2009 I S S U E # 1 - J U N E 2 0 0 9 FREE

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Its Been a Busy Start for Tout Le Monde

LEFT: TOUT LE MONDE’S TEAM BUILDING WORKSHOP

TOP: TOUT LE MONDE’S PROJECT CAN IT ’09

PROJECT “CAN IT ’09” ROTA’S EMPOWER ’09 THE NEW EB!

TOUT LE MONDE

Ahmed Abul KassemTLM president

Looking at what Tout Le Monde has achieved since it has been founded, it would be hard to believe that such an organization was founded only 5 months ago. In the past five months, since the founding of Tout Le Monde, we have managed to have three successful youth led committees, the Human Rights committee, Greener and Cleaner committee and the Social Youth committee, which have all been part of the major growth that Tout Le Monde has experienced in the past few months.

To serve these committees TLM has also set up three departments, Marketing and Media department, Press Team and the event support department.

At the beginning of March, when TLM was first announced, we recruited 11 members. By the end of April, TLM already hosted two events and a workshop; it was time to open up TLM to the youth of Al Khor.

Now TLM has 48 members and more than 50 dedicated volunteers, all working

together to make a real change in the community they live in.

TLM has had a lot of success already, from its project “Can It ’09”, which completely

changed the way Al Khor residents view the youth, to its participation in Reach Out To Asia’s Empower 09 Conferences, which drove the motivation of a lot of members in the committee to achieve what they have.

Last but not least I would like to thank the Al Khor Community management and Reach Out to Asia Qatar for their

On Saturday, 27th June, Tout Le Monde Youth Organizat ion successful ly completed Can It '09, a charity project that they had undertaken this year. The Human Rights wing of the Organization established a charity drive named 'Can It' which involves the collection of canned foods and/or money donations from the people in their Community, and then distributing it to the gardeners and workers of Al Khor Community. We appealed to our school for help, asking each student to bring in canned food or money to school on 18th June. Money and cans came pouring in and by the end of the day, we had collected over 9,000 QAR and more than 700 cans. We then proceeded to do the same on Saturday 20th June, but this time for the entire community, approximately 1,457 homes. We planned to travel around the whole Community in two busses and knock on the residents' doors. This massive project required a lot of organizing, logistical planning and manpower. Tout Le Monde managed the feat with the help of 50+ student volunteers and the support of the Al Khor Community Management in one day. The charity run raised over 20,000 QAR and raked in over 1,500 cans, making it very successful indeed, and don't forget, this

entire operation was run solely by students with no adults overseeing the project. However, Tout Le Monde didn't stop there, we were determined to personally present the donations to the gardeners who work in the community, and so one week later, Tout Le Monde once again got our volunteers together to visit the workers' accommodation in Al Khor. The whole event went by smoothly, and the representative from Reach Out To Asia was extremely impressed with what they saw. The workers were really grateful to everyone for all the effort they put into making their lives a little brighter. So, inspired by our initial success, we have decided to make the event an annual charity drive. What is truly impressive is how much of a difference we were able to make in so little time. We have proved that we, as youth, are still capable of being an invaluable art society. We really enjoyed the success of Can It ’09 and we hope to continue to make such an inspiring change in the lives of other in this country. 

Project “Can It ’09”

THE NEW EXECUTIVE

BOARD

THE AHMEDS

DENA AND NIYATI

SATRIA AND VIDIA

THE TEAM

PHOTOS FROM “C AN IT ’09”

PICTURES FROM PROJECT “CAN IT ’09”.

VOLUNTEERS PARTICIPATING IN THE COLLECTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF THE CANNED FOOD FOR THE GARDENERS OF AL KHOR COMMUNITY.

SPECIAL THANKS TO REACH OUT TO ASIA AND AL KHOR COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT FOR THEIR CONTINUOUS SUPPORT ON THIS EVENT.

PHOTOS FROM LIFE IN AKC WORKSHOP

On 7th April, Tout Le Monde conducted a workshop to find out the youth view on life in Al Khor Community. This focus meeting was aimed at finding out what the youth of the community really want in their neighborhood and to compile a list of the improvements and suggestions that they had. We also wanted to bring the different schools in the area together so we could have a more involved community effort. We asked the students to get into groups of mixed genders and list any ideas or issues they had about entertainment in Al Khor, trust and privacy issues within the community, and community service and internship. We spent a long time discussing and voting on these ideas or suggestions for improvement and i t was rea l l y productive . We had some highly imaginative ideas, like a spa in the community, which wasn’t really viable, but it showed that the we were all thinking and paying attention. Other than that, we came up with great ideas, like a bus to Al

Khor and the Beach Club, and a girls only Youth Club. Not only did we have good suggestions, we were also able to sit down and figure out what exactly was wrong with the community. Most of us agreed on many issues, like how the security was too intrusive and that we often were restricted because of that. We also agreed that we wanted more youth centered events in the community. This was an important step in building a better re lat ionship between the community and its youth, since we were able to go to the management with suggestions that they could then act upon. It also gave Tout Le Monde a few ideas, and this encouraged the Social youth Committee to plan more events for the teenagers in the community. The workshop was a great success as it was in format i ve and product i ve and demons t r a ted Tou t Le Monde ’s dedication to providing a more secure environment for teens in the community.

