Reem Al Muraikhi (YES 2011-2012, Bahrain, hosted by PAX in Cheboygan, MI) has not stopped her cultural exchange. She traveled to Tunisia to participate in a regional Youth Leadership Program (YLP) by UNDP in December 2018. The workshop was titled "Innovation in Sustainable Development" and focused on providing resources to launch long term community projects. 

Reem was selected as one of four participants out of 100 applicants in Bahrain to attend YLP after a rigorous selection process, including a week long local workshop in November 2018.  

Reem attended YLP because she wants to promote sign language awareness through recreational activities.  She explains:

"I was part of the YES Digital Storytelling Workshop in Bangladesh back in October. During the workshop I met Nehemiah Danjuma, a Nigerian YES alumnus, who lost his hearing when he was 10. One of the problems he faced was that he couldn't communicate with the same community because most of them couldn’t speak sign language. 

"Nehemiah’s story inspired me to spread the education of sign language in my community in the hopes that we will one day have a more inclusive society. However, I did not have the tools nor the knowledge to actually achieve this goal.

"I joined the Youth Leadership Programme by the UNDP in Bahrain to get the help I needed to start my project, and then went on to the regional forum in Tunisia. I learned so much in Tunisia, like how to fund my project, how to apply Design Thinking to my idea, and my project’s connection with the Sustainable Development Goals. The knowledge and feedback I gained helped improve and guide the process of my project."