wfn.org | MECC/Unit on Education & Renewal Activities

[mecc <mecc@cyberia.net.lb>]

Unit on Education & Renewal Addresses Issues of Fundamentalism, Citizenship
and Consumerism
"Women and the Consumer Society" was the theme of the annual seminar
organized by the MECC Women¹s Program in Syria from September 29 to October
2, 2005. The seminar aimed at raising awareness about "consumerism" a plague
in the age of globalization. Speakers focused on the challenges facing women
in a consumer society and the type of education needed to avoid the traps of
consumerism, the impact of media and advertisement in promoting consumerism
and the type of small enterprise projects for women which could help them
become productive in their respective societies. 45 women participants
actively engaged in the discussions about the issue.

A Lecture on "Citizenship & Belonging" was organized by the Women¹s Program
in Damascus, Syria on September 28, 2005. Both Christians and Muslims
attending the lecture heard an interesting interpretation of the meaning of
citizenship, its features and basics, as well as the challenges of living a
full citizenship, especially by women in the Arab world.

Youth Seminar on the "Challenges of Youth in a Changing World" held from
October 5-8, 2005 was attended by 40 young men and women. Three sub-themes
were presented and discussed: "the challenges of youth in a pluralistic
society" "educational and cultural challenges" and "challenges of the
media". Conclusions reached by the speakers highlighted the positive impact
of pluralism on people¹s lives and the privildge of living in a pluralistic
society; the difficulty to stand against globalization and the importance
for young people to learn to influence it, and the biases of world media,
cautioning young people to be selective. Bible studies, ecumenical prayers
were part of the daily program.

For more information on the work of the Unit on education and Renewal,
kindly contact Unit Director, Razek Siriani at:  rsiriani@ mail.sy

Middle East Council of Churches
Office of International Ecumenical Relations
P.O. Box 5376, Beirut, Lebanon

Guirgis Ibrahim Saleh, General Secretary
mecc@cyberia.net.lb or guirgissaleh@cyberia.net.lb

+961-1-353-938
http://www.mec-churches.org/