UNAOC - EF Summer School

New York, USA - 26 January 2015 - The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and EF Education First (EF) are pleased to announce the third edition of their UNAOC-EF Summer School. This summer, 75 selected youth leaders from around the world will engage in dialogue across borders, form collaborative relationships with people from diverse backgrounds, and build skills for peacebuilding and global citizenship. The UNAOC-EF Summer School 2015 will take place at EF's New York campus in Tarrytown, NY, USA from 13 to 20 of June 2015.

The UNAOC-EF Summer School's interactive program of workshops, discussions and site visits provides the participants with hands-on experience on how to address shared social challenges across diverse communities and religions. Specifically, the Summer School focuses on how to better understand diversity, manage and promote it, and how to leverage differences in identity to shape a world that is healthier, safer, more peaceful and inclusive. Different approaches are applied, including advocacy, narratives, multimedia, negotiation, theater, and social entrepreneurship.

The UN High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations, Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser says: "How can we resolve problems that have spanned generations without seeking fresh input, ideas and perspectives in search for solutions? The Summer School was established as a way to give young people the opportunity to learn from each other and trail-blaze new paths to peace and inclusiveness." He adds: "I wish to emphasize UNAOC's appreciation for EF Education First's support, commitment and collaborative spirit in this partnership."

"The Summer School is a perfect opportunity for cross-cultural dialogue and exchange. As a language education organization, we feel confident in providing a setting for participants of different nationalities and cultures to come together and find a common language and a common understanding," says Eva Kockum, President, EF Education First. "We are proud to once again join forces with the UNAOC to achieve lasting social progress through dialogue and exchange.

Registration (www.UNAOCEFSummerSchool.org) is open to youth aged 18 to 35 from now until 9 March 2015. The application process includes the submission of a resume as well as essay questions on past achievements and future impact potential. The selected participants will be notified in April 2015. Last year, more than 100,000 youth expressed their interest to take part in the weeklong discussions and dialogues at the Summer School.

For more information: press@unaocefsummerschool.org

About the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations

Established in 2005 by former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the UNAOC's mission is to improve cross-cultural understanding and cooperation among countries, peoples and communities. We live together in an interconnected world, in which globalization goes side by side with a search for often narrow-based identities. How can extremism, polarization and divisions be best resisted? This is part of the global conversation to which the UNAOC contributes. Learn more about the UNAOC at www.unaoc.org.

About EF Education First

Established in 1965 with the mission to open the world through education, EF Education First (EF) is the world's leading international education company. EF (www.ef.com) has helped millions of students learn a new language and travel abroad. With a network of 500 schools and offices worldwide, EF specializes in language training, educational travel, academic degrees, and cultural exchange programs. EF has published the English Proficiency Index (www.ef.com/epi) measuring the English ability of adults in countries across the world.