Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Innovation
    • Innovation
    • Blogs
    • Upfront

    Google Hangouts+ Helps Bridge Gap Among Mideast Youth

    By
    Todd R. Weiss
    -
    June 11, 2014
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      Google Hangouts+

      Using Google Hangouts+, Google has been working on an innovative project in the Middle East to use technology to bridge the cultural gaps between young Arab and Israeli students through online video conferencing.

      The project, called “Hangout Bridges: Bridges to Peace,” began in September of 2013 and was just concluded earlier this month through a partnership with ORT, Israel’s largest educational network of schools and colleges, and the Peres Center for Peace, according to a June 10 post by Doron Avni, the senior policy manager for Google in the Middle East, Africa, Turkey & Israel, on the Google Official Blog.

      “The fortressed city of Acre lies on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in northern Israel,” wrote Avni. “An important Middle Eastern city in ancient times, it’s now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With its fortified walls, citadel, mosques, synagogues, khans, baths and Crusader structures, Acre has always been a meeting place for East and West, new and old. Today, it’s a mixed Jewish-Arab city, but people from the two communities interact all too rarely. Mistrust, and sometimes outright hostility, keep the two communities apart.”

      To try to change that, Google decided to use the Internet to see if some of those old barriers could be broken down, wrote Avni. Starting last September, 40 students from the separate Arab and Jewish schools in the city, as well as 200 Arab, Jewish, Druze and Bedouin students from other communities in Israel, became involved in the Hangout Bridges: Bridges to Peace project, wrote Avni. The idea was to “use Hangouts to help create understanding—and friendship—between these communities.”

      Through the project, the students were grouped together by their teachers into multi-cultural Google+ circles and then got to know each other online. They even began working together on joint projects, with each circle meeting about 10 times on Hangouts, then in a series of face-to-face meetings, according to Avni.

      The project ended last week with a finale event at Google’s Campus Tel Aviv, a tech hub for developers and entrepreneurs. The students presented the projects they worked on through the program, including a walking tour of Acre using Google Maps that sought to uncover the rich Jewish-Arab history of the ancient city and educational Hebrew-Arabic Websites that address racism and prejudice in sports, as well as providing information on relevant legislation.

      This was the second year for the Hangout Bridges program in Israel, wrote Avni. This fall, the program aims to double the number of participants. “We hope we can expand to other countries and help—in a small way—build bridges of mutual understanding around the world,” he wrote.

      Google has used its Hangouts services for other innovative projects. In December 2013, Google hosted its first-ever “Hangout-a-thon” to allow online visitors to make donations to their favorite charities as part of the annual “Giving Tuesday,” which was begun in 2012 by New York City’s 92nd Street Young Men’s and Young Women’s Hebrew Association (92nd Street Y).

      Google+ Hangouts was launched in June 2011, originally as a video chat app that allowed up to 10 users to communicate together in an online session.

      Todd R. Weiss
      As a technology journalist covering enterprise IT for more than 15 years, I joined eWEEK.com in September 2014 as the site's senior writer covering all things mobile. I write about smartphones, tablets, laptops, assorted mobile gadgets and services,mobile carriers and much more. I formerly was a staff writer for Computerworld.com from 2000 to 2008 and previously wrote for daily newspapers in eastern Pennsylvania. I'm an avid traveler, motorcyclist, technology lover, cook, reader, tinkerer and mechanic. I drove a yellow taxicab in college and collect toy taxis and taxi business cards from around the world.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×