Reston, VA - Kidz Online (KOL) announced today they have developed a cooperative agreement to create an interactive television channel directed to girls and young women throughout the Middle East. The agreement brings together with KOL subject and linguistic experts from the Columbian College of George Washington University, the training organization World Links Arab Region and the United States Department of State through its Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI).

The Shaqa'iq Channel will use peer-to-peer communication to showcase how other women succeed in fully participating in the 21st century society. Production of the Shaqa'iq Channel will be in cooperation with the Jordan Education Initiative, a public-private partnership model for effective and advanced learning deployment being implemented by the World Economic Forum and the Government of Jordan, and it will be initially delivered in Jordan, Qatar, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates. The Shaqa'iq Channel will introduce Arabic speaking girls, young women, and the male influencers in their lives, to the potential they have as vital members of the 21st century society by showcasing the role technology has in empowering individuals.

Pre-production work for the Shaqa'iq Channel has already begun, with the first finished episodes scheduled for distribution in the Fall of 2004. The interactive channel will premiere as a web-based service with further distribution via carriage agreements with in-region television service providers. The Shaqa'iq Channel will provide an online forum for girls and young women to connect with and share issues and ideas to further propel the ideals and values of their culture as they enrich their personal experiences.

The Columbian College of George Washington University houses both the undergraduate and the graduate schools of arts and sciences. The Columbian College provides multiple interdepartmental programs including those in linguistics, women's studies and international cultural affairs. Staff and graduate student experts in these areas will work to support the construct of the programming for the Shaqa'iq Channel.

World Links Arab Region's (WLAR) mission is to improve educational outcomes, economic opportunities and mutual global understanding for youth in developing countries, through the use of technology and the Internet. World Links connects youth in a global learning network, allowing them to share their knowledge, perspectives, hopes and dreams with their peers. WLAR will provide in-region coordination and production assistance to create episodes for the Shaqa'iq Channel.

KOL is a non-profit digital educational service. KOL strives to help students and teachers increase their knowledge of the rapidly changing world of technology and how to integrate the new literacy into their life experiences. Kidz Online has extensive optical network hardware that enables millions of students and teachers to remotely access the programs and services of the organization. Learn more at www.kidzonline.org.