Collaborative projects are a central activity in the Global Connections and Exchange Program. Through these projects, students in one location cooperate with students from other locations. Using RI-SOL’s education portal, Youth Connect Worldwide, students in Afghanistan interact and collaborate with their peers in the United States, Tajikistan, Bangladesh, and Palestine.

Most of these projects use technology, particularly the internet, to “virtually” eliminate the distance between students. Students on both ends of the collaboration produce a project such as a slide show, essay, or artwork and are then able to exchange the finished product online with other students from around the world and participate in an online discussion about their findings.

Another exciting part of the GCEP program in Afghanistan is the introduction of two different youth clubs aimed at encouraging youth participation and discussion of important issues.

Youth Leadership Clubs aim to encourage youth participation in their communities on crucial issues based on the Millenium Development Goals. By inciting youth to discuss the importance of these issues and the relevance of the problems to their futures, RI-SOL hopes to involve communities in the finding real solutions to solve these critical problems. Topics will include environmental sustainability, health, gender equality, poverty, hunger and HIV/AIDs.

Gender Clubs build youth leadership and engage both female and male students in an open discussion of gender issues facing Afghanistan today. Members from each ILC along with female community members underwent extensive instruction in gender based issues and heatlh education in order to provide training for students through the ILCs. Through these clubs, Afghanistan students will widen their understanding of gender relations around the globe. Topics that will be covered include:

• Gender & Islam
• Gender Awareness
• Gender Based Violence
• Gender & Education
• Gender & Health