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Change the World: People-to-People Partnership

Creative Learning is a nonprofit dedicated to building peace and breaking down culture barriers through people-to-people partnership. It reaches its goal by supporting three local programs: Aid to Artisans, America’s Unofficial Ambassadors and School-2-School.

Aid to Artisans joined the Creative Learning in 2006, and provides opportunities to low-income artisans in the world of sustainable business. Its training program, Market Readiness Program, teaches the artisans marketing principles, profitable business strategies, how to determine price according to cost and how to enter the American market.

Artisans can receive insights of the market and understand the complicated structure of U.S. market. They also network with other artisans and share their experiences.

America’s Unofficial Ambassador (AUA) is a citizen initiative to encourage Americans to volunteer in the Muslim World to meet the most urgent needs such as education and technology.

A poll from TIME indicates that 62 percent of Americans say that they have never met a Muslim in their lives. The goal of this initiative is to change this by establishing mutual understanding and eliminating mistrust between Americans and the Muslim World. By December 2013, at least 35 ambassadors volunteered in Muslim World and shared their stories after completing their missions.

As an extension of the AUA initiative’s education goal, School-2-School (S2S) integrates virtual cultural program and direct volunteering to benefit both sides. In 2014, S2S brought together Alderman Road Elementary School in Fayetteville, North Carolina with Sukma Bangsa schools in Aceh, Indonesia. Students can meet regularly through internet-based classes and teacher Andi Webb from Alderman will visit Sukma Bangsa schools in Indonesia.

The S2S program has partnerships in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Panama, Philippines, Uganda and the United States. The students from both sides will start to make friends, increase mutual understanding and transcend the stereotype of “the other.”

Jing Xu

Sources: America’s Unofficial Ambassadors, Creative Learning.org 1, AUA: School-2-School, Creative Learning: Aid to Artisans>, Creative Learning: AUA, Aid to Artisans, Creative Learning.org 2
Photo: Global Giving