Georgetown University: School of Foreign Service in Qatar

On August 28, 2008, Georgetown staff and Education City community members were able to meet a wide variety of vendors and community groups based in Doha at Georgetown’s first Community Fair.

Designed to connect new employees with various opportunities available here, the Community Fair was the first activity sponsored by the Georgetown Community Relations Group. Organized by Jill McSorley, the newly appointed Community Relations Coordinator at SFS-Qatar, the fair featured booths of recruitment agencies, community clubs, car dealerships, banks, healthcare providers, airlines, and many other local businesses and service providers.

“At the fair, newcomers as well as long term residents had a chance to learn about the options available to them in Doha for activity groups, services, and employment opportunities,” McSorley said. “We were fortunate to have an incredible response from both the Education City Community and from our 32 exhibitors.”

In addition to private companies and community organization, Hamad Medical Corporation and the Ministry of Interior in Qatar were some of the participating governmental agencies.

Three of Qatar’s most renowned recruitment agencies participated in the fair. In addition to the School of Foreign Service in Qatar, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, Northwestern University in Qatar and Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar accepted job applications from visitors.

To give an idea of the cultural landscape in Doha, community groups and cultural institutions presented the visitors with an overview of their activities. The Qatar Islamic Cultural Center booth distributed publications that introduce Islamic religion and culture to expat visitors. The Doha Singers and the Doha Players groups were present to familiarize people interested in performance arts.

Since pets are also part of many expatriate households, Qatar Animal Welfare Society (QAWS) was invited to publicize its services as an animal shelter.

The Doha sports scene was also present. Qatar Foundation’s Community and Recreation Center participated to introduce the activities and facilities it provides for the Education City. Aspire Active also sought to make its activities and facilities known to those interested in sports and fitness.

More than 300 visitors from Education City came to fair. Whether they were looking for a job opportunity, a community organization to join, or a car to buy, Education City employees and their families had the opportunity to discover what Doha has to offer.