Iman Belali, 16, Washington
AMIE: American Moroccan International Exchange

Iman Belali

As an Arab-American girl in a post 9/11 world, Iman Belali noticed the tension between the two cultures she was raised in. Instead of letting this tension overwhelm her, she decided to start an organization that would directly deal with stereotypes and cultural misunderstandings. With the help of her parents, the people of her native Issaquah, Washington, and the residents of Chefchaouen, Morocco, Iman saw her vision come alive in the form of a summer camp exchange program: alternating between the U.S. and Morocco, girls from Issaquah and Chefchaouen come together, to stay with each other’s families and experience a different culture firsthand. Iman talks about the process of starting her own non-profit organization, and why it is important for girls to step outside their comfort zones.

Teen Voices: How did you think of the idea for AMIE?
Iman: After all of the misconception between Arabs and Americans that resulted from 9/11, I wanted to show the two cultures that I love most (because I am both American and Moroccan) that people are people and no matter where you go there will be bad people out there. It’s not your race, religion, or gender that decides whether you’re a good or bad person, but it’s not so easy to just tell people this and have them believe you. We found it more powerful to let girls experience this hands-on and get to explore a culture different from their own. The girls who participate are able to go back home and share what they saw and learned with their friends and family—which is a more powerful way of spreading the word.

TV: Where were you born? Do you feel connected to your Moroccan roots?
Iman: I believe I am very connected with my Moroccan roots even though I was born in the U.S. We still celebrate Moroccan holidays and practice Moroccan traditions.

TV: How often do you go to Morocco?
Iman: Fortunately I have a lot of family in Morocco so I am able to go at least once every year to visit.

TV: It seems like the people in your town are very supportive of your work. Is there a lot of demand for your program?
Iman: The city of Issaquah is extremely supportive of our work and AMIE definitely would not be where it is today without all of that support. There is a lot of demand for the program, and just last year we established a formal sister city relationship between the city of Issaquah, Washington and Chefchaouen, Morocco.

TV: Where in Morocco is Chefchaouen? What is it like?
Iman: Chefchaouen is a fairly small city in Morocco that is surrounded by mountains. Chefchaouen is also one of the girls’ favorite cities to visit. It isn’t as busy or crowded as Casablanca [one of Morocco’s largest cities] but still has just as many things to do and see. The girls also seem to like Chefchaouen a lot because we are able to stay out later with the group due to the nice nighttime weather.

TV: What is the feedback you get from girls who go on the program?
Iman: The girls really love the program. I hear a lot of them say that it really has changed them and opened their eyes to how much more there is out there besides their own way of life. Also many of the girls find themselves to be more interested in visiting other new places in the world for school and leisure.

TV: What do the American girls find to be the biggest difference between them and their Moroccan peers?
Iman: After participating in the summer camps, both the Moroccan and American girls come to see that we all do have a lot in common: We all seemed to have the same taste in music and style, and we all liked to go shopping and just hang out with our friends for fun. But really the girls seemed to find only their host sisters’ family traditions, such as going to the mosque every Friday and praying five times a day, as well as some of the food, like tagines and couscous, to be the biggest difference.

TV: What was it like to form a nonprofit organization?
Iman: The process of forming a nonprofit organization was a lot of hard work and very formal. Not only did we need to have a business plan, mission and supporters, we had to complete and file a large IRS* application and go through the formal approval process. The most difficult part of the process going through the approval process because we needed to come up with a one, three, and five year budget plan prior to becoming a real organization. This process took about 14 months.

TV: What does bridging the gap for cultural understanding mean to you? Why do you think it is important?
Iman: To me, bridging the gap for cultural understanding means to spread awareness of other cultures and other people’s ways of life other than one’s own. I believe that it is important because it helps put an end to stereotypes when you can fully understand where people are coming from.

TV: How do you think your program directly addresses this?
Iman: Our program directly addresses this by taking girls to experience a culture outside of their own firsthand and showing them what that culture has to offer, what it has in common with their own culture, and what things differ between the two cultures.

TV: AMIE has a special focus on programs in engineering, math, and other sciences. Was this important to you?
Iman: The focus on engineering, math, and science was something I found very important because in both Morocco and America, girls are not usually encouraged to pursue jobs in these fields, rather they were mainly considered jobs that men would take.

TV: AMIE is putting together a summer camp in a few months. What is that like?
Iman: This summer we are taking a group of 16 American girls to meet up with their group of Moroccan host sisters. During this program the girls will have the chance to stay with their host families for a week as well as go on a tour of many popular Moroccan cities and sights.

TV: Do you stay in touch with your friends from the program?
Iman: I do stay in touch with many of the girls from the program. In fact, a lot of the girls manage to stay in touch online. Some friends I made in the program stay in touch more than others, like my friend Becky for example. I met her during our first exchange program and had never met her before but to this day she and I are still best friends after three years.

Find out more at AMIE’s website.

*IRS: the Internal Revenue Service is responsible for everything having to do with taxes in the United States (including non-profit organizations, which don’t pay taxes)