The Community-Based Partnership for Employment (CPE) is the second phase of the Somerville, MA USA–Tiznit, Morocco Sister Cities Program.  It is a highly interactive, hands-on professional, academic, and cultural exchange program facilitated by the University of the Middle East Project (UME), sponsored by the US State Department, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, taking place from April 15-22, 2011 in Tiznit, Morocco. It is specially designed for Somerville and Tiznit educators to work closely with professionals from a wide variety of fields including but not limited to: health practitioners, municipal government workers, artists, business leaders, local non-governmental organization members, and others residing or working in both cities.

The CPE aims to foster successful, productive linkages between various career professionals, as well as help teachers develop cutting-edge curricula that ultimately benefit youth employment and community development in both countries.  The workshop will be a cross-sectoral and cross-cultural collaboration, drawing on the skills and expertise of participant-professionals as well as UME faculty, in order to foster linkages towards future partnerships.  U.S. and Moroccan participant-professionals will offer skill-building and informational sessions, pertinent to their fields.  Educators, in turn, will gain knowledge around integrating 21^st century employment skills into their classrooms and develop concrete experiential learning activities for youth skill building.  
All participants will have the opportunity to closely interact and exchange ideas with members of the Tiznit community from their own professional sector and visit their work places and institutions, as well as exchange meaningfully with Tizniti youth. 

CPE participants will:

• Be a part of the second diplomatic delegation to visit and engage with Somerville’s Sister City: Tiznit, Morocco
• Cultivate personal and professional relationships with citizens of Somerville and Tiznit, with the goal of solidifying successful partnerships
• Contribute to, and benefit from facilitated dialogue sessions designed for US and Moroccan professionals to exchange skills and information about their career sectors
• Learn to integrate 21^st century skill-building activities into school classrooms to benefit youth employment and development opportunities 
• Experience first hand Morocco’s culture and people through visits to schools, businesses, government offices, artists’ studios, health care facilities and/or local NGOs in Tiznit

Somerville residents and employees working in a variety of fields including, but not limited to, EDUCATION, BUSINESS, NGOs, the ARTS, GOVERNMENT, HEALTH CARE, and OTHER SECTORS are invited to apply to this cultural, professional, and intellectual exchange program.

Cost: Scholarships are available that would subsidize all costs associated with the program including international airfare, meals, housing, domestic travel and health insurance for $1250 per participant.  

Please email your completed application (attached below) to sistercities@ume.org.  Thank you!!