Life in AL Khor Community Focus workshop

WHAT CHANGED?

1. MORE TRIPS FOR YOUTH ABOVE THE AGE OF 14

2. YOUTH BEING INVOLVED IN EVENTS AS VOLUNTEERS

3. ORGANIZATION OF EVENTS COMPLETELY RUN BY YOUTH

In April, Tout Le Monde attended the first annual Human Rights Youth Conference hosted by the Human Rights Student Organizat ion sponsored by the Arab Democracy Foundation held in Education City. It was a high profile event with press coverage and internat ional ly acclaimed guest speakers. There were four forums that were discussed; Freedom of Expression Forum, Migrant Labor Forum, Family Rights Forum and Government-Individual Forum. The guest speaker for the Freedom of Expression forum, Richard J. Roth, was a 1972 Pulitzer Prize nominee, which is a great achievement. It was a great privilege for Tout Le Monde to be invited to this event and it was an eye-opening experience for all the members. We argued over very controversial topics, ranging from the rights of migrant workers in Qatar, to the constant fear residents fear of “unjustified deportation”. There were many topics that were

sensitive issues in this part of the country, and it was great to be able to have a secure forum where we could freely express our opinions. The Tout Le Monde members actually performed remarkably well, considering that they were up against much older students from Carnegie Mellon University, CNA-Q, Qatar Leadership Academy and Stanford University. Our members actual ly made many thought provoking comments and debated on important national issues. All in all, the first annual HRSO Human Rights Youth Conference was a great success and Tout Le Monde was very proud to be a part of the event.

HRSO’s Youth Human Rights Conference

EMPOWER 2009, 7th to 9th May,was the first annual youth conference. It marked the launch of ROTA's new Youth Development Program in Qatar, which is primarily aimed at inspiring the youth to take initiative and become good leaders through an new idea called service learning. Students, ranging from 14 year-olds to 24 year-olds , teachers, educators and lecturers were invited to attend this promising new concept. EMPOWER 2009 hope to provide a platform for the youth of the nation to speak up and discuss world issues, and also to encourage leadership in all the students. Two teachers from Al Khor International School accompanied 5 students, all Tout Le Monde Committee members, attended the conferences. Tout Le Mondeʼs executive board was very noticeable in the conference as they where part of the organization committee.  On the first day there was a small debate about 'Qatarization' where it talks about how Qatari Citizens have priority over everything. This is obviously a major concern

in Qatar today, and is very relevant to the students' futures. There was a defense and opposition team who argued both sides of the issues. The opposition team won. This shows how the youth of Qatar are unafraid to take on the current system and are able to speak up on national issues. On the second day, there were some workshops that were attended such as trip to Cambodia where some volunteers have explained how their trips were to this place and the experiences they have gained and how it gave them a different perspective of the real world. Finally on the third day, the workshops have taken bigger action in doing manual labor such as the House Renovation; this is where all the candidates chosen were sent off to a poor Qatari house and began rebuilding the house by adding new furniture, A/C, fridges, wardrobes etc. Another big event that occurred was the Drive safely Campaign. This was aimed at increasing road safety awareness in the youth today. Exercises such as

practicing wearing seat belts and worst case scenarios were acted out. All in all, it was a wonderful experience for the candidates because we enjoyed learning and working and also trying to make a difference even with the smallest effort on our part. Tout Le Monde is definitely  looking forward to being a part of next year's ROTA Empower Conference. 

ROTA’s Empower ’09 Conferences

BOOK DONATIONTout Le Monde has been very busy this month, doing this from the mammoth Can It '09 project to donating books to charity. This month, Tout Le Monde is donating 101 english literature books for children who are less fortunate. This minor philanthropy is being conducted with the help of Reach Out To Asia Foundation based in Doha. Many of the Tout Le Monde members attend Al Khor International School - British Stream, and we used the summertime to our advantage by offering to make good use of unwanted school materials. This was a great way to donate as we are passing on our knowledge to those who need it, and even in a small way, it makes a difference in someone else's life. At Tout Le Monde, we are very proud of every little act of goodwill that we perform, and we are grateful to the school for donating the old books to a children's charity. Once again, thanks to ROTA for making this possible. we would like thank the english department especially for giving us the idea and helping us go thought with the donations.

