See a photo of Michael, his bio, and Part 1 of this Q&A.
Q&A with Michael Galbraith, Question 2
Q: Can you talk a bit about NSL’s 2012 campaign and why people should be interested? Beyond the young people who actually participate in the program, how can others help the cause?
A: New Story Leadership seeks to inspire a new story of possibility for
the Middle East by bringing outstanding Israeli and Palestinian students to Washington DC to experience American culture and democracy. Coming to Washington forces participants out of their comfort zone. Everything is new. A team of total strangers comes to America to work in new jobs in a new city, in a new country, sharing a new family with a new roommate, experiencing one unforgettable summer. They have to work together to get through it. The NSL program is however not political or partisan. It does not take any side in the Middle East conflict, other than being unambiguously on the side of the young people from the region. The program does not engage in lobbying activities of any kind, and it is not within its purposes to pursue any political agenda. Its distinct focus is on education in leadership and demonstrating the power of stories for personal and cultural transformation.
We are however a relatively new organisation, we do not have the 15-year history of our sister program, Washington Ireland. These first few years have thus been spent perfecting the program and bringing our first students from the Middle East. It has not always been easy and certainly, like most other new groups, we are almost always talking about money and advertising. As a result we rely heavily upon social media not only to advertise our program but also to interview our prospective candidates and to seek financial donations. For those wishing to help, we ask them to go to our Facebook site and to register their interest on our wall. Even a simply “Like” of the page helps spread our message that little bit further.
Those interested in donating can make their pledge at our Web site.
At NSL, we value everyone’s input and assistance. Whether its social media expertise, photography, video editing, research, fundraising, or promotional work, we are interested in hearing from anyone who would be interested in giving up their time to help write a new story for the Middle East.