M.E.E.T. - Middle East Education through Technology

One of the most inspiring examples in the Middle East that demonstrates how technology is making a difference in the education and lives of young people is M.E.E.T. (Middle East Education through Technology).

This project, developed by alumni of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), aims to create bridges between Israeli and Palestinian youth, and break the long-held misconceptions that they have of each other. MEET project founders deliberately chose technology, an apolitical field of study, to bring youth together to meet one another, discover their cultures, their similarities, their differences — their humanity.

MEET team founders report that only a few miles separate most Israelis and Palestinians, yet their views of each other are largely based on propaganda, politics, and tragedy — rarely through personal interaction. Through its innovative educational environment, MEET facilitates the common ground for Israeli and Palestinian high school students, providing opportunities for them to learn to look at one another not only as fellow individuals, but even as potential partners.

The team of MIT alums who founded MEET recognized that in business around the world professionals work together every day to advance goals within culturally and politically diverse environments. In the business world, identity revolves around professional interests rather than political ideologies. MEET aims to create a similar environment for Middle Eastern youth, where stereotypes gradually begin to take a back seat to cooperation and relationship building.

To attract youth to its program, MEET provides training in tangible skills that will assist youth in their future: computer science, leadership and entrepreneurship. In addition to these tech skills, one of the most powerful outcomes of the MEET program is that youth are also equipped with the tools to make a difference in their communities and beyond, together.

Technology is slowly breaking down walls between people and cultures, politics, and religions. MEET provides a powerful example. By creating a positive environment in which youth can learn about something they enjoy and collaborate on projects together, relationships and trust are fostered. Youth in the MEET program report that they have come to realize that the things we have in common are much greater than the things that separate us. Despite differences in religion and politics, youth learn that we share in our humanity, our capacity for joy and suffering, and in our desire to create a vibrant future for ourselves, our families, and our communities. And this, is why I believe the MEET model is brilliant.

The success of MEET inspires me to think about how this model can be replicated elsewhere in the world. What would it take? Which partners in the community could contribute? And how could this model be modified to best fit local circumstances and resources?