Artwork created by a pupil. Photo: Michael Preston.
BYM launches Israel/Palestine education pack
QPSW and EAPPI have launched a new peace education pack
Pupils at the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School in London reacted with enthusiasm to a new peace education pack that was launched there last month by Quaker Peace & Social Witness (QPSW) and the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) in the UK and Ireland.
The Razor Wire & Olive Branches education pack has been designed to help fourteen- to eighteen-years-olds learn about the impact of conflict and peacebuilding in Palestine and Israel. Containing more than eighty activities and resources, it draws on eyewitness accounts of ecumenical accompaniers to explore the conflict through the lives of those affected by it, including both Israeli and Palestinian voices.
Keith Scott, from Woking Meeting, shared his accounts of living in Israel/Palestine at the launch on 24 June, along with three other ecumenical accompaniers. He said: ‘The day was a mixture of videos, role playing, discussions, short talks and art. We each created a chart exploring who we are and what makes up our identity. We talked about how this can get lost when all we see is the “other” and how media headlines can generate distance and fear between people.’
He added: ‘Paul Parker [recording clerk of Britain Yearly Meeting (BYM)] spoke about the need for conflict resolution and nonviolence skills in all our lives; how we look to strong leaders to resolve conflict but how it’s really resolved by ordinary people like ourselves. Ecumenical accompanier Kate Cargin shared her experiences from Jerusalem and Jayyus, a Palestinian village in the West Bank, talking about “the courageous Palestinians and Israelis” she’d met who continue the struggle for peace.’
The pack is produced in partnership with EAPPI and adopts the organisation’s policy of ‘principled impartiality’.
Ellis Brooks, peace education coordinator for BYM, said: ‘The conflict in Palestine and Israel is not easy in any sense, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be explored in the classroom. Teaching controversial issues provides valuable opportunities for young people to gain understanding of issues, critically evaluate their own attitudes, consider different viewpoints and resolve conflicts.’
