Reflection of the Best Representative - Zaineb Zouaoui

"A journey I never imagined would teach me as much as I actually did. I remember signing up for the forum with no idea what would come next. Over the past few weeks I feel I have become a more knowledgeable, more open-minded and all-rounded learner. This was such a valuable experience for me.

Zaineb Zouaoui, Best Representative, Multiculturalism for the Common Good, Buddies Without Borders Online Forum, Gems International School, UAE

Participating in this forum has significantly deepened my understanding of multiculturalism, identity, and the lived experiences that shape them. As an immigrant in Dubai, I have long been exposed to the idea of multi-ethnic societies. But this forum outlined its importance in our current world, and shed light on challenges I didn’t know existed, or constrained multiculturalism from flourishing.

Something I enjoyed in particular was the opportunity to connect with peers via the interviews. I have never been able to have a conversation like I did, with the space for open discussion and analysis together. I learned that multiculturalism looks different everywhere, and I got to hear first-hand the opinions and experiences of others worldwide. Moreover, something I believe is worth noting were the stream posts. Each week they pushed me to do better and to think outside the box. I researched regularly, cross-checked sources, shared ideas, and read very insightful pieces. The posts and comments were truly spaces where we could each show our strengths and weaknesses, yet at the same time improve them.

One of the most important moments in my learning came from my interviews with Aubrey from Atlanta, Georgia, and Shailee from Massachusetts, who is originally from India. In fact, I even learned from my own personal response. Preparing the responses and sources to answer the interview questions taught me about multiculturalism in my own country too.

Hearing Aubrey and Shailee’s stories allowed me to compare and contrast them with my own personal lived experiences. It showed me that multiculturalism can exist at different levels and in different statuses. While each place has challenges to overcome, such as the marginalization of 3rd culture children, or gentrification, or governmental corruption; I learned that multiculturalism can still exist. The extent to which it does so; as I found through my posts and comments, is controlled by various factors. In the sense that, multiculturalism will never be fully achievable, and a lot of the time the way it is employed is determined by history, societies and the government.

Personally, I believe this was the perfect time for me to join this forum. In fact, as a student in an IB international school, I was able to connect the dots to my in-school learning and apply it to the forum and vice versa. As well as using what I learned from books to make connections, and vice versa. With the prime example of what I am currently learning in IBDP Psychology, Theory of Knowledge, and Malcolm Gladwell’s book “Blink”.

Throughout this process, my confidence, research, open-mindedness and understanding grew. From listening to others and taking time to think and research by myself. This forum pushed me to achieve my best, and it was a fantastic platform for building a more rounded perspective on the world around us. Multiculturalism is now a topic so close to my heart. I plan to take the lessons I learned from this forum and apply them wherever I go. Maybe even open up a forum at my school.

Whether I was forming effective counterarguments or challenging governmental decisions, I did so without judgment. My final deliverables were influenced heavily by these realizations. I focused on how multiculturalism operates at different levels; historical, psychological, and social, and how it impacts the way we connect with others.

Overall, this experience pushed me to think more critically and empathetically. It showed me the value of listening, researching, and questioning my assumptions.

connections moving forward in life?

In the future, I plan to take this experience with me in hopes of cultivating a more globally minded community. While one person may not be able to change a lot; I hope to have a ripple effect on my community, and portray the importance of youth driven change." #internationalstudents, #globaleducation, #sdgs, #multiculturalism, #buddieswithoutborders