The Center for Arab American Philanthropy’s (CAAP) 2011 grantees have some great summer activities coming up. Check out the organizations local to you and your family for some Arab-centered fun this summer!

Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture - Philadelphia
Al-Bustan Camp
June 9-27

Ibn Battuta in Ibn Battuta Mall in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Al-Bustan Camp is an Arabic culture and language camp that takes on a different theme every year. This year their summer camp will explore the life and times of 14th century traveler Ibn Battuta and his home country of Morocco. Open to children and youth of all ethnic, religious, and socio-economic backgrounds, “Al-Bustan”, Arabic for “The Garden”, encourages dialogue, respect, understanding, and celebrates diversity.

Center for Arabic Culture (CAC) - Boston
Camp CAC
June 25-July 6

For the first time, CAC is hosting a week-long Arabic culture, arts, and language camp for 12-14 year-olds. This camp is sure to be a hit, and will get teens expressing themselves by learning about different cultures!

Alwan for the Arts - NYC
Summer Music Classes
May 31-June 23

The riqq, or arabic hand drum (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Alwan regularly features a wide array of group and private music lessons. This summer, their group sessions include “Iraqi Folk & Popular Songs”, “Arab Grooves”, and “the Songs of Umm Kalthoum” (who is known to many as the greatest female Arab singer of all time!).

Alif Institute - Atlanta
Cooking Class Series
Starts June 5

Stuffed grape leaves (Photo credit: One Turkmen Kitchen)

Learn how to make stuffed grape leaves, desserts, and prepare a full Middle Eastern meal during Alif Institute’s Summer Cooking Class Series!

Arab American Heritage Council (AAHC) - Flint, Mich
Summer Camp
August 5-10

2011 AAHC Summer Camp

AAHC’s third annual summer camp at Camp Copneconic will include activities such as swimming, canoeing, zip line, rock climbing, horseback riding, and cultural exchange activities focusing on the Arab world. 

CAAP is proud to support programming across the U.S. from these organizations and more. To see the full list of our grantees, please visit our website!

East Coast Travels

CAAP founder and ACCESS Deputy Executive Director Maha Freij was honored Oct. 19 in Washington by the American Task Force for Palestine (ATFP) with a Distinguished Service in Philanthropy Award.

Each year, ATFP honors the contributions of Palestinian Americans who have enriched their community and provided great service or unique achievement in the U.S. In addition to her efforts spearheading the creation of CAAP - a national program based on a community foundation model that leverages the collective giving of Arab Americans - ATFP recognized Freij for the key role she played in raising funds to create the nation’s only Arab American National Museum.

Following the award ceremony in Washington D.C., Freij traveled to Boston to visit two of CAAP’s grantees - Center for Arabic Culture (CAC) and the Boston Palestine Film Festival. Freij was very impressed by the 5th Annual Boston Palestine Film Festival, saying that in particular, “the program celebrating the legacy of Edward Said on Oct. 22 was excellent. I really enjoyed the performances by Palestinian students at Berklee’s College of Music.” While in Boston, Freij also attended a reception hosted at CAC where she discussed CAAP’s mission with members of the Boston Arab American community.

Fall Film Fests: Arab Cinema Across the Country

We are pleased to present a roundup of our grantee organizations’ upcoming events featuring the latest in excellent Arab feature films:

The Arab Film Festival opens in San Francisco today with Egyptian Maidens, directed by Mohamed Amin and centering on the dilemma faced by two cousins entering their 30 without prospective husbands. San Jose, Berkeley, and Los Angeles will also participate with over 40 films of their own.

Starting today in New York City, Alwan for the Arts presents a series of movie screenings, the first of which being Ahlaam by Mohamed Al-Daradji Iraq, followed by Microphone by Ahmed Abdalla.

The Boston Palestine Film Festival, which celebrates its fifth anniversary this year, opens on Oct. 21 with The Time that Remains, directed by Elia Suleiman. Several Boston locations will feature 10 days of more than 50 award-winning films from renowned international directors.

Please be sure to visit our partners in California, New York, and Boston for these wonderful events. If you can’t attend, you can support Arab cinema in America by donating here, here, or here.