The pictures were taken at last month's Cultural Exchange Council's (CEC) meeting held at the Tucson Botanical Gardens.  The presentation was titled "The World Thru The Eyes of Children".  Nine students representing various countries and cultures were invited to speak.  Some of the topics that the invited students talked about were: What it means to leave my homeland; What freedom means to me; We must live together - after all we are all brothers and sisters; Life in America compared to my country; and What it means to be free and adjusting to the new culture. Students were from Afghanistan, Kosovo, Russia, Palistine, Bosnia, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia

CEC is a local organization that promotes diversity. Although CEC meets every last Tuesday of the month and have speakers every meeting, last month was special in a sense that it encouraged children to publicly speak their minds and supported them to share their experiences & hopes for the future. Program Director, Lydia Gecobe-Peera, hopes that forums like this one would bridge existing gaps and foster understanding among peoples.  CEC is the main sponsor of Tucson Meet Yourself.

For information about the organization and questions, please call 298-4239.

Click pictures to enlarge