INTERCULTURAL

LEADERS

Ahmed Abdelhakim Hachelaf
Research Scholar and Social Activist, Moynihan Institute and Ministry of Higher Education

Summer Schools

As an Education and Civic Engagement Specialist, my focus is on capacity building of youth who work for social impact. Currently an education specialist and research scholar at the Moynihan Institute, Maxwell School of Syracuse University, where I research civic education and engagement, I previously worked as the director of studies at Bridges Institute where I co-designed syllabuses of the institute that empowers youth in the province of Djelfa- Algeria. I before that worked for the National Association for Youth Exchange where I supervised a National active citizenship program and managed the training of local NGO leaders on community service. As a social activist, I founded an initiative that fights 21st-century illiteracy by teaching IT skills to women and the elderly. This project allowed marginalized segments of society to benefit from access to technology and widened their opportunities. I also lectured and trained teachers-to-be at Ecole Normale Superieure- Algeria and introduced issues of power, education for peace, and leadership into the curriculum for the first time. During my university years, I co-founded and supervised many "English Clubs" in different educational settings among which the first English Club in Algeria which is the mother initiative to many similar clubs that exist in the country to date. My multidisciplinary academic background ranging from didactics and applied linguistics to democratization, political/civic education and non-violent conflict has introduced me to a variety of insights. I also co-authored a book entitled Revolution by Love with fellow MENA youth leaders where I explained my vision of change through education. My second book "The Apprenticeship of Leadership in Schools" is to appear, where I explain the endeavor of leadership distribution in schools. I am also a keen painter, exploring ways of incorporating art into education and activism.