EDUCATION \ 22
1: G. Buccellati, April 2009

Local training

A future for the past
The power of dreaming

A future for the past      Over the years, it has been a constant feature of our project to develop a broad training program addressed to the young people of the villages near the site.      For, intent as we are in recovering the past, we cannot forget the present and the future.      It is especially the young Syrians working with us who are the guarantee of a safe future for the shreds of history we see buried under the soil they tread today.      We have trained a large cadre of local assistants to work on the tasks that require more and more of their skills.      The talent they bring to the project is matched only by their enthusiasm – and ours, working alongside them.      The skills they acquire with us provide them an opportunity to go beyond the limits of our project, and many of them who have "graduated" from our program go on to work either for other archaeological projects or for other firms and commercial concerns in Syria. Back to top

The power of dreaming      In the words of Nancy McGirr a volunteer of the San Carlos Foundation, we can teach each other "the power of dreaming." It is a beautiful mission statement for us as well. And it works both ways.      We offer our local workmen and assistants skills that can lead them to achieve goals of self-fulfillment and advancement, we co-opt them in our enthusiasm for an intellectual pursuit that brings us to their land from the four corners of the world.      They teach us, unfailingly, that this pursuit is worth the effort. Back to top