JERUSALEM | Seeds of Peace hosted a USAID-funded capacity building workshop for Palestinian and Israeli educators about the potential and limitations of education for creating a just and humane future.
The four day workshop for 29 educators took place in the Notre Dame Institute in Jerusalem in mid-February. A major snowstorm prevented a dozen other educators from participating.
The event provided participants with opportunities for connection, dialogue, learning, and self-expression. One topic of discussion involved the challenges facing Israelis and Palestinian educators in Jerusalem. with a particular focus on the experience of Palestinians in the city.
Other dialogue sessions focused on getting to know each other as educators, sharing experiences as educators in a climate of conflict, and sharing expectations held of one another.
“This was the first Educators’ workshop that focused so much on small group dialogue,” said Director of Seeds of Peace Educators Programs Daniel Moses. “Over the course of these sessions, many participants looked upset. Some finished a session with tears on their face. Many conversations continued over meals or in the common space.”
The participants took a break from their facilitated dialogue sessions to hear the Jerusalem Youth Chorus, an Israeli-Palestinian choir directed by a Seeds of Peace graduate.
Seeds of Peace Educator Programs seek to inspire and equip educators in conflict regions with the relationships, understanding, and skills needed to transform schools and communities and contribute to a culture of peace.