friends murdered, I do have an obligation to push back against ignorance about what the Muslim community stands for and what they are trying to do with Cordoba House.
When people are angry enough to state things such as “this is where the next terrorist act will be planned,” we have an obligation to say, ok, enough is enough. Let’s not forget that innocent Muslims were killed in the Trade Center on 9/11. Is it not their right to mourn also and build an educational and spiritual center that is based on religious leaders working together to minimize tension between Muslims and the West? And if two blocks away from Ground Zero is “too close,” what is far enough away? Are we talking 5 blocks? Above 23rd street? Above 59th Street? One of the outer boroughs of New York? New Jersey? This ridiculous notion that the plans for the center are “too close” are sprung from a group of people who are drowning in sadness, anger and ignorance.
I can’t believe that I even have to write this because it seems so ridiculous that somehow Muslims are all being labeled as terrorists by people who live in one of the most diverse cities in the world. For me, it is as silly as saying that all Republicans are terrorists because Timothy McVeigh (the Oklahoma City bomber) was a registered Republican. Any extremist view is dangerous, but to label all people under one umbrella of faith is simply ignorant.
As an international educator, I work tirelessly to bring diverse people together to create opportunities for authentic dialogue. In the past, I’ve brought World Religions for Peace to speak with students and recently wrote about my experience bringing the film “Crossing Borders” to Western Connecticut State University. This marvelous film about a group of American students who travel to Morocco to meet a group of Muslim students prompted several Western Connecticut State University students to write papers about their negative stereotypes of the Muslim world, admitting they had never even had a conversation with a Muslim before and feeling ashamed that they judged them without warrant. The simple lesson of not judging a book by its cover is certainly applicable here.
When these protesters in New York City have actually had a conversation with a Muslim person, I’m quite certain that they won’t be standing in line to complain about the Cordoba House Initiative. In fact, I think they’ll be standing in line to attend one of the cultural events. I know I will be.
Missy Gluckmann, Founder of Melibee Global with Arnd Wächter, Founder of Crossing Borders Education
I had the pleasure of crossing paths with Arnd Wächter while at a recent meeting at the Institute of International Education. You may recall that I had arranged for Arnd to screen his film, “Crossing Borders“, in early April at Western Connecticut State University (WCSU). While in the U.S., Arnd traveled to Washington DC for several meetings to discuss the film with organizations and schools.
His meeting at IIE, on his final day in the U.S., conveniently coincided with a training that I was attending. I managed to steal him for a few minutes to hear more about his vision for Crossing Borders. I was particularly inspired to do so after seeing the response of students at WCSU. Several students who attended the screening wrote “extra credit” papers for one of the Political Science classes. The professor of the course felt it was important to share them with me as the students commented very candidly on their own stereotypes of the Muslim world. One wrote about how ashamed he felt after seeing this film because he realized that he made assumptions about these people without any facts.
As you have read in my other postings, “Crossing Borders” is a must see film. To learn more about the film and Arnd Wächter, please enjoy this 10 minute interview (and many thanks to Digital Strategy Works for shooting and editing this interview on such short notice)
Arnd Wachter, Producer of the documentary "Crossing Borders"
Back in November 2009, I wrote about a documentary that I saw at the NAFSA Region X conference. The film, “Crossing Borders,” was so very powerful that I swore that I would bring it to the community – and I am pleased to be able to invite you to the free screening at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, Connecticut (USA) on Tuesday, April 6th at 6 pm.
The film’s Producer, Arnd Wachter, will participate in a question and answer period after the film along with WCSU Dr. Robert Whittemore and Dr. Damla Isik, both from WCSU’s Anthropology Department.
Wachter is the Founder and Managing Director of Crossing Borders Education. He completed his MA and Post-Graduate Certificate in Education at London University. He has over twelve years experience of living abroad, and has taught Cross Cultural Education, World Religions and German for the past nine years in the UK, Japan, New Zealand and Spain. Wachter’s fascination for foreign cultures and for the transformative power of journeys have led him to explore a wide range of travel destinations on six continents. In 2008/9 he produced the documentary “Crossing Borders.”
This screening of “Crossing Borders” is free and is open to the public. The midtown campus of WCSU is located at 181 White Street. You can park in the large garage (also free) on White Street. The film will screen in the Science Building Theater, Room 125. This map will be of assistance – and note that the walk from the parking garage to the science building is just a few minutes.
I hope to see you there!