BOOK DONATION

Tout Le Monde has been very busy this month, doing this from the mammoth Can It '09 project to donating books to charity. This month, Tout Le Monde is donating 101

BOOK DONATIONTout Le Monde has been very busy this month, doing this from the mammoth Can It '09 project to donating books to charity. This month, Tout Le Monde is donating 101 english literature books for children who are less fortunate. This minor philanthropy is being conducted with the help of Reach Out To Asia Foundation based in Doha. Many of the Tout Le Monde members attend Al Khor International School - British Stream, and we used the summertime to our advantage by offering to make good use of unwanted school materials. This was a great way to donate as we are passing on our knowledge to those who need it, and even in a small way, it makes a difference in someone else's life. At Tout Le Monde, we are very proud of every little act of goodwill that we perform, and we are grateful to the school for donating the old books to a children's charity. Once again, thanks to ROTA for making this possible. we would like thank the english department especially for giving us the idea and helping us go thought with the donations.

OPEN MOVIE NIGHT

One of the early Tout Le Monde events

was the outdoor cinema. This was our

very first event, due to the success we

decided to make another one with a

different movie. Many people from our

community showed up at the first one,

and even more on the second movie

night. The two movies were “Yes Man”

and “Slum Dog Millionaire”. Everyone

enjoyed it as this was the first time Al

Khor Community residents attended an

outdoor cinema.

TALENT SHOW

On the 9th of April Tout Le Monde hosted a talent show to showcase the variety of talent that exists in the community, as we wanted everyone to be able to illustrate the different talents they have. From cultural Indian dances to an acoustic band to an Arabic singer, the audience enjoyed the outstanding performances. In the end it was a success despite the fact, it was one of the first events that Tout Le Monde has done.

On Friday June 19 ʻ09, the Tout Le Monde organisation had their first Team building workshop. This day was meant to introduce new comers to the Tout Le Monde committees and allow them to socialise as well as learn on how to be a part of a well oiled machine.

Due to a large amount of interest in an organisation, as its completely run by students of schools, we had a lot of people signing up to be members and volunteers. To make sure everyone go t to know everybody and got along with each other the Team building workshop was set up so that through various engaging activities everyone from Tout Le Monde could stand at the same position as everyone else. A lot of people were regarding the organisation with concern that mere teenagers cannot help people but this Team building workshop was aiming to make sure we prove them wrong.

Approximately, thirty people had shown up to the Team building Day that was a positive sign that the members were al l wi l l ing to cooperate. The Executive Board had done a good job at picking a location that had a lot of room to accommodate all members as well as give space to do the various activities that followed. There was music playing in the background, which provided a setting that was familiar and comfortable for all the teenagers when the activities started.

One o f t he mos t impor tan t instructions that all members receive is to document all events that take place so that there is always a record of what has happened recently. To train all members in tha t aspect a l l members were separated into groups of five and were given a series of objects and situations to photograph. Everyone set off about the community trying to complete their tasks before the other groups

did. The tasks involved from taking a picture of a building in a certain pose to a person caught in the act of doing something. This activity opened our eyes to document important as well as mundane things that would be important for the Tout Le Monde Organization. Also, small tasks of responsibility and time constraints were imposed during this activity so that all members could get used to working with a deadline as well as carrying responsibilities.

After that activity which was received by a positive qualm by the members, the Executives provided food as well as drinks to keep everyone up-beat and energised about the following activity which were Role Reversal and Play. This activity was also important because due to the large and diverse amount of events that Tout Le Monde hosts everyone has different yet vital roles to play each time. Everyone was given a type of person with a different type of personality (eg: Shy, mean, Self-Obsessed etc.) and then were meant to interact and deal with each other so that everyone could learn to get along with all types of people in many different situations.

The Team building Day ended with a few group photographs and everybody departed in a happy mood because whilst the Team building workshop was a lot of work and was exhausting, it was also very engaging and fun for everyone which is why everyone responded positively to it. The Training Day also helped all the members to work more efficiently at the project “Can It ʻ09” the following day and allowed a lot of money to be raised and a lot of food to be collected.

Team Building Workshop

TheTout Le Monde WebsiteTo present itself to the world, Tout

Le Monde Organization created its own website and even a Facebook page. At least 3-4 daily fans signed up on our Facebook page, making it bigger and bigger every day. As for

our website, it is always up to date with new and recent events; it also has sign up sheets for members and volunteers. We also have a suggestions

box on it; a secure area for the executive board and higher management, where you can find ‘up to the minute’ updates about

what’s happening with Tout Le Monde. They can also gain access to templates and forms which are useful for their committees and departments.

OUR NEW WEBSITE

WE ALL LOVED OUR OLD WEBSITE BUT IT’S TIME FOR US TO CHANGE IT, WE ARE LAUNCHING A NEW WEBSITE, ONE THAT’S MORE YOUTH FRIENDLY.

SOON WE WILL ALSO WILL BE LAUNCHING OUR YOUTH INFORMATION CENTER, WHICH WILL CONTAIN INFORMATION ABOUT AL KHOR EVENTS ACTIVITIES, AND EVEN PHONE NUMBERS

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