NCM Presents New Nablus Exhibit in Partnership With Tomorrow's Youth Organization

WASHINGTON, DC (January 27, 2010) – This January, the National Children's Museum (NCM) unveiled an  exhibit at the Launch Zone to promote a cultural exchange between children in Nablus and children in the Washington, DC region. Presented in partnership with Tomorrow’s Youth Organization (TYO), the Nablus exhibit displays traditional Palestinian culture through vibrant wall panels, discovery boxes, and engaging activities. TYO provides recreational and educational programs to kids and families in Nablus.

Throughout the life of the exhibition, different themes will be featured. Currently, the Nablus exhibit showcases food with edible treats, sensory spice activities, and diverse programming. This kid-to-kid experience, designed to broaden horizons, uses food as a vehicle for understanding. Based on the idea that many cultures associate food with special occasions, the exhibition emphasizes commonality while introducing children and their families to new traditions. Visitors are encouraged to bring home some of these traditions with make-and-take crafts and recipes.

On January 23, the NCM Launch Zone hosted grand opening festivities with Celebrate the Taste of Nablus. More than 300 visitors joined NCM staff to explore traditional Palestinian food and culture through tastings, local talent, and narratives highlighting children in the city of Nablus. Special guests from the Arab Student Association’s Dabkeh Dance Troupe of George Mason University entertained visitors with lively dance moves and high-energy rhythms. Each unique performance involved different elements and visitors were invited to practice various moves after the show. Volunteers from The Center for Contemporary Arab Studies at Georgetown University were also present to engage young visitors by writing names in Arabic on bookmarks. To further link DC and Nablus, visitors were given the opportunity to send postcards to the children of TYO.

The Nablus exhibit will be on display at the NCM Launch Zone in National Harbor, Md., for one year. Upcoming special programming includes Taste of Nablus on January 30, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Destination Nablus! on February 27, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Extending beyond the Nablus exhibit, NCM and TYO have partnered to serve children and families in Nablus. The partnership is based on the organizations’ shared interest in inspiring children to care about and improve the world. This past summer, NCM delivered the Family Literacy Projects on a Budget® workshop to TYO trainers. TYO participants returned to Nablus with methodologies and a Trainers’ Toolkit designed to provide educators and families with affordable resources and experiences needed to foster literacy at school and at home.

Scheduled to open in 2013, the National Children’s Museum (NCM) will be a world-class cultural and educational center dedicated to engaging children and empowering them to make a difference. The mission of NCM is to inspire children to care about and improve the world. Through its interactive exhibits, online community (www.ncm.museum), and unique national programs and partnerships, NCM is transforming the concept of a traditional museum by becoming a catalyst and forum for a national movement to inspire and empower kids to speak up, take action, and get engaged in their communities. Through 2013, NCM is operating as a Museum Without Walls, participating in a variety of community events and working with other arts and cultural organizations to develop creative partnerships that benefit kids and families. In April 2009, NCM opened the Launch Zone, a 2,700 square-foot space at National Harbor where kids and families can prototype and test exhibit and program concepts. For more information, visit www.ncm.museum.

###