Students enrolled in Learn & Serve take two academic courses - Tunisian Society and Culture: Locating Tunisia and either Colloquial Tunisian Arabic I, II or III (depending on previous background in Arabic).

Dr. Sabra J. Webber, Academic Director/Program Coordinator

Participants in the six and a half-week Learn & Serve 2011 program will learn about the Arab and Islamic cultures of Tunisia and serve as Language & Cultural Fellows at the Language Village. This project is a cooperative effort of AMIDEAST/Tunisia and the Tunisian Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research & Technology, with the support of the American Embassy in Tunis.

Learn & Serve in Tunisia is a unique summer education abroad opportunity for undergraduate students to study in the Middle East/North Africa region and engage in intense service learning experiences with Tunisian students. The program includes a study component on Tunisian culture and society, a service learning component as native speaker resource persons in an English language immersion program for Tunisian high school students and a volunteer component with disabled Tunisian students.

Since its creation, the Tunisia Learn & Serve program has offered AMIDEAST students a wide variety of service opportunities. Learn & Serve students will spend the summer learning about this unique country as well as working with local students in association with AMIDEAST local staff. In addition, students will have the opportunity to improve their Arabic and experience life in a Tunisian home while staying with a host family for a portion of the program.

2013-14 Tuition and Fees*:
 

The program is managed jointly by AMIDEAST/Morocco in conjunction with AMIDEAST headquarters in Washington, D.C. and Al-Akhawayn University. AMIDEAST works collaboratively with AUI’s Office of International Programs to manage many elements of the program, including the on-site orientation, planning of special events and extra-curricular activities.   AUI manages the academic aspects of the program during the semester, while AMIDEAST/Morocco coordinates the pre-session language and culture course. Finally, AMIDEAST/Morocco, working together with AUI, provides comprehensive support to both participants and administrators in the event of any problems or unusual circumstances.

America-Mideast Educational and Training Services, Inc. (AMIDEAST) was founded in 1951.  It has field offices in 23 cities in 14 countries in the region, giving it a well-developed infrastructure, capacity, and institutional record of successful exchange programs rooted in more than five decades of in-region experience administering scholarships and exchanges on behalf of U.S. and Arab governments, private companies, and individuals.

Since 1979, AMIDEAST has been providing quality educational services in Morocco. With offices in Rabat and Casablanca, AMIDEAST reaches thousands of students and professionals annually through English and Arabic language courses, academic advising, standardized testing, and cultural exchange programs. AMIDEAST/Morocco has designed and administered numerous programs for youth, undergraduates, and educators, and has arranged homestays, transportation, excursions, community service, language training, professional meetings, and lectures for groups of American students.

Orientation and Pre-Session

Upon arrival in Morocco, AMIDEAST Education Abroad Program students participate in an in-depth, two week-long orientation and academic pre-session designed to introduce them to Moroccan Arabic, Moroccan culture, and daily life and familiarize them with the logistics of the program. Students stay with Moroccan host families during this two-week pre-session that takes place in the Moroccan capital of Rabat.  Following the pre-session they move to Ifrane, where they participate in AUI’s international student orientation on the AUI campus.  The orientation combines structured informational sessions with organized activities and free time to familiarize participants with Morocco. Topics such as safety and health, family life in Morocco, cultural adjustment, program regulations, participant responsibilities and other essential information are all discussed during orientation.

The AMIDEAST Education Abroad Program in the Arab world partner this program is Al-Akhawayn University in Ifrane (AUI).  Founded in 1993 by Royal Dahir (charter), AUI opened it's doors to students in January 1995.  The University is co-educational, residential and primarily undergraduate but has rapidly growing graduate programs. Tolerance is promoted and expected from all members of the community as they live and work together.

The AMIDEAST program at AUI begins with a 2-week academic pre-session in Morocco’s capital city of Rabat.  The pre-session consists of the following elements: