Qatar: “Wired World” – Youth Environmental Awareness  

Qatari & US high school-age students came to Tampa Bay on July 19, 2010 to volunteer for a beach clean-up at the Sunshine Skyway Blackthorn Memorial Park beach. The International Council brought the group to Tampa Bay through a program with the Qatar Foundation International and Meridian International Center (an IVLP program agency for the State Department). This was a non-IVLP program.  

The International Council partnered with "Keep Pinellas Beautiful, Inc." for the beach clean-up, and with the Renaissance Vinoy Hotel for post-clean-up activities. In the first such event of its kind, 40 high school students from four Independent Schools in Qatar joined 40 US counterparts for a tour that combined science and service. Among their planned activities were responding to the effects of the oil spill on marine life along the Gulf coast. The students have been participating in a “Wired World” digital video conferencing program throughout the year. This program brings them together in the US. While in Florida, the group also visited and volunteered at the Kennedy Space Center. 

This project is organized by the Qatar Foundation International (QFI), a private U.S. foundation established on the principle that education can transform for the better individual lives, communities, and nations. It’s mission is to promote education as a force that builds strong local communities, facilitates collaboration across geographical, social, and cultural boundaries, and builds a network of global citizens who communicate effectively and work together to find solutions to pressing global problems. 

“Keep Pinellas Beautiful”

(http://keeppinellasbeautiful.com/sites/kpb/mainhome.asp) is a non-profit (501c3), all-volunteer based organization whose objectives are to: 

·       “Promote litter removal and prevention education  

·       “Promote recycling as a daily practice of good Solid Waste Management  

·       “Pursuit of the protection and improvement of our environment  

·       “Protect, maintain, and improve the beauty of our community.” 

Keep Pinellas Beautiful, Inc. is recognized as the leading organization in Pinellas County for management and promotion of volunteer efforts to remove and reduce urban litter and marine debris.