Connecting Cultures ‘Desert Crossing’ 2007

The MBI Al Jaber Foundation contributes to the funding of the recent Connecting Cultures ‘Desert Crossing’ programme in Oman.

The MBI Al Jaber Foundation contributes to the funding of the recent Connecting Cultures ‘Desert Crossing’ programme in Oman.

The MBI Al Jaber Foundation helped to fund the recent Connecting Cultures ‘Desert Crossing’ programme which has been set up in order to promote inter-cultural dialogue and understanding, and to show that young people are capable of achieving great things when they work together.

On February 9th, a group of teenagers from seven nations and five continents, set out on their 8-day journey across the Sharqiya Sands, 100km of desert in the Sultanate of Oman.
The group, who come from Britain, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Oman, Pakistan and Fiji, walked 20km each day using camels for support.  They each kept a diary of their experiences:

‘After just three days in the desert my opinions and thoughts have changed from viewing this landscape as harsh and lifeless to seeing it as the vast, beautiful and majestic land that it is………It has become clearer everyday through … discussions that in the things in life that count, one's values, goals and ambitions, we are all very much alike’.
James Danvers, British

‘Everyone became friends on day one…….We are trying to learn about each other's cultures. We are learning about leadership; working as a group; planning; communication and of course mutual understanding. All this helps us overcome the language barrier. I am learning a lot from everyone here…….I will put it to good use in the school where I teach and with my boy scouts troop in my city of Jizan in Saudi Arabia’.
Waleed Gadry, Saudi Arabian

‘I was delighted to be a member of a connecting cultures programme.  I have learned plenty of important information about other cultures and customs.  No one doubts that live contact between youths from east and west will perfectly bring different kinds of views closer………After we communicated, we found no differences between us, and we have the same goal, which is permanent and global peace’.
Raid Abuyaseen, Jordanian

And a final word from Mark Evans, the trip organizer:

‘In over 20 years of running youth expeditions, I have never witnessed the degree of learning that is going on out here, both about themselves as individuals, and importantly about each others' cultures’.

Through wilderness expeditions, the Connecting Cultures initiative aims to enhance cultural awareness, and promote mutual and environmental understanding between the young people of Saudi Arabia, Great Britain and other nations.  

Our support for this project adds to the previous grant that the MBI Al Jaber Foundation gave in 2005 to support the Connecting Cultures Arctic expedition.