MEDIA RELEASE
The Council for Australian-Arab Relations (CAAR) will present a new multimedia resource about Australia for students and teachers in Arabian Gulf countries. The ‘Explore Australia’ kit will be launched from the 30th of March in Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The launch in the UAE will be held at 11:00 AM on Tuesday 4 April in the Al Majlis Ballroom at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Abu Dhabi.
CAAR is funded by the Australian Government, and is an initiative designed to promote greater mutual understanding and acceptance of Australian and Arab cultures, values, beliefs and diversity. The Council’s focus is on commercial and people-to-people links. It also works to strengthen academic and educational ties.
Explore Australia has been designed to help young people in both regions to better understand one another’s history, culture and lifestyles. By identifying and appreciating the similarities, rather than focusing on the differences, Arab and Australian youth will become more effective global citizens and good friends today and in the future. As part of this strategy, 3000 kits will be distributed for use in middle/secondary schools in Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE. The kits comprise a teachers’ guide, video, interactive CD-ROM, student activities booklet and internet site www.ausarabiangulf.info
The kits have been developed by Ryebuck Media Pty Ltd, specialists in educational multimedia, with the cooperation of government and educational officials in Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE.
Australia has a long and abiding interest in the Arab world born out of history, people-to-people and expanding business-to-business and government-to-government links.
This project is one of a number of education-related activities initiated by CAAR. Further information on the Council can be found at www.dfat.gov.au/caar