Soliya, a non-profit organization using a custom-made web-conferencing application to facilitate dialogue between students from diverse backgrounds across the globe, is now recruiting skilled volunteers to facilitate its Connect Program for Spring 2012 semester.

As always our volunteer facilitation position includes a free-of-charge online facilitation and conflict resolution training. If you are interested in facilitating during the Spring 2012 Connect Program, you must apply to either the basic or advanced online trainings by Sunday July 10^th  2011 or Thursday September 1^st, 2011, respectively. It is now also easier to submit your application with our new online application form, explained below! Please read on and get involved!

Are you:

- Interested in the relationship between the “West” and the “Arab & Muslim World”?

- Passionate about connecting students from different parts of the world??

- Eager to facilitate dialogue, break stereotypes and promote understanding among students from diverse cultural backgrounds???

If you have read the above and the answers are: 'yes, yes and yes!’, Soliya’s volunteer facilitation opportunity is perfect for you!

Connect Program:  Soliya’s Connect Program runs twice a year – in approximately March/April (Spring) and again in October/November (Fall). The Connect Program intends to bridge the divide between the "West" and the "Arab & Muslim World” by empowering young adults to play a constructive role in creating a more informed, just and peaceful global society. Through a series of online video conference discussions held between university students from the United States, Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, participants will be given the opportunity to collectively address some of the root causes behind the tensions between the "West" and the "Arab and Muslim world".

Role of a Facilitator: As a facilitator you'll mediate these online-discussions intended to promote intercultural awareness and understanding. You will also engage with people from different cultural backgrounds, explore their various opinions, help them to develop a nuanced understanding of the issues that divide them and become part of the bridge! 

Training Overview: In order to prepare facilitators for their role, we offer various online facilitation training courses throughout the year, via Soliya’s custom-made web-conferencing application. Soliya now offers two Advanced and two Basic facilitation and conflict resolution trainings a year. The recently added Basic Training now allows for more people to become Soliya facilitators, regardless of their academic and professional backgrounds!  All training programs provide facilitators with transferable collaborative leadership and conflict resolution skills that they can use both via Soliya’s programs and in other contexts as well.

Schedule and Deadlines: The Connect Program for the Spring 2012 semester will run from early March to early May, with facilitators meeting their group once a week for a 2 hour session for approximately 10 weeks.  If you are interested in facilitating during the Spring 2012 Connect Program, you must apply to either the basic or advanced online trainings by Sunday July 10^th  2011 or Thursday September 1^st, 2011, respectively. Please read the training descriptions in the PDF attachment to determine which training may be better for you and indicate your preference in your application. Note: All applications are subject to review by Soliya to determine training level placement, even if a preference has been given. For both the training and the facilitation, the exact timing  of your meeting will be determined according to a facilitator’s schedule.  We accept applications all throughout the year, however, WHEN we receive your application will determine when you’ll facilitate. Please make sure to check the PDF attachment to get an overview of our training schedules, deadlines, and formats to determine what suits your schedule best.

To find out more about becoming a facilitator and our different annual training periods, you can also visit www.soliya.net/facilitation

Apply and become part of the bridge!!

How to Apply or More Info?:  For more information, you can check out the attachment, visit our website www.soliya.net or contact me by mail deena@soliya.net. If you already know that you want to volunteer as a facilitator, please submit your application online by following the instructions below.

1. Go to http://www.soliya.net/?q=node/160
2. Log in with the username facs@soliya.net and password soliya.
3. Fill in the application form that appears and click submit. You should receive an email confirming that we have received your application. If you don’t receive confirmation please send an email to facilitator@soliya.net.