Building a Culture of Peace is a unique initiative designed to bring together Jewish and Palestinian youth for a long-term educational process. Along with enriching and fun activities, the program encourages the youth to address political and social issues that they encounter in their everyday life, in their community and outside, and to take action. Over the years, Building a Culture of Peace has reached over 5,000 youth across Israel.

Project goals:

(1)  To create an alternative, bi-national space in which youth may interact with each other in a new and more constructive way;

(2)  To encourage youth to take social responsibility and play an active role in changing their communities and society.

Building a Culture of Peace aims to reach youth from politically marginalized, socio-economically disadvantaged Jewish and Arab communities and uses art as well as other means to help build bridges between their respective communities.

Project’s mission:

We educate participants about Arab-Jewish relations and the conflict, its impact on their lives and possibilities for its transformation.

We provide participants with leadership skills and social action tools that help them implement initiatives for social- political change in their communities.

We work to reduce feelings of alienation and fear, as well as prejudice and racism between Jewish and Arab participants and motivate them to choose partnership and dialogue over segregation and rivalry.

Activities:

Local youth groups:

Throughout the course of the year 20 groups (Approx. 10 Jewish and 10 Palestinian) undergo a 4-month program composed of 15 weekly meetings facilitated by one of Sadaka Reut’s trained facilitators. The group’s process combines many enriching and fun activities with discussion on political and social issues that the youth encounter in their everyday life, such as violation of their human or civil rights, injustices they recognize inside their society and so on. The facilitators encourage the participants to take action in their communities by planning and implementing public outreach campaigns that intervene in reality and attempt to change it. These campaigns are an integral part of the educational process, as we recognize the significant potential of activism in empowering youth on the personal and community levels. We believe that the personal transformation participants go through is only valuable if participants take it further by taking action to change their reality.

Bi-National Nationwide Activities:

Six Bi-National youth activities are carried out throughout the year where youths from all groups come to enjoy Bi-National partnership through dialogue, shared learning and fun. The purpose of these activities is to provide our youth with the rare opportunity to meet and work with peers from both nationalities. In these activities each group presents their local campaign and achievements and learns about the work of the other group.

Weekend Youth Seminars:

Twice a year, a Bi-National weekend seminar is held for all participants. The seminars are a great opportunity to meet and deepen the relations between the youths. It is also an opportunity to offer more in-depth learning on a certain issue. The 2 day seminars are intensively pact with workshops, activities and games but also leave time for informal connections to be made. This experience is meaningful and significant for the youth, as they can truly be in an environment of partnership so different from the outside reality.

Summer Camp:

The summer camp is held every year in July and is considered as the highlight of the program. The summer camp is an intensive 2-3 days large scale event of activism and fun where youth, staff and graduates come to explore and create together. The summer camp is an opportunity to address a burning political or social topic and to act upon it.

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