UME's curriculum begins with its flagship introductory program, the Teacher Education Institute (TEI), which has convened more than 300 secondary school teachers since 1999 and affects the lives of thousands of new students annually. The TEI's unique interactive method shares the best of teaching theory and practices with Middle Eastern and North African educators, offering them training in skills to incorporate critical and creative thinking, constructive dialogue, and cross-cultural perspectives into their lesson plans.

Follow-on Programs: UME regularly implements follow-on programs for alumni of the Teacher Education Institute. These programs are developed in order to respond to educational and civic needs in the region as identified by our alumni. Building on the firm practical and theoretical groundwork laid by the TEI, sessions like the Civic Engagement Workshop (CEW) and Seminars on Identity and Education (IDEA) offer participating teachers a chance to explore critical topics in more depth through seminar-style discussion and hands-on practicum.

Currently offered programs include:

• Teacher Education Institute (TEI) – Convenes 25-30 teachers in Boston, MA for four weeks of interdisciplinary, graduate-level training in education. The TEI has been implemented ten times since 1999.
• Civic Education Workshop (CEW) – Gathers TEI alumni and American guests within a single country to develop curricula for youth civic education and cultural exchange. CEWs have taken place in Morocco, Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt. UME is currently seeking funding to implement additional CEWs across the Middle East and North Africa.
• Seminar on Identity and Education Across the Mediterranean (IDEAmed) – The IDEAmed Seminars have been held in Sevilla and Barcelona, Spain, and included TEI Alumni from several Middle Eastern and North African countries, as well as European educators. Seminar participants explored how factors such as class, religion, gender, and ethnic or cultural narratives impact learning and development across the Mediterranean.
• Collaborate Art Initiative (CAI) – UME is currently soliciting funding for a program to engage students and teachers alike in the creation of collaborative artworks that engage Middle Eastern and North African students within their local and global communities.
• Train the Trainer Workshop (TTW) - Strengthens regional alumni associations while seeking to refine participants’ understanding and practice of pedagogical strategies to design, improve, deliver and assess a workshop on a topic of their choice to promote collaboration and social justice in their schools and communities.

For current events, please refer to our blog at http://umep.wordpress.com/